When general counsel are reporting to CFOs—rather than CEOs—there is a problem.

That is the view of many within the U.K. in-house legal community, who say the GC role has deteriorated in its perceived importance within boardrooms in recent years. Conversations with in-house lawyers inevitably land on the subject at a certain point, with growing concern amongst U.K. GCs that they are having to fight harder than ever to get their voice heard.