Article
Building and nurturing high-performing legal teams is a critical yet challenging task for Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs), Talent Acquisition (TA) teams and General Counsels (GCs). Legal teams are vital in ensuring an organisation’s compliance, managing risk, and providing strategic advice. However, attracting and retaining top legal talent is fraught with complexities. Here, we explore the key challenges CHROs, TA and the GCs face and potential strategies to overcome them.
1. Intense Competition for Talent
The legal field is highly competitive, with top law firms, corporations, and public institutions all vying for the best talent. Highly skilled legal professionals are in high demand and often have multiple offers. This competition is even more pronounced in specialised areas of law such as cyber and digital, emerging technologies, risk and compliance and intellectual property where expertise is scarce.
Strategy: CHROs, and TA alongside the GC must differentiate their organisation by offering compelling value propositions. Purpose-led human-centric leadership is critical to attract the best talent. Clear career progression paths, organisational-wide competitive compensation packages, and a strong emphasis on ESG within the brand, including how that translates into work-life balance should be pillars around which a strategy is built. Building a positive and inclusive company culture can also make a significant difference.
2. Evolving Skill Sets
The legal industry is evolving rapidly, with new technologies, regulatory changes, and business models emerging regularly. Legal professionals are now expected to have a blend of traditional legal skills and new competencies, such as technological proficiency, business acumen, and strategic thinking. Alongside these evolving skill sets, human (previously called soft) skills are critical to the success of a legal function.
Strategy: Investing in continuous professional development is crucial. CHROs and GCs should implement training programs that keep legal teams updated on the latest trends and technologies. Partnering with educational institutions or offering in-house training can help bridge any skill gaps.
3. Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion remain significant challenges in the legal profession. Despite efforts to promote equality, many legal teams still lack diversity, which can impact their effectiveness and the organisation’s reputation.
Strategy: CHROs, TA and GCs should prioritise diversity and inclusion in their recruitment strategies. This involves setting clear diversity goals, utilising diverse recruitment channels, and creating a culture that supports and values diversity. Implementing bias training and ensuring diverse representation in decision-making processes can also foster a more inclusive environment.
4. Retaining Top Talent
Attracting top talent is only half the battle; retaining them poses its own set of challenges. High-performing legal professionals often face burnout due to long hours and high stress, leading to high turnover rates.
Strategy: To retain top talent, CHROs and GCs need to focus on creating a supportive work environment. This includes offering flexible working arrangements, recognising and rewarding achievements, and providing opportunities for career advancement. Regularly seeking feedback and addressing concerns promptly can also help in maintaining employee satisfaction and loyalty.
5. Adapting to Remote and Hybrid Working
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift from office to remote work, which presents both opportunities and challenges for legal teams. Many companies now have a hybrid, rather than fully remote working policy. There is still tension between talent wanting to have the flexibility that fully remote working offers versus x days a week in the office. While remote work can offer greater flexibility and access to a broader talent pool, it also raises issues related to collaboration, communication, and maintaining a cohesive team culture as well as the development of junior talent.
Strategy: CHROs and GCs need to understand the tension between attracting and retaining the best talent who often want hybrid and flexible working (now a day 1 right in the UK), and what the business requirements are. As such robust remote working policies and investing in collaboration tools that facilitate seamless communication and teamwork are essential. Regular virtual meetings, team-building activities, and clear expectations can help maintain a strong team dynamic despite physical distances.
6. Aligning with Organisational Goals
Companies which perform strongly are those where the C-suite work collaborative to deliver revenue targets, (shareholder) value and are agile in working as one team. Legal teams need to be aligned with the broader organisational goals to provide effective support and add strategic value. However, misalignment can occur due to a lack of understanding or communication between the legal department and other business units.
Strategy: CHROs and GCs should ensure that legal teams are integrated into the organisation’s strategic planning processes. This can be achieved by fostering regular communication between legal and other departments, encouraging legal involvement in key business decisions, and providing a clear understanding of the organisation’s goals and priorities.
Conclusion
Recruiting and retaining high-performing legal teams is a multifaceted challenge for CHROs, TA and GCs, requiring a strategic and proactive approach. By addressing the competition for talent, evolving skill sets, diversity and inclusion, retention, remote work adaptation, and alignment with organisational goals, CHROs and GCs can build legal teams that not only meet the current needs but also drive future success. Through innovative strategies and a strong focus on creating a supportive and dynamic work environment, CHROs and GCs working in partnership can overcome these challenges and ensure their organisations are well-equipped to navigate the complex legal landscape.