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What makes an effective leader? Looking to brush up on your leadership techniques, or learn something new altogether about influencing the board?

Take your queue from those who do it best:

1.  How to be a business partner - Richard Mabey, CEO of Juro

How to be a business partner - Richard Mabey, CEO of Juro

‘Become a strategic partner to your business.’ It’s the universal aspiration for in-house counsel at the moment, but it’s easier said than done. If you manage to dig yourself out of mountains of paperwork and process, and find some genuine headspace, what should you do with it?

Here are five ways in-house counsel can transform from reactive, risk-averse lawyer to proactive, strategic business partner.

2.  Redefining the role of in-house lawyer as strategic business partner. An interview with Matt Redding, GC at Six Degrees Group

Redefining the role of in-house lawyer as strategic business partner. An interview with Matt Redding, GC at Six Degrees Group

As business needs continue to shift and face ever-increasing challenges and opportunities, so has the expectation around what the legal function is looked for to deliver to its organisation. Once, the value of in-house counsel rested predominantly on delivering expert, astute advice timeously – at an affordable cost. But as Matt Redding, General Counsel from Six Degrees Group explains, the role has significantly evolved. Today, in-house counsel must demonstrate their value in more innovative ways.

In this interview with Lucy Glyn, Market Development Director at Lexis Nexis, Matt talks about how the role of the in-house lawyer has changed since his legal career began in 2000, and the key areas where lawyers should better align their focus towards business needs to show their worth.

3.  The rise of the pragmatic (and disruptive) GC – an interview with Swati Paul, General Counsel at London Luton Airport

The rise of the pragmatic (and disruptive) GC – an interview with Swati Paul, General Counsel at London Luton Airport

When you work in-house, you’re no longer just a lawyer, you’re a business advisor balancing the commercial needs of the business with providing sound legal advice. 

What skills do you need to do this and to develop people’s trust in your judgement? Sophie Gould talks to Swati Paul, General Counsel at London Luton Airport, about how in-house lawyers can make their mark in the business and how they are disrupting the profession.

4.  GCs as influencers: getting your voice heard at board level - an interview with Veta T Richardson, President & CEO, ACC

GCs as influencers: getting your voice heard at board level - an interview with Veta T Richardson, President & CEO, ACC

Through their in-depth knowledge of the law and their business, general counsel (GCs) have a key role to play in organisations.

But is the voice of the GC being heard?

Businesses need a culture in which GCs are routinely consulted by the executive board and given the opportunity to help shape strategy.

Sophie Gould talked to Veta T Richardson, President & CEO of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), about how ACC is advocating for GCs as key influencers of corporate culture and what needs to happen to get GCs’ voices heard.

5.  Empowering the in-house legal team – an interview with Maaike de Bie, General Counsel, Royal Mail

Empowering the in-house legal team – an interview with Maaike de Bie, General Counsel,Royal Mail

When Maaike de Bie joined Royal Mail as Group General Counsel, many people in the business didn’t understand what the legal team was there for. How can you transform a team from an overworked, undervalued advisory function into an invaluable contributor to the business? Sophie Gould talks to Maaike de Bie about how she empowered the legal team and shaped its role as a strategic business partner, resulting in it winning the Legal Department of the Year (Commerce and Industry) at the British Legal Awards 2017.

Recommended Reading from LexisPSL:

A guide to leadership for in-house counsel – a 5 part series designed to address the practicalities of leadership as an in-house lawyer developed I association with the Cranfield Business School of Management:

Part 1 - Different approaches to leadership

Part 2: Leader as a business partner, source of inspiration and team leader

Part 3: Power, politics and change

Part 4: Learning to be a leader

Part 5: Additional reading

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