Introducing automation is also top of mind for Corpuz
Bernadette Corpuz took a meandering path to her current role of general counsel at OYA Renewables, having moved between various roles in private practice and in-house, mostly with a focus on the power sector – particularly renewables. Since joining renewable energy developer OYA as the company’s first in-house counsel three years ago, Corpuz has built up the legal department to include another lawyer who works with her in the Toronto office, and one senior lawyer in the company’s Boston office to handle projects in the US.
At OYA, Corpuz’s responsibilities include building governance processes, and managing contracts and approval processes.
Corpuz aims to continue supporting the growth of the business and evolving legal operations to an exponential new level – not just by adding more people – but through automation and frictionless transactions.
Coming up with ways to create frictionless transaction execution is a priority for Corpuz. As OYA is a project-driven entity, project finance will continue to be a big part of operations so she is always searching for ways to decrease friction in that area. She also strives to improve the integration of senior teams.
“In the last year-and-a-half we’ve learnt some lessons so we’re really identifying and putting into practice some of those lessons to integrate even more seamlessly with the ops team,” she says. Communication between departments and a true understanding of one another’s role is crucial for smooth operations within the organization.
“You need to understand almost to the point where you could step into their shoes and run that permitting process if you had to,” says Corpuz. “Lenders are looking at it from, a risk perspective, so to communicate that I have to actually understand what our finance leaderships needs to do and what conversations they have with lenders.”
Integrating new technology and automation into the legal team is also top of mind for Corpuz so she is currently testing out contract management software to find the ideal software to improve efficiencies in her team.
“Legal ops is really a key part of my next focus so I’m looking at automation and how we can use technology to really enhance exponentially what we can do,” she says.
Corpuz believes that having a flexible plan and a keen sense of self has been key to her success throughout her career.
“Whether you are in private practice or in-house, you’re driven by the goals of the day and what you have to deliver to be considered to be doing a good job, but on the other side of that you have to consider what helps you do a good job, and what you want to be doing a year from now,” says Corpuz. She advises lawyers to consider how they are spending their time on a day-to-day basis and whether this will allow them to continue honing their skillset and potentially opening up new opportunities.
