Jeannie Lee, executive vice president and general counsel at Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), sat down for a video interview at Nareit's REITwise: 2025 Law, Accounting & Finance Conference® in San Antonio, Texas.
Lee shared insights from her experience in M&A transactions and the evolving role of legal leadership. Reflecting on her panel at REITwise, Lee emphasized that the most important lesson she’s learned from deal-making is the critical need for cross-functional collaboration.
Successful transactions, especially those involving cross-border components, require early and consistent alignment among internal teams and external advisors to navigate time zones, structures, and objectives effectively. This alignment not only helps reduce challenges leading up to signing and closing but also supports smooth post-closing integration.
Lee also discussed how legal teams prepare boards for future transactions and potential activist engagements. This includes assessing governance structures, incorporating management and advisor viewpoints, and ensuring coordinated communication across internal stakeholders like IR, PR, and legal SMEs. Clear roles, processes, and fast decision-making frameworks are essential to respond quickly and compliantly.
She also addressed AI’s growing impact, noting its dual role as both a business enabler and a regulatory challenge. Her company is embracing AI through infrastructure investments—like hosting an NVIDIA-powered AI supercomputer—and integrating AI tools into its offerings, while also ensuring compliance and sustainability considerations are met.