Over the past decade, the role of the general counsel has undergone a significant transformation.
As we explored in our recent article looking at the rise of the commercial GC, today’s legal leaders are increasingly expected to contribute far beyond legal advice. Commercial judgement, stakeholder management and strategic influence have become as important as technical legal expertise.
At the same time, legal teams themselves are becoming more sophisticated. We also recently examined the growth of in-house specialisation and how organisations are investing in dedicated expertise across areas such as employment, privacy, regulatory compliance and AI governance.
These changes are occurring against a backdrop of wider transformation. In its recent Meet the FT Law 50 feature, the Financial Times highlighted how legal leaders “must contend with upheavals to the way they work … and their strategies for training the next generation of lawyers” as AI, new business models and changing client expectations reshape the profession.
Yet amid all this evolution, one question remains: who is being prepared to lead these increasingly complex legal functions in the future?
Historically, succession within legal teams was often viewed through a relatively clear-cut lens. The most experienced lawyer would eventually become GC, with technical expertise serving as the primary qualification for leadership. Today’s environment, though, is different, with the modern GC increasingly expected to take on a much wider and more varied remit.
As the role expands, the skills required to succeed within it change too; legal excellence of course remains essential, but it is rarely enough on its own for the highest in-house leadership roles today. The qualities that distinguish someone increasingly include commercial awareness, stakeholder management, vision and the ability to navigate organisational complexity – skills that take years to develop.
Many legal departments invest significant time and effort into developing technical expertise, as lawyers are encouraged to deepen their knowledge of specific practice areas, manage increasingly complex matters and build specialist capabilities.
What can receive less attention is the development of future leaders, particularly in lean in-house teams, where there may be only one or two layers between junior lawyers and the GC. While these lean structures can offer exposure to senior stakeholders and business decision-making from an early stage, many have fewer opportunities to build formal leadership experience by leading teams or taking on broader departmental responsibilities in an intermediate management role.
Research from Thomson Reuters has highlighted that succession planning often receives less attention within legal departments than in other business functions, despite the increasing strategic importance of senior legal leadership. The challenge is not simply replacing legal expertise, but preserving institutional knowledge, stakeholder relationships and business context.
This results in some organisations finding themselves with strong legal teams but no obvious successor when a senior leader departs.
The strongest organisations increasingly treat leadership development as a long-term process rather than a future hiring challenge. This doesn’t necessarily require formal succession plans, but is more focused on creating opportunities for high-potential lawyers to develop skills beyond their technical specialism.
That might include:
The objective is not simply to create future GCs, but to develop lawyers who understand how legal advice fits within broader business decision-making. Of course, not every succession challenge can be solved internally: as legal functions become more specialised and business expectations continue to rise, for some teams external hiring will be the most effective route to securing the leadership capability they need.
This is particularly true when businesses are entering new markets, embarking on significant transformation programmes, or seeking expertise that doesn’t currently exist in the team.
The most effective succession strategies are, therefore, not always about identifying a single successor years in advance. Rather, they involve maintaining a strong pipeline of internal talent, while remaining open to external perspectives when circumstances require them. For businesses seeking long-term stability, growth and resilience, identifying and developing the next generation of legal leaders may become just as important as hiring them.
If you’re looking for guidance on finding and developing talent or hiring for specialised roles in your team, get in touch with us for a confidential discussion.
