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

Me and my team have advised AstraZeneca on several pre- and post-employment restrictive covenant (non-compete and non-solicit) senior executive disputes. Competition for talent in the global biopharmaceutical industry – particularly in therapy areas with significant growth – is intense. We work with AstraZeneca and trusted external counsel to negotiate satisfactory resolutions where appropriate or rigorously enforce AstraZeneca’s rights in Courts around the world, protecting AstraZeneca’s confidential information.

Me and my team have also supported significant (multi billion) business development transactions through acquisitions of companies across the world with exciting assets across AstraZeneca’s therapy areas, supporting due diligence, evaluation and integration of target workers into AstraZeneca’s 100 000 employee workforce. This has supported AstraZeneca’s mission of bringing life-changing medicines to patients across the world.

What key trends should in-house counsel be monitoring over the coming months?

A central trend is the rapid use of AI in workforce decisions and day-to-day global people management. In-house counsel need to anticipate risks and opportunities from AI being used across our businesses, including recruitment, performance management, workforce planning and internal investigations, supporting appropriate governance frameworks without restricting innovation.

What are the most important attributes of the modern in-house counsel and what advice would you give to those aspiring to be an in-house lawyer?

Most important is judgement. Technical excellence is essential, but in-house legal roles assume knowledge of the law. Successful in-house lawyers help the business navigate difficult issues in a way that is legally sound, practical and aligned with a business’s overall strategy and values. This means cutting out complexity, focusing on what really matters and delivering practical, useable advice.

The best in-house lawyers are curious about their industry and demonstrate emotional intelligence – making the biggest difference involves understanding how large, complex and fluid businesses work, the pressures clients are under and what good looks like from an operational perspective, not just a legal one. In a global role, that matters even more, because you are constantly balancing consistency with local nuance and working across different cultures, legal systems and ways of thinking.

Whether or not you have a formal leadership title, modern in-house lawyers need to influence, build trust and create momentum. In my experience, the best legal teams are seen as thoughtful, commercial partners to the business, while clearly assessing risk and being prepared to say no when it really matters.

For those thinking of an in-house role, my advice would be to consider and develop your communication style, internal and external relationships and understanding the business as much as your technical legal skills. Be reliable, pragmatic and calm under pressure.

My main tip would be to pay attention to the people you admire: a lot of what makes an effective in-house lawyer isn’t written down, it’s learned through experience, observation and being willing to keep learning and developing.