Maeva Marie is Head of Delivery at LOD. She qualified in France and worked as a competition lawyer before moving to the UK 10 years ago. She previously worked in general commercial law before specialising in IT & tech law for the last five years. She is now contracted to work at LOD and deliver managed services.
What attracted you to a career in Legal Ops and Tech?
I got into it originally through being a tech lawyer. I was realising that there were a lot of ways to improve those processes and working with British American Tobacco I ended up helping to implement a contract management system which really drew me in to pursuing a career with LOD.
What challenges have you had to overcome in your career?
I was often the only woman in the room, always the youngest person and I was negotiating multi-billion-dollar contracts with middle-aged white men. It was a fine line to make sure that I was taken seriously – being assertive without coming across as a bully.
What’s your approach to problem solving?
It’s key to understand different perspectives. A pain point for the legal team might not be seen as an issue for a service user in another part of the business. You must bring people along with the journey. People can be resistant to change if they don’t feel like they have been consulted on the new solution or process.
What advice would you have given yourself at the start of your career?
Be better at work/life balance – I tend to need to get things done at the expense of looking after myself and it’s really important to keep perspective on what can just as easily wait until the morning or next week to give yourself time to decompress.
