The pandemic has given in-house counsel “speed dial access” to business leaders, Ilona Meyer says
Over the past two years, in-house lawyers have had to prove that they could shift gears quickly to go with the flow of the “new normal.” This has meant taking huge steps out of comfort zones, but as Boehringer Ingelheim legal and compliance head Ilona Meyer put it, in-house lawyers “never waste the opportunity offered by a good crisis.”
“We have read, upskilled and networked, re-read public health orders, re-drafted CovidSAFE plans, sought mask suppliers, sought RAT suppliers, purchased new home coffee machines, shared creative Zoom background talents,” she told Australasian Lawyer. “But more importantly, [we] now have speed dial access to our senior leaders and greater visibility to our senior management, having demonstrated the value in-house lawyers can bring to its organisation.”
Meyer pointed out that businesses have tapped their in-house legal teams to help with crisis management in the uncertain business landscape COVID-19 has created.
“Strategic business plans have been temporarily shelved, as organisations have looked to their in-house teams to provide advice on topics including public health orders, border closures, mandatory vaccination, health and safety obligations, working from home or office, air-conditioning metrics, casual or close contacts, to RAT or PCR,” she explained. “Organisations are seeking advice and guidance from their in-house legal team on emerging areas of the law almost in real time in order to assist with crisis management and ongoing viability of business.”
As an in-house counsel in the pharmaceutical sector, Meyer had to make critical decisions in partnership with other teams. In the process, she has pioneered new processes, cementing the value of in-house lawyers to her organisation.
Ilona Meyer is one of Australasian Lawyer’s In-house Leaders for 2022.
