Team size: 13

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

One key project that I was involved in has been the implementation of science-based targets within the organisation.

As the world continues to face geopolitical, technological and economic uncertainty, how do you manage legal risk while still prioritising commercial objectives?

With the development in regulatory environments towards risk-based legislation, legal risk is widely connected to risk management and internal control. Providing efficient and clear documentation of existing processes and controls has become a basis for commercial discussions. Avoiding commercial risk is increasingly related to avoiding the hurdles of compliance and formalisation. The necessity to ensure that sufficient documentation is readily available for commercial teams on public or easily available locations is a success factor that will reduce risk, avoid time consuming ad hoc documents and reduce frustration.

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 offers assistance to the legal role that is valuable in any team. The first year of use shows, however, that the tools must be managed as assistants and that the output will not be a final product. For senior staff who have a clear understanding of the desired output, it is easy to understand that a first draft will require further refining and work. For junior employees, the case is different. It is therefore necessary to make assessments of the chosen tools before introducing to all staff, and to manage use in joint sessions as an introduction phase.

As the creation of prompts with the specificity and detail required to reach the wished outcome is also a skill that requires development, it is necessary for teams to set up a library of prompts fit for their specific purpose. With time, this will save resources and increase the rate of successful output.

Given Norway’s emphasis on ESG, what role do GCs play in embedding these principles across the organisation?

The emphasis on ESG from a compliance perspective is the increasing requirement from customers, investors and other stakeholders for clear documentation of a company’s compliance with legislation and other requirements within ESG. In Norway, the Transparency Act has been an important driver, in addition to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.

The GC’s role is vital in this development, as they are commonly responsible for the creation, implementation and documentation of the requirements. Expectations for professionalism in the area will increase and ensuring that compliance is documented and available to stakeholders is important to earn trust in the market.

Steps that increase the organisation’s understanding and engagement may include use of third-party benchmarking companies such as EcoVadis. The visibility of a company’s efforts towards the wider public can increase focus.