Juno Counsel - In-house legal community

Māehe | March 2025

▶️March's Juno Counsel soundtrack: Hope by Fat Freddy’s Drop

Press play here to listen while you read

In-house lawyers aren’t known for being an optimistic bunch. Trained to spot risks, consider consequences, and keep things steady in uncertain times, this pragmatic approach leans more toward realism than optimism. However, when steering through uncertainty, it's not optimism that propels us forward but something, some argue, that is a bit more practical: hope.

Optimism and hope often get lumped together, but they are different. Optimism assumes things will work out, whereas hope requires a goal and a plan to get there. Psychologists call this agency and pathway thinking. It’s a mindset of action.

So, like this edition’s soundtrack, this month’s practical features offer a hopeful note - for a bunch of realists.

We have the joy of sharing insights from the Ministry for the Environment’s legal team, showing how they stay focused and intentional through change.
Our Juno Learning summary offers practical lessons and guidance on climate reporting and greenwashing risk. It’s a timely reminder of the vital role legal teams have in shaping a more sustainable future.
And from LawFest 25, the Juno team have brought insights back from the tech frontier, where the pace is fast, the tools are powerful, and the future is human and AI-powered.

Hope isn’t about assuming things will turn out okay; it's more about having a plan to keep going, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

Haere tonu. Keep going.

TEAM OVERVIEW: Ministry for the Environment's legal team

“Our team has proven that, although we’re not a large team, we certainly deliver a mighty punch.”
The Ministry for the Environment’s legal team is no stranger to change. They share how they stay focused on the work that matters most, maintain strong cross-functional relationships, and build a legal team culture that supports each other through the pressure.

Read how they make it work here

FEATURE ARTICLE:

LawFest 2025

The AI conversation at LawFest has come a long way. A few years ago, it was about its potential: how AI might change the legal profession? Now, the message is clear: Lean into AI - fully and fast.

Congratulations to the LawFest team on an engaging and inspiring event. With technology racing ahead, the real advantage lies with lawyers who use it well while staying adaptable, curious, and connected to the human side of law. Juno Lawyer Victoria Loveday captured our team’s reflections from LawFest25, where AI took centre stage.

Read about the future of law here

Juno Learning Sharing lessons on greenwashing and climate reporting (7)

JUNO LEARNING: Greenwashing and climate reporting takeaways

Last week, we hosted a Juno Learning CPD session where Juno Lawyers generously shared their lessons on climate reporting and greenwashing, and it hit the sweet spot between strategic and practical. Deb Blackett, Sarah Graydon and Estée Tan covered everything from board responsibilities to the art of managing ESG claims in a shifting regulatory climate.

If you couldn’t make it (or want a refresher), Estée has kindly gathered a summary of the key points and a link to the recording here. Because good learning should be shared.

Read the summary here

OFFICE HACK: Let Word do the reading

Reviewing your own work? Looking over someone else’s? Either way, your eyes can miss what your clever brain assumes is there.

Give those hard-working eyes a break and let Word do the reading with its often-overlooked Read Aloud feature.
Head to Review > Read Aloud, and Word will read from your cursor down.

It’s great for catching sneaky typos, awkward phrasing, or things that sounded better in your head. And yes, it’s amusingly robotic but still worth it.

WHAT WE ARE READING

📄 Sterling Miller’s latest “Ten Things for In-House Counsel in 2025” is a refreshingly sharp list of what’s on the radar this year, from AI and executive orders to legal budgets, RTO tension, and team wellbeing. It’s full of practical tips, a few laughs, and loads of links to explore.

🗺️Uncharted by Margaret Heffernan is a practical and thoughtful read on why letting go of certainty can make space for creativity, resilience, and new ways of moving forward. There's also an interview in the RNZ archives that's worth listening to.

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Juno is a leading provider of on-demand legal services and flexible in-house lawyers, actively supporting Aotearoa's in-house legal community. Get in touch today to discuss options for experienced in-house legal support on an interim basis, embedded within your team, or on a managed legal services basis. Click here to see our full range of services.