There’s a lot expected of today’s general counsel. Writing in Canadian Lawyer magazine, Renato Pontello, legal counsel to Solantro Semiconductor Corp., says the days of hiring a GC based on technical legal expertise alone are long gone. Companies now want a “business partner who is presumed to know the law and expected to deliver much more, including revenue and earnings growth, alignment with the organization’s strategic and operational objectives, and transitioning the function’s culture, attitudes, and staff through reorganizations,” etc., he says. And these modern-day GCs need to focus on human resource issues in their legal departments, such as recruitment, development, retention and succession, a skill set unlikely to have come up in law school.
Here are some of Pontello’s tips for in-house counsel needing to brush up on the personnel subjects that have become part of the GC’s supervisory portfolio:
- Recruitment: Ambition and fit are the two most important aspects of recruitment for an in-house legal team, says Pontello, as it’s a given that those who make it to the interview possess the technical expertise necessary to get the job done. Look for candidates with big aspirations. Wanting upward advancement is a good thing in a job seeker.
- Career Development: “It is easy to become overwhelmed with the responsibilities heaped on general counsel and neglect the career development of members of the legal department,” says Pontello. But find time to coach their legal knowledge and soft skills, such as how to develop business judgment.
- Succession Planning: This should be viewed as a major responsibility of GCs, says Pontello, but on this key point many legal chiefs fall short. One or two company successors should be identified and given opportunities to interact with board members, shareholders and other essential stakeholders.
