Team size: 9 

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

I lead Avinor’s internal task force on AI, ethics and regulation. The task force was established to proactively manage the risks associated with the adoption of AI tools and software across the organisation. Its mandate includes ensuring Avinor’s compliance with the EU AI Act, GDPR, and Avinor’s own AI ethical guidelines. The task force’s assessments play a central role in determining which AI initiatives are approved, hence which AI initiatives we shall move forward with internally. Avinor has progressed with the use of AI in our operations, so there has been a lot of legal work within AI governance/responsible AI use.

Beyond my work on AI, the majority of my time over the past year has been dedicated to providing legal counsel to Avinor’s drone programme and a range of technology projects within the air traffic segment.

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

In my view, the modern in-house counsel must be agile, commercially minded and genuinely embedded in the business. Today’s in-house lawyers are increasingly expected to be active participants in projects and strategic decisions — not just advisers called upon after the fact. For many, this can be a challenge as many in-house counsel want to stay within their own “legal field” and leave the commercial discussion to someone else.

A core responsibility for any in-house counsel is to always be curious about the business and have the interest in the business’ success. In-house are expected to deliver concise, actionable legal advice quickly — whether through a brief memo, a risk summary, or a verbal steer in a project meeting — so that teams can make informed decisions without unnecessary delay.

Equally important is the willingness to embrace technology. The modern in-house counsel should be leveraging AI tools and legal tech to work smarter, freeing up time for higher-value advisory work and strategic engagement.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into legal teams, and the pressure grows to ‘do more with less’, how can GC balance efficiency, quality and human judgement?

AI tools and platforms can meaningfully increase the efficiency of in-house legal teams by automating or accelerating time-consuming tasks — such as contract review, document drafting, and administrative work — allowing lawyers to focus on nuanced legal analysis and strategic counsel.

That said, responsible AI adoption requires that a human remains in the loop. Any AI-generated output must be quality-checked before it is relied upon or acted on. This is not simply a matter of best practice — it is a fundamental requirement for maintaining the quality and integrity of legal advice.

I believe that in-house counsel should not just use AI tools but understand the technology behind them. The more an in-house understands about how an AI system is built, trained and constrained, the better equipped they are to assess the risks involved in using it. Responsible AI use should be at the core of every in-house legal function — and that responsibility starts with understanding the technology.

What key trends – and challenges – should in-house lawyers be monitoring over the next year?

  In my view, there are several trends and challenges that deserve close attention.

AI governance across the globe: as the EU AI Act enters into force in phases, in-house counsel — particularly in regulated industries — must understand which AI systems fall under high-risk classifications and what compliance obligations follow. Equally important is to understand how the AI governance is in place in the US and China, and how such regulations will affect the use of US and Chinese AI system as many companies has cross borders activities.

The evolving role of in-house counsel: the expectation for in-house lawyers to function as true business partners — not just legal gatekeepers — will continue to grow. Investing in legal tech will be essential for staying relevant and effective.