An interview with Gabriel Li, Vice President Legal at Kredivo in Singapore.
How would you describe the state of the GC Community in your region? How has it changed since you first moved in-house?
The GC community in Asia is very close-knit, extremely collaborative and very vibrant. Many of us actively dedicate our time and expertise to meaningful causes which we identify with.
When I first moved in-house, I understood the role of a GC to be mainly focused on managing risk and creating processes to ensure compliance. These days, however, I take pride in the notion that a GC can do so much more as a business leader. I firmly subscribe to the view that a GC can be, and should be the conscience of a company. This empowers us to actively be an advocate for doing good, to be a voice for positive change, to be able to drive innovation, and to steer our colleagues to give back to the very communities that we serve.
I am extremely proud that in Asia, there is immense interest in many of us to leverage our legal expertise for greater impact with skill-based volunteering. In-house teams of all shapes and sizes are courageously stepping up to support many underserved communities, whether through pro bono work, mentorship, or advocacy.
I have been privileged to contribute to this spirt of volunteerism through founding my own volunteer initiative called “The Legal Sauce”. TLS (in short) is partnering with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre in Singapore to publish bite-sized FAQs for pre-incorporated charities to help them navigate legal complexities. So far we’ve had many ranked lawyers step up to contribute their time and expertise to craft legal FAQs for founders of pre-incorporated charities.
I count my blessings every day to be amongst colleagues at work, and many fellow in-house lawyers who are committed to making a difference beyond the boardroom.
Why is expanding your network important to you? What kinds of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?
Networking is a great way to exchange ideas with fellow in-house lawyers. We all have varying backgrounds and skill sets. Some have trained and practised in dispute resolution, whilst others are regulatory experts navigating conversations with local regulators, and yet again, there are those of us who advise on complex corporate structuring and manage ground-breaking corporate transactions.
Every conversation about work is invaluable as it gives me a snippet of the thought processes and the strategies typically adopted for each varied task undertaken by a legal team. Collectively, these conversations have often formed the bedrock of my “intuition” that guides parts of my decision-making process when navigating novel issues.
Beyond learning from our networks, I find it extremely rewarding to have meaningful conversations with fellow counsel who are interested in finding ways to collaborate for greater social impact. How have we, as in-house lawyers, done more for the communities we serve? How have we tried to make pro bono work a natural part of the legal culture? These are some discussions that I actively seek out because I believe in practising with a sense of purpose.
Once more, I must emphasise how fortunate I am to practice in a slice of time that is so accepting of volunteer initiatives. Almost everywhere I go, I am greeted by fellow in-house lawyers who are keen to volunteer their time and effort for positive change.
What do you want to achieve by collaborating with other GCs and senior in-house lawyers? Are there specific topics, challenges, or experiences you’d like to share or learn more about?
As briefly mentioned above, collaboration among GCs is extremely helpful when developing an “intuition” that can guide decision-making on novel issues. The fintech space is rapidly evolving, new technology and processes are created almost every single day. It would involve a lot of misguided pride, almost hubris, to think that one leader can have the answer to every issue under the sun. By sharing knowledge and strategies, we can all navigate regulatory uncertainties, explore new technologies, and shape the future of in-house legal work more effectively.
Beyond collaborating to tackle novel issues, I am very passionate about leveraging our teams for the greater social good. There is immense potential for in-house lawyers to make a difference, whether by mentoring young lawyers, offering pro bono support, or driving corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. I have witnessed firsthand how lawyers can lead immense change and leave a positive impact in underserved communities. At the heart of it, collaboration allows us to not only elevate the legal profession but also use our expertise to create meaningful change. That, to me, is one of the most fulfilling aspects of being an in-house leader today.
