Team size: 4

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

BDO In Norway is one of the leading auditing and advisory firms in the country with close to 2,200 employees. At any given time, there are numerous initiatives that call for legal assistance in one form or another. Naturally, I cannot go into much detail, but I would say that some of the key projects that my team and I have been involved with have been negotiating legal aspects of framework agreements with major clients; working with our finance team in setting up a new procurement pipeline; assisting with negotiating larger supplier agreements; assisting with the implementation of new AI-tools and developing our in-house legal team. We are also part of a larger Quality & Risk Management department, and we work closely with the other functions to ensure that we are aligned. In addition, there are of course new regulations and the ever-developing regulatory landscape that needs attention.

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

I have had several interesting experiences over the course of my career. I started working full-time in the Norwegian FSA in 2008. The financial crisis hit later that year, and then it was “all hands-on deck”. I think this may have been the first time there was round-the-clock staff available.

I have also spent a year working as a deputy judge. The role involved anything from presiding over civil and criminal cases to wedding ceremonies and required you to be both thorough and efficient. I remember it being exciting and demanding at the same time and that I quickly had to handle the role to keep up with the new incoming cases. For me, this was quite a unique experience that gave me greater confidence and experience in interacting with a wide range of people and legal issues.

I have been an in-house counsel for the past ten years, and I find this role interesting and rewarding. You are almost a general practitioner, but at the same time you get to become an expert on what affects your company, and to plan for how you can contribute in the long term. No day is the same. One day you are part of a transaction team, other days you are involved in hefty negotiations. I think that the variety and continuity that comes with the in-house role is particularly exciting.

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

Stakeholder management and the ability to communicate your role are two important attributes. Why are you here and what is your contribution? In my view, an in-house counsel’s main task is to identify, manage and reduce legal risks. You also need to take the best interests of the entire company into consideration, and not just the question or initiative at hand. That requires that you have a sufficient overview of the company and its long-term strategies.

Your resources are not unlimited, so you need to prioritise your time and be able to communicate why. Also, it is important to know your own and your teams’ limitations, and when outside counsel should be involved, either due to capacity or the need for specialised legal skills. Finally, a positive and contributing attitude always helps.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

I think it is important that children have access to sports activities, especially since so much of our interaction today is digitalised. I try to contribute by coaching my son’s soccer team.