What do you see as an opportunity or risk over the next six months?

As a legal team, we’ve begun using AI and are genuinely excited about its potential – while staying appropriately cautious about its limitations. We only use it for tasks where we already know the correct answer, focusing on administrative work and activities that would typically be handled by a paralegal or junior lawyer. This is already creating efficiency gains and freeing the team to concentrate on higher‑priority, strategic work

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

Shortly after joining the business, I asked the Finance Team for our external legal spend over the past two to three years, the current year’s budget, and our position against that budget. There was no quick or consolidated answer.

To address this, I introduced an external legal spend tracker – a simple Excel spreadsheet stored in SharePoint – and worked with Finance to create a dedicated cost centre for the legal function, rather than having legal fees dispersed across different parts of the business.

The tracker has already proved invaluable. It records fee estimates, fixed fees, and actual spend, allowing us to check incoming invoices against agreed terms and quickly resolve any discrepancies. With our own cost centre, we can now monitor projected spend versus budget and track actuals throughout the year.

We have also given the Finance Team shared access so they can see upcoming expected legal costs, helping them accrue accurately and plan ahead. None of this required significant investment, and it will ultimately save the business time and money.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

I previously worked for an AIM‑listed company that became the target of a hostile takeover by a major shareholder – a New York–based private equity firm. As Group Legal Counsel and Company Secretary, I supported the Board throughout the entire takeover process.

Because of the takeover rules, the shareholder was permitted only limited due diligence before making its bid and was not allowed access to our CEO or CFO. The Board therefore selected me to accompany the shareholder’s founder and CEO on his visits to two of our UK manufacturing sites. We toured our Cheshire facility before travelling to Manchester Airport, where we boarded his private jet to Edinburgh to visit our Livingston site. Throughout the visit, I ensured strict compliance with the rules governing what information could and could not be disclosed.

Once the tour concluded, he flew straight back to New York on his jet, while I caught a Flybe flight home to Manchester – a stark contrast to the journey up to Edinburgh and a surreal end to an unforgettable day!

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Certain qualities – being approachable, commercially minded, and technically strong – are fundamental. Increasingly, though, visibility within the business is just as important. Leaders want the legal team to be genuine partners who are present, engaged, and seen, and there are many ways to achieve that.

When resources are tight and the team is operating under capacity constraints, however, striking that balance becomes challenging. You have to manage the core legal workload while still making time to visit sites and offices, deliver training, and build the legal team’s internal profile and brand.

Finding ‘champions’ in other functions is essential too. Having advocates across the business helps raise the team’s visibility and reinforces the value the legal function brings.