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General Counsel’s And Legal Head’s in Today’s Function are More Business Partners than as Merely Legal Advisers – Iqbal Tauseef, Director Legal Affairs – Country Head – India, TTEC

General Counsel’s And Legal Head’s in Today’s Function are More Business Partners than as Merely Legal Advisers – Iqbal Tauseef, Director Legal Affairs – Country Head – India, TTEC
The Professional You
Briefly, Tell Us About Your Role in The Organization And The Mandates You Handle?

Leading the Legal and Compliance department for India which works towards advising different stake holders including but not limited to Human Resources, Operations, Facilities, Executive Leadership, Finance and Management. Playing three roles as the Head for legal, Secretarial and Contracts center of Excellence. Leading the team of attorneys supporting global stakeholders.

Tell Us Something About Your Journey So Far As A Director Legal Affairs – India?

Have a challenging and ascending journey starting as Junior Lawyer and Legal Associate. Have worked with various MNCs dealing in IT (Information Technology), Software, Financial (FinTech), Pharma & Healthcare, Energy, Environmental and Manufacturing. Hard work and passion towards the profession led to great opportunities in corporate world.

Do You Feel That The Role Of Legal Heads And General Counsels Is Evolving In Today’s Business Scenario? And If So, How?

Yes, Legal Heads and General Counsels play significant roles in the day-to-day management of the organization and contribute to corporate success. Since the pandemic, there has been a significant shift in how companies conduct business. The advent of new hybrid models for working styles, catalyzing technological advancements, and inventions have created difficulties for new regulatory compliance. As a result of the aforementioned, General Counsel’s and Legal Head’s today function more as business partners than as merely legal advisers. As a result, they are no longer Legal Counsels but Corporate Counsels.

What are the Key Challenges That General Counsels Have to Deal With on a Regular Basis, Irrespective of The Industry Sector?

Aligning business stakeholders with the new rules and regulations for strategic decisions is one of the biggest issues Legal Heads and General Counsels face. Every day, you witness stakeholder groups’ opposition to syncing the business with new compliances, and you witness the attempts of the legal heads and general counsels to mediate the business while upholding the compliances. We constantly need to find a solution and make sure the business is according to the rules of the land because integrating the business with legal restrictions might be challenging at times.

What are Your Thoughts on Improving Synergies Between Law Firms And Corporate Inhouse Legal Teams?

The objectives of in-house counsel and outside counsel while handling corporate legal matters are the same and serve the interests of the organizations. The two’s friendship is, nonetheless, evolving. Corporate legal risk management and law are tasking that in-house attorney handle. Law Firms have extensive case-solving expertise and a solid understanding of both substantive and procedural law. The involvement of both in-house counsel and outside counsel is necessary to enhance corporate dispute resolution capabilities, perfect corporate legal risk prevention mechanisms, and improve corporate legal risk management systems. Additionally, they require tight cooperation and comprehensive synergy, particularly in areas of strong knowledge that call for two parties to collaborate and complement one another, in-house counsel’s industry experience can offer lawyers considerable help in making accurate fact judgements and legal application decisions. The two parties have established a mutually beneficial and dynamic feedback relationship and are interdependent..

What are Some of the Key Tools That General Counsels Can Use For Continued Learning Education (CLE)?
  • LexisNexis® CLE
  • Fastcase
  • Primary sources
  • Google Scholar
Any Advice For Someone Exploring a Legal Career as an In-house Counsel?

Your employer is your “customer” in the in-house business; thus, you interact with them in person far more frequently than you would in a private practice. This places a high focus on communication abilities. You should be prepared to respond directly and frequently to questions from management and your coworkers. This can include routine matters like negotiating agreements and high-level business decisions. The following essential competencies are necessary for in-house counsels to address the aforementioned:

  • Lucid communication
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Technological prowess
  • Creativity
  • Learning flexibility
  • Knowledge of the law
  • Business acumen
The Casual You

FAVOURITE GADGET – An advance Smart Phone
FAVOURITE APP – Google
FAVOURITE Automobile – Brand Morris Garage
FAVOURITE WRITING – Instrument Keyboard
FAVOURITE HOLIDAY – Destination Switzerland
FAVOURITE CUISINE –Mughlai

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