Juno Counsel - In-house legal community

Noema | November 2025

November has a way of turning busy into something a little more chaotic. So this edition leans towards simplicity. You’ll see clearer headings and a streamlined layout, making at least one thing easier at this time of year.

Across this edition’s features, one theme kept surfacing: clarity is most effective when it's grounded in connection. Louise Rooney, Precinct reflected on keeping people and balance at the centre of leadership; the 2degrees legal team showed how curiosity can make fast-moving work feel more manageable; and the learning spotlight on the Harvard Leadership in Corporate Counsel program reinforced the value of aligning legal effort with strategy rather than being stretched in every direction. Our Navigating the unwritten rules series echoed this too; influence comes less from the org chart and more from timing, trust, and connection.
And if you’re after a bit of clarity on the tech front as well, you can register for our final learning session of the year, Demystifying AI: a practical introduction for in-house lawyers.

People – Leaders and teams, in their own words

Spotlight feature Louise Rooney Precinct

SPOTLIGHT: Louise Rooney, Precinct

When your work shapes city skylines, collaboration matters. Louise Rooney, General Counsel at Precinct, shared how her team navigates the creative–commercial balance of major developments, keeping people, relationships at the centre.

👉 Read Louise’s spotlight

TEAM OVERVIEW: 2degrees Legal Team

Fresh from winning the ILANZ People and Culture Excellence Award, the 2degrees legal team shows how curiosity, humour, and mutual support can power a fast-moving business. Louise Henderson, General Counsel & Head of Risk, talked about experimenting together and staying people-centred through change.

👉 Meet the 2degrees legal team

Learning – Ideas and conversations we can explore together

Juno Learning CPD Demystifying AI with Dr Andrew Chen.

JUNO LEARNING: Demystifying AI - practical AI insights for in-house lawyers

Free, 1-hour CPD, lunchtime session with Dr Andrew Chen, breaking down what AI really is (and isn’t) in approachable, practical terms. You'll get to step into the shoes of a Large Language Model (LLM) to see how AI “thinks”, explore the different types and uses of AI, and consider where AI meets law and ethics.
Register for this session - Thursday 27 November, 12-1pm

Harvard Learning Spotlight Elise O'Halloran

LEARNING SPOTLIGHT: Harvard's Leadership in Corporate Counsel

Our Learning Spotlight features ideas from in-house lawyers who step outside the day-to-day to learn and reflect. Elise O’Halloran, Head of Legal and Commercial at Enatel, shares insights from Harvard’s LCC program and how she’s applying them back in Aotearoa.

👉 Read Elise’s Leadership in Corporate Counsel reflections

“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Juno Learning

JUNO LEARNING: Navigating the Unwritten Rules Summary

How does influence work in practice?
Across the motu, in-house leaders gathered to discuss those unwritten rules, from reading the room to knowing when to speak up and when to step back.

👉 Read the five practical lessons on navigating the unwritten rules for in-house lawyers here

Legal + Tech = LawFest 26

LawFest is one of those legal conferences we keep coming back to! It’s a day full of insights for legal professionals looking to innovate, adapt, and work smarter, regardless of their role, experience, or organisation size. See the full programme here.

11 + 12 March 2026 | Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland | Earn up to 5+ CPD hours
We’re fortunate to offer our Juno community a $200 discount on tickets (including access to the Expo and networking function on 11 March).
👉 Register with the JUNO200 code

Check it out — we’d love to see you there!

Resources – Practical and useful

OFFICE HACK: Outlook email templates

When you’re sending the same emails on repeat, Outlook's email templates can streamline this - great for those repeated tasks at a busy time of year. Here's how to use it:

In New Outlook: Open a new email, write your message, then go to Options > Mail Templates > Save as template. To reuse it, head to Home > New > Mail from template, choose your saved version, tweak if needed, and send. Find more details, including steps for classic Outlook, here.

WHAT WE ARE READING

If you’re feeling the wobbles as deadlines stack up, this Guardian piece, Hate your job – but can’t afford to leave? 20 ways to love your work a little more, offers encouraging ideas to help work feel lighter and more manageable.
Unity Books' November bestseller list features David Szalay’s Flesh (2025 Booker Prize), Patti Smith’s Bread of Angels - The Spinoff's handy resource for curating that perfect holiday reading list.

A little housekeeping: We’ve updated our Privacy Policy to clarify how we collect, use, and protect your information. You can read a short summary of what’s changed and why here.

That’s us for this late-spring edition of Juno Counsel. We’ll leave you with a small moment of optimism: our Team Snap of Juno lawyer Luana D'Appollonio smiling in the spring rain on the Routeburn.

Ngā mihi o te wā, take care, and we’ll see you back here in February.

Ka kite anō,

Luana smiling in the spring rain on the Routeburn

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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.