Could you tell us a bit about your significant successes in your role?

In this role, I work with the general counsel to position the legal team as a key business partner. One way in which I have done this is through organising and facilitating business-relevant training. I have been strongly engaged with the business to ensure that the training the legal department provides aligns to the areas of the law that the business needs and values. For example, the contract management training was a significant success resulting in increased engagement between the legal department and the relevant business units. This increased engagement was due to the business gaining a greater understanding of some of the project delivery risks that were covered in the training that I prepared and presented. This training has resulted in greater communication and sharing of information between the legal department and the business unit.

Further, I have assisted the business to negotiate numerous business critical project contracts in a timely manner whilst ensuring that the business understands the legal risks and commercial ramifications of certain decisions made during contract negotiations. I consider success during a contract negotiation as when legal counsel can guide the relevant decision maker through the relevant legal and commercial considerations to reach a suitable outcome.

The implementation of additional governance frameworks is a significant success in my role. This implementation is made easier once the legal department is positioned as a business partner who the business can rely on to help explain the requirement for, and the importance of governance in an organisation.

In your opinion, what are the qualities and skills needed to form a strong legal team?

A strong legal team must be able to adapt to the various situations that the business faces. It does this by being a proactive business partner and imbedding the legal function within the business’ decision-making process. This positions legal considerations as something that is a natural part of the business decision making process and not a “handbrake” or a requirement that must be satisfied in order for the relevant decisions to be made. To enable this, in-house legal counsel must be approachable, responsive to the needs of the business and engaged in delivering the business’ strategy through providing independent, commercially focussed and solution driven advice.

What challenges have you overcome to get to the position you are in today?

I think a major challenge which many legal counsel face, and one which I have had to overcome, is to find the optimal balance between providing comprehensive legal advice in an efficient manner. Legal counsel are often required to synthesise complex legal issues into a concise piece of advice that the business can easily interpret and use. Throughout my career, I have been lucky to have been mentored by excellent lawyers who have trained me to present clear and concise legal advice that does not compromise on a fulsome explanation of the legal issue in question. This has allowed me to become a trusted legal advisor to the organisation.