“Friends used to ask me, “So, are you a lawyer or not?””

An interview with Nisrine EL MIR, Managing Legal Counsel & Compliance Officer at FUJIFILM Middle East & Africa in UAE.

How would you describe the state of the GC Community in your region? How has it changed since you first moved in-house?

I still recall when I transitioned from private practice to an in-house legal career; some friends used to ask me, “So, are you a lawyer or not?”  Those times seem so far away now that the GC community in the Middle East & Africa region has matured from a somewhat marginal legal support function into a cornerstone of corporate governance and strategic management. This evolution mirrors the broader economic diversification and regulatory modernisation. In a nutshell, the GCs and in-house legal teams are now considered more than ever genuine and core business partners in the development and economic growth in the region. The GC community continues to gain in sophistication, influence, and connectivity, reflecting the dynamism of the region’s business and legal ecosystems. The GC Community in the Middle East is witnessing, as a result of this recognition, increased competition, where GCs are now viewed as key advisors to C-suite executives and boards, influencing business strategy, risk management, and governance.

Why is expanding your network important to you? What kinds of connections or discussions would be most valuable to you?

The General Counsels in the Middle East and Africa now oversee a wide range of functions, including compliance, corporate governance, dispute resolution, regulatory affairs, data privacy, and, increasingly, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) issues. The complexity and breadth of legal challenges have expanded, not to mention the language barriers, rigorous timeframes, and the heterogeneous jurisdictions that a region comprising more than 40 countries encompasses. Maintaining a professional channel of connections within the GC community and sharing the pain would lead to sharing the gain of finding solutions at certain times and redirecting efforts to the right course whenever needed. No GC would know it all, but exceptional ones would know where to go to get support. The remarkable rise in professional networks, forums, and associations tailored to GCs in the Middle East in the last 5 years, enabling peer learning, sharing best practices, and advocacy on legal reform, is a great witness of how the discussions and connections are shaping the future of the GC community in the region. Events, panels, and workshops are common, fostered by both regional organisations and global law firms.

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?

While the legal environment in the Middle East is shaped by local laws (e.g., UAE Commercial Companies Law, Saudi Arabian Corporate Governance regulations), GCs increasingly need to navigate cross-border transactions, international arbitration, and global regulatory standards due to the region’s openness to foreign investments and trade. Simultaneously, many GCs in the region have started to leverage legal technology solutions to enhance contract management, compliance monitoring, and legal research, although adoption varies by country and sector. The collaboration in this area seems crucial to harmonise the growth and shape the regulatory progress that the region is witnessing, with a substantial increase in complexity. Countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia have overhauled commercial laws, introduced data protection regulations, and enhanced corporate governance frameworks. Twenty years ago, many GCs were expatriates due to the lack of locally trained legal professionals with the required expertise. Today, there is a growing cadre of highly qualified local GCs, supported by expanding law schools, professional certifications, and legal training programs within the region. Therefore, collaboration with other GCs is essential, as is the cooperation with academic institutions in the area, to better support the GCs of tomorrow.