General Counsel

The economy, globalization, mergers, compliance concerns and business competition have all influenced the way the general counsel legal function is seen and used. Today, CEOs are looking to their general counsel as both business and legal advisors who must consider all of the issues that a company faces. In addition to being a strategic business partner and a legal advisor, the general counsel must also lead, organize, manage, train, and educate.

The increased complexity of the general counsel role has made filling these vacancies more challenging than ever. Even the most experienced CEOs and human resource professionals can find it difficult to effectively assess candidates and identify the more subtle skills required for this position. Here are five suggestions for companies to consider when hiring a general counsel:

1. Look Inside First

The most effective way to replace a departing general counsel is to elevate a candidate from a company's existing legal department. Increasingly, general counsels are becoming responsible for creating succession plans, serving as mentors and developing internal talent. These efforts often result in strong internal candidates being available for the general counsel position.

While internal candidates should be a part of every company's long-term succession planning process, not
In general, companies that are looking to hire their first general counsel tend to look for the "perfect" candidate rather than the "right" candidate. While these two categories do not have to be mutually exclusive, the approach used for each can yield very different results. The real problem lies in burdening the "perfect" candidate description with a slate of requirements that are generally unnecessary and unrealistic, rather than identifying and prioritizing core competencies required for the role as they relate specifically to the