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

The biggest opportunity and risk in the next 6 months is the adoption of AI (both in terms of the business’ adoption and the legal function). AI is starting to change consumer behaviour, whether in terms of how they are making purchasing decisions or submitting claims and complaints. The Legal team will need to match this pace of change and be ready to respond to both the changes in consumer, data protection and competition regulations that will come as AI evolves. In order to match this change, adoption of AI tools to enhance efficiency will be key as well as quickly developing the skills to use AI tools effectively.

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?

We have developed a horizon scanning agent in co-pilot which pulls together a report an upcoming regulatory changes, new legislation and key case law. The agent is limited to trusted sources and understands the key industries and markets we operate in, to give a targeted response the legal team can use to report on emerging risks, plan compliance activity and keep the business up to date.

General counsel often speak of the need to be strategic to reach the pinnacle of the profession. What does being strategic mean to you?

Being strategic means taking a wholistic view on the decisions in front of you as well looking ahead to risks and opportunities the business may not have considered yet. It is more than just providing legal advice, but taking the knowledge and understanding of the business, objectives, risk appetite and then providing a strategic view back to the business which balances any legal or regulatory requirements.

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

An ability to understand and advise on business risk, in the context of the business and its risk appetite. It is not the job of in-house counsel to say no (unless there is no other choice) but to present the business with informed options so a conscious choice can be made. Alongside this, in-house counsel need to be commercial, pragmatic and have the resilience to be able to stand their ground when necessary.