With 16 years of global legal experience both as a General Counsel and corporate development advisor in Real Estate, Manufacturing, Global Resources, Transport & Logistics (Stevedoring) and Hospitality & Leisure Lindy Muto is currently a consultant to the PACT Group, providing legal and legal operations advice and directing the establishment of corporate development processes for the whole organisation.
A speaker at our upcoming Legal Procurement Conference APAC 2018, she’s the Lawcadia In-House lawyer of the month and has the following insights to share about life in-house.
What do you love most about working in house?
My analytical and financial focus, combined with my legal experience and MBA has enabled me to find a professional sweet spot between driving business development and growth whilst commercially analysing and managing associated risks. It’s no surprise then that I love working closely with the business, being involved at the C Suite level and playing an integral part in the decision-making process of the business at all levels.
What has been the highlight of your in-house career?
I’m a big believer in the legal function being a value add rather than a hindrance, so I’m particularly proud to have played a part in the development and introduction of a legal helpdesk software program, reduction of internal legal spend and increased value from external legal firms, and the establishment of processes and procedures the business can use to effectively negotiate agreements within the parameters of the company’s risk profile. Actions like these have transformed the legal department into a business unit which is highly regarded and appreciated for the practical advice, commercial solutions and service it provides to the company.
The legal industry is in a period of unprecedented change. What do you think is the biggest challenge facing legal teams today?
It’s incredibly important for the legal department to create positive outcomes for the business, therefore the legal team needs to operate like a business. Consequently, the biggest challenge legal teams are facing is embracing technology to assist with the vast volume of work currently being kept in-house, aligning the interests of the legal teams with the interests of the business, and providing solutions which add value not only from a legal perspective but from a process and revenue viewpoint.
What advice can you offer legal teams keen to adopt new technology?
To coin a phrase; ‘Just do it’! The in-house environment is becoming increasingly faster paced and demanding. And thanks to the nature of instant communication, we’ve got less time on our hands than ever. Therefore, implementing technology that assists legal teams to be more effective, efficient and deliver a high value service of legal and commercial solutions is invaluable. Finding the right technology for your team not only helps them deliver the services required and demanded of them, but allows lawyers to concentrate on value adding work, rather than being inundated with repetitive, low-value tasks. It’s imperative that legal teams leverage technology to save time and money.
All work and no play makes a dull lawyer. What do you love to do in your downtime?
I’m a qualified reformer bed Pilates instructor. I teach 3 classes per week and promote health and fitness to the ‘new thirties’!
Meet Lindy at the Legal Procurement Conference 2018
Lindy will be one of our speakers at the Legal Procurement Conference 2018. Held in Sydney in July this year, it’s a fantastic opportunity to network with your peers, explore legal operations and debate the ongoing challenges in the legal industry. You can find Lindy on LinkedIn and learn more about the conference here.
