Team Insights – Neil Smith

Team Insights – Neil Smith 

In the fifth edition of our Team Insights series we feature Neil Smith, one of our experienced and knowledgeable senior in-house lawyers who has a background in managed legal services and working alongside a client’s in-house legal functions. At IHLS he specialises in commercial matters and delivering our External Legal Team Solution and On Demand Solution. Neil has a wealth of experience and deals with a variety of commercial contract, IT and data protection matters for multiple clients. 

Neil provides senior oversight to our team of commercial lawyers and manages client relationships, as well as acting as outsourced general counsel for our clients. He leads the internal training function at IHLS and regularly provides training and mentoring to our junior team. 

My role at IHLS  

I am a Senior Solicitor within our External Legal Team Solution which involves also me providing support to clients via our On Demand Solution, which is our commercial contract support service.  As part of my role I manage my own caseload of generally higher value, more complex commercial contracts.  However, I also have oversight over workloads of more junior lawyers and trainees, helping them with technical and strategic advice whilst training them how to pragmatically advance matters whilst sensibly managing risk.  

What is your prior experience and why did you choose to pursue a career as an in-House solicitor?  

My 23+ years of experience in the legal field is the foundation to my legal career that began when I graduated from Newcastle University, went on to complete my LPC and then qualified as a solicitor in 2009. Before joining IHLS, I specialised in providing legal advisory and managed services for a multinational financial institution and a global consumer goods company. I have had a varied career which has been a benefit to me in my transition to becoming an in-house lawyer – one of my notable achievements includes initiating and managing several successful financial claims departments. 

My career path naturally led me to a career supporting in-house teams as I was drawn to the way in-house teams are faced with a variety of challenges, and how they provide practical advice which is fully grounded in the workings of the business.  I enjoyed close contact with the general counsel of our client in my previous role, and built up a strong bond of trust and confidence with them due to my ability to practically apply situations and challenges to the legal agreements at hand.   

What is the key to managing In-house stakeholders effectively?  (may change) 

Empathy, honesty and clarity are key.   You need to understand a stakeholder’s requirements but also ensure they understand if and how they can be achieved. My mantra is to never come with problems alone; they should always be accompanied by solutions or at the very least a plan of action plotting out a way forward. 

What do you like about your role? 

At In-House Legal Solutions, I feel in this role I can make a more significant impact through my work, and I value the opportunity to build enduring relationships with our clients. I believe that growing with clients and understanding their evolving needs allows me to provide more impactful legal solutions. I feel I excel in understanding how clients work and identifying ways to improve efficiency and processes. My focus is on saving time and enhancing business operations, rather than just addressing discrete legal issues. I enjoy being part of his clients’ successes and see their achievements as a reflection of the strong legal support that we provide at IHLS. 

In my role, I have a commercial focused approach, where considering the broader commercial context ensures that legal strategies align with business objectives. Without just looking at legal aspects, this approach ensures the entire picture is considered so I can provide solutions that are most effective. 

What advice would you give to aspiring in-house law professionals? 

Curiosity is key.  Never assume and never be afraid to ask that question.