An interview with Livia Dumitrescu, Head of Legal at Franklin Templeton in Romania.
How would you describe the state of the GC community in your region?
In my view, the GC community is thriving in our region. This means that in-house counsel enjoy a high degree of trust from the organisations that hire them. An organisation in this region would rely on their GC for legal advice more – in terms of both extent and depth – than on external counsel. A GC is the “in” lawyer, with knowledge beyond the legal knowledge and who does not have to share loyalties among different clients.
How has it changed since you first moved in-house?
The change I have seen is mainly in the area of scope of a GC’s mandate which extends well beyond ensuring the delivery of adequate legal advice and representation into strategic, regulatory and often government affairs advice. The flipside is that sometimes the trust and extended mandate do not go hand in hand with adequate resourcing in terms of people, budgets and time.
Why is expanding your network important to you?
Because when you face a concrete situation with too many angles, causes and consequences, there is no faster way to figure out at least where to start than to ask others. This approach is also rewarding, as it allows you to interact with others not only professionally but also personally. There is no better way to get to really know a person than to find out “how they did it”, how they solved a problem.
What kind of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?
Most valuable connections are those that you work least at maintaining because they are based on common values or shared interests or both. I prefer common values because they tend to change slower or to simply graduate to another level. If I meet a person with whom I have values in common, I might not meet them for months but when I do meet them again, we will have the same ease in getting along.
The discussions that would be most valuable to me would revolve around the future of our profession and how, and how well, we mentor and prepare a new generation to take over from us.
What do you want to achieve by collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers?
I would like to be part of a genuine community which is diverse enough to allow for special interest groups but manifest and live a common set of values. Lawyers are often seen as selling their time and creativity to save a company (or another entity) from a loss which the company would otherwise incur, rightly or wrongly. There is a difference though when compared with the most common way in which a saviour is perceived because a GC is expected to save – in the way that a lifeguard is and not in the way that James Bond is. After a few years in such a role either you like it or you hate it. I would like to collaborate with either category because each has a method of surviving which will surely make sense at some point in my professional life, too. As a conclusion, I am looking mainly for exchanging real life experiences, methods of addressing difficult situations or difficult people. I am also interested in mentoring and coaching others and working with younger people to support them find their way…around themselves.
Are there specific topics, challenges, or experiences you’d like to share or learn more about?
