What excites you most about the future of the in‑house legal profession, and where do you hope to continue developing your career? 

This is a particularly exciting moment for in‑house lawyers. The role is clearly evolving, with legal teams becoming more closely embedded in the business and more actively involved in shaping decision‑making and strategy. 

Artificial intelligence plays an important role in this shift. It allows lawyers to focus on higher‑value, meaningful work and to take a more active role in shaping both their own careers and the direction of the profession. Rather than simply changing how tasks are performed, it is contributing to a broader redefinition of what legal teams are expected to deliver. 

In my day‑to‑day work, I see this quite clearly. Within IBM, legal is closely involved in enabling innovation, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence. This means being part of the conversation from the outset, helping to structure products and services, and ensuring that legal, ethical and governance considerations are properly embedded. Building trust is a key part of that, especially when working with emerging technologies and global clients. 

At the same time, we are also rethinking how we operate internally. The use of AI and digital tools is helping us streamline workflows, improve access to legal guidance and work in a more consistent and scalable way. This has made it easier for the business to access timely support and contributed to faster, more informed decision‑making. 

Looking ahead, I am particularly interested in continuing to develop at the intersection of law, technology and business. I am motivated by roles where legal is not just supporting decisions but actively helping shape them, especially in fast‑evolving areas where legal insight can make a meaningful difference. I see the role of in‑house lawyers continuing to evolve in that direction, and I am excited to keep growing with it.

Have you been involved in any initiatives to improve legal processes, introduce new ways of working or make the legal function more efficient? 

Improving efficiency and making legal support more practical and accessible has been a consistent focus of my role. 

Over the past years, I have worked on several initiatives aimed at simplifying legal processes and helping the business operate more autonomously within clear risk boundaries. This has included developing and refining tools – templates, guidance materials, and playbooks -, which allow teams to handle more routine matters independently. In practice, this has significantly reduced response times for recurring queries and ensured more consistent handling of similar matters across teams, while freeing up legal capacity to focus on more complex and strategic work. 

I have also worked closely with compliance and operational teams to improve alignment and ways of working. Encouraging earlier involvement from legal and clarifying roles and responsibilities upfront has helped streamline interactions. This has resulted in smoother collaboration across functions and helped avoid delays in key processes. 

Another area of focus has been the use of technology to support day‑to‑day work. Within IBM, digital tools are increasingly used to improve knowledge sharing and facilitate access to legal guidance for the business. These efforts have made legal support more accessible across different business units and contributed to a more scalable and proactive legal function. 

Overall, I approach my role with a balance between legal rigor and practicality, continuously looking for ways to make legal support more efficient, easier to access and better aligned with how the business operates.

What skills or experiences have been most important in your development as an in‑house lawyer so far? 

The skills that have been most important in my development as an in‑house lawyer are judgment, communication and adaptability. 

Developing commercial judgment has been particularly defining. Being in‑house isn’t just about knowing the law: it’s about understanding how legal risk fits into the bigger picture. In many cases, there isn’t a single correct answer, so a key part of the role is being able to take a position and provide practical, balanced advice, often under time pressure. 

Communication has also been essential. A large part of the work involves translating complex legal topics into clear and actionable guidance for non‑legal stakeholders. I have found that clarity and pragmatism are key to building trust and ensuring that legal advice is not only understood, but effectively implemented. 

Adaptability has been equally important. Working in an international and fast‑moving environment has strengthened my ability to manage ambiguity, respond to new challenges and continuously learn. Whether through new regulatory areas, cross‑functional collaboration or more complex matters, I have focused on quickly getting up to speed and adding value. 

Overall, these experiences have changed how I approach the role. I have moved from focusing primarily on legal analysis to thinking more broadly about how I can support and influence decisions. For me, this shift towards being a true business partner is at the core of what it means to be an in‑house lawyer today.