General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Programme

Get the essential business, management and non-legal skills needed now

This course is made up of two separately bookable modules:

• Best Practices for Managing & Leading In-House Legal
• Essential Non-Legal Skills for High Performing In-House Lawyers

This newly designed five day programme is tailored specifically for GCs & CLOs keen to meet the demands of business leaders who want their lawyers to deliver increasingly client-focused levels of service and continue their evolution as true partners in the business. The programme examines valuable commercial and other essential non-legal skills essential for the success of lawyers in-house. It is interactive and highly practical, and provides a useful forum for networking and sharing experiences. Delegates will be able to contribute to numerous group discussions and exercises, as well as draw upon the extensive experiences of each other and the Course Director. This programme is for GCs & CLOs interested in achieving better personal performance, team effectiveness and organisational impact.

Agenda

Day 1 – Legal team structure and culture

Anatomy of an in-house legal department

• The commercial context: why have in-house capability?
• Aligning legal services to business needs
• Alternate structures
• Objectives
• Mission

Legal team building

• Competency and skills mix
• Seniority mix
• Reporting lines
• Remote working

Anatomy of an in-house lawyer

• What makes a good in-house lawyer?
• Is there a gap with private practice lawyers?
• What are the expectations of the business?

How to recruit for success, retain and inspire

• Defining competencies
• Goal Setting
• Personal development
• Leading, mentoring and empowering others

Team Emotional Intelligence

• What is TEI?
• Building a team culture
• Impact on performance

Day 2 – delivering a SERVICE

Cross-functional integration

• Positioning Legal within the business
• Collaborative working with other business functions
• Business ethics and culture

Independence and commerciality

• Technical adviser vs. business facilitator: maintaining credibility
• Raising commercial awareness
• Business jargon
• Privilege

Cost reductions

• Non-legal roles
• Managed services
• Other initiatives

Managing external law firms and other service providers

• Tenders, panels and Master Service Agreements
• Fee arrangements
• Benefits and pitfalls
• Alternate legal service providers

Value proposition / centre of excellence

• Understanding your clients and the business needs
• Networking / relationship building
• “Selling” the service – messaging strategy
• Gaining management support
• Ensuring a quality offering
• Feedback on performance

Metrics; KPIs and efficiency

• Current practices
• Management Information
• Corporate memory, record keeping and internal knowledge management
• Benchmarking
• Performance goals for external legal providers

Day 3 – essential business skills and structures

Effective communication skills

• Understanding your business clients
• Choosing the right communication method
• Barriers to effective communication
• In-house challenges
• Active Listening

How to Write for Business

• POWER principles
• Style
• Practical Tips

Raising the legal bar within the business

• Training and education for non-lawyers
• Negotiating and contracting guidelines
• Recognising legal risks and responsibilities
• Practical techniques

Corporate Governance Recap

• Relationship with the Board and the Executive
• Policies & procedures
• Delegated authority
• Signing protocols
• How the in-house team is instructed/used?

Risk Management

• Risk framework roles and remit
• Organisational risk appetite
• Consistency – enhancing and standardising approach
• Likelihood and impact assessment
• Legal risks
• Organisational risks
• Risk reporting
• Mitigation and escalation

Day 4 – working with others

The Personality Puzzle

• OCEAN
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• DiSC Profile
• Stereotypes: the “Lawyer Personality”
• Personal audit of key traits

Motivations

• Self -Motivation
• Types of motivators
• Motivation Theories
• Motivating others

Minimise misinterpretation & misunderstanding

• Implicit or Unconscious bias
• Cross-cultural awareness
• Managing remote relationships

Behaviours

• Leadership styles
• Decision-making styles
• Office politics
• Forging alliances

Understanding and Developing Emotional Intelligence

• Be self-aware about your strengths and weaknesses
• Manage yourself according to the needs of your organisation
• Be socially aware about other people, and the politics of your organisation
• Build healthy relationship management among colleagues
• Develop specific competencies

DAY 5 – essential survival tools and techniques

Collaboration

• Recognising team dynamics
• Understanding and adapting to workplace culture and practices
• Across generations
• Overcoming challenges

Influencing and Persuading

• Building your own personal presence, credibility and gravitas
• Understanding your colleagues' thinking and decision-making styles
• The psychology of persuasion; 6 principles to consider
• How to explain complex legal concepts to non-legal colleagues

Assertiveness

• How to speak up and get people to listen
• Get your point of view across confidently, without upsetting others or yourself
• Learn to say NO when you need to

Constructive Conflict Management

• Common sources of conflict
• Options for managing conflict
• How to have difficult conversations
• Strategies for handling unreasonable and difficult colleagues
• Forging alliances

Building Resilience

• Lawyer negativity
• Recognise what triggers your “buttons”
• Develop perseverance and adjust perspective
• Stress busters