In this General Counsel (GC) thought leadership report we focus on a number of important matters that relate to the role of General Counsel (GC). In many senses it is a retrospective commentary on the development of the GC role and the contribution made by GCs to their businesses. However, it is much more than that. Through our dialogue with hundreds of GCs, we have been able to chart the challenges and opportunities faced by in-house lawyers as they operate in an evolving business environment.
Our view attracted some attention, and the Value Pyramid which we created for our first report helped shape the debate, as GCs sought to work at a more strategic level. Much of what we discussed in that first report is now widely accepted.
So where do GCs go from here?
The survey conducted for this report shows that, if anything, GCs are more ambitious than ever, with increasing numbers striving to achieve more for their businesses, themselves and their teams. But they are operating in a changing landscape, as global influences and questions about values – rather than value – come to the fore. Risk and reputation management are the new challenges (or opportunities) for GCs.
This requires a different breed of GC: one who can operate in an international matrix of laws and business practices while maintaining the ethics and values of their organisation. Such a GC needs the skills and techniques to work at the most senior leadership level – something we look at in more depth in our Strategic Business Counsel model towards the end of this report.
We hope you enjoy reading what follows, and would welcome any comments or thoughts you may have about the topics it raises.
This thought leadership report contains the following and can be downloaded below:
- Introduction to The GC Programme
- Key findings
- What’s important to GCs
- Case study: Jonathan Stevens, Atos
- Influence
- Case study: Kathryn Coville, GSK
- Key performance indicators
- Case study: Hugh Ford, intu
- The GC Value Pyramid
- Career aspirations
- The route to the top
- Do the right thing
- Case study: Lesley Wan, Lloyds Banking Group
- Strategic Business Counsel: the “8C” model
- Conclusion
