GC Searches Veer Away From Internal Hires, Upending In-House Promotion Tracks
Succeeding as general counsel now requires a much broader range of skills, "making the step up for internal candidates from deputy to GC a much bigger gap to bridge," a report from the executive search firm Russell Reynolds Associates says.
May 20, 2024 at 08:09 AM
8 minute read
Roughly two-thirds of companies are going outside to fill general counsel openings, a dramatic increase from past practice driven by the reality that few legal departments have candidates in the pipeline with the broad range of skills the job now requires.
It's not a shortage of sharp legal talent in the tiers of legal department leadership below the GC, say recruiters, general counsel and others involved in conducting GC searches since the pandemic.
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