Our new Learning Spotlight series is about learning from each other — short, practical reads where in-house lawyers share insights from stepping outside their day-to-day to grow, reflect, and bring fresh thinking back to their teams.

We’re grateful to start this series with Elise O’Halloran, Head of Legal and Commercial at Enatel, who recently completed Harvard’s Leadership in Corporate Counsel program and generously shared her reflections for other in-house lawyers across Aotearoa.

Elise O'Halloran Havard Leadership in Corporate Counsel programm
Elise O'Halloran Head of Legal and Commercial, Enatel

What led you to the Leadership in Corporate Counsel program at Harvard, and what did you hope to take away from it? 

As Head of Legal and Commercial at Enatel, my role has a significant global focus, with over 95% of all technology we design and manufacture exported internationally. I applied for the Harvard Program to gain exposure to leading in-house legal leaders from around the world and to sharpen how I run the legal and commercial function of a high-growth global business from New Zealand. 

I wanted the opportunity to learn best practice from international peers, explore how emerging technologies and AI are reshaping in-house teams, and push myself beyond "just being a lawyer" to becoming a more strategic leader within the business.  

What’s one theme or idea that stuck with you, that you think is especially relevant for in-house lawyers here in Aotearoa? 

The idea of the "internal service provider dilemma" shared by Professor David B. Wilkins stuck with me. As in-house counsel, we have a fine balance of managing internal clients' needs with long-term company interests. We cannot become the department of "no", but we also can't simply be the department of "yes" either. Our role is to align the legal team's work with the broader business strategy, making sure our work is enabling growth while still acting as guardians of the organisation's long-term interests and risk mitigation. 

Global research from EY Law and the Harvard Law School Center of the Legal Profession (led by Professor David B. Wilkins) found that only 52% of legal departments felt their day-to-day work aligned with broader business strategy, and nearly half of GCs said their teams were not effectively adding value. For us here in Aotearoa, where in-house teams are often leaner, this insight is especially relevant. We have to screen and prioritise work, leverage technology and focus our energy where it matters most: problem-solving and enabling strategic outcomes for the business.   

    
 

  • Align legal work with business strategy, not just demand

  • Avoid the “department of no” and the “department of yes” trap

  • Be visible in uncertainty — lean in, don’t step back

  • Build capacity with tech and prioritisation so your team can focus where it matters

  
    

How has the experience shaped the way you approach your role back at Enatel? 

Harvard reminded me that being an effective in-house leader is not just about legal expertise, it's also about strategy, leadership and innovation. In my current role, this has meant being adaptive and having a wider lens focused not only on the law, but also on what is right, sustainable, and aligned with the company's long-term growth. 

The experience has also encouraged me to build on my leadership skills across the business, spending time with our engineering teams to get a better understanding of the complex technology behind our products, our marketing and sales teams to understand our customers and go-to-market plans, and our finance team to develop sound commercial frameworks. This has all helped me in providing more commercial, strategic and robust legal support to the business.  

If you had to leave your NZ peers with one piece of advice or reflection from your time at Harvard, what would it be? 

We spent time on the program reviewing case studies from large global in-house legal teams from Google, General Motors, to Microsoft. A key piece of advice that came from these various scenarios was not to retreat into the comfort zone of only technical legal expertise when the business faces challenges outside of your training area. The future of in-house practice lies in being proactive, adaptive and visible in moments of uncertainty. Whether it's AI developments, new regulations and tariffs, or a crisis - the expectation is that we lean in, not step back. Build your team's capacity, align your work with strategy, and don't be afraid to articulate the value legal counsel brings to the company.

Elise O'Halloran Harvard Leadership
   

Ngā mihi nui, Elise, for sharing your experience and learnings so openly with the Juno community. 
It's a great reminder of the value of continuous learning, and of the impact that curious, connected in-house leaders can have in their organisations. 


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