As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

The only certain thing is uncertainty. Given the increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) world in which we operate, corporate legal teams will need to become more agile, resilient, and comfortable with discomfort if they succeed as we enter the next decade.

Legal teams are there to manage risk and guide an organisation down the straight and narrow path of growth, development, and overall survival. When the risk is predictable corporate legal teams can scan ahead and plan those tasks and resources to execute them against a predictable timeframe, with spare time to work on a well-polished communication programme so that everyone in the organisation knows what to expect and when.

Unpredictable risk tests the value and effectiveness of in-house legal teams. Getting the right people on the bus with certain characteristics and skillsets capable of flexibly deploying to suit as each page turns will be critical to ensuring the success of in-house legal teams and survival from now into the future.

But what characteristics and skillsets are we talking about on top of technical competence and expertise? It is a must that the in-house legal team of the future possess these traits: emotional intelligence — during times of crisis and uncertainty, members of the organisation may act emotionally and turn to legal counsel. This is when it is important to have team members who are well grounded and can display empathy, focus and leadership.

Another key trait is effective communication. Communicating with impact is on a whole new level. Businesspeople want lawyers who speak their language and understand their business. They are often not interested in legal analysis. They usually just want answers and solutions to problems.

Innovation and collaboration are crucial — hand up if you think the in-house lawyer’s role is to give an overview of legal issues facing the company. Of course, this may be part of the expectation, but that is not all. The business wants to hear about non-legal issues, connections, and synergies which in-house lawyers may recognise. The legal function often has the best cross-sectional view of what is and is not working, what risks exist in what spaces, and what opportunities lie ahead. Applying their practical communication skills, legal team members should be willing to share these insights with their business as part of the team’s concerted effort to deliver the optimal client outcome.

Lastly, A VUCA mindset is a must. In today’s fast-paced and unpredictable environment, things can change in the blink of an eye, so decisions must be made fast. In-house lawyers must get comfortable advising without having all relevant information and position themselves as business developers and accelerators rather than risk-preventers. Labouring on how to get deals done expeditiously, perhaps applying novel approaches rather than on perfection and precedent, will be key, as will be the ability to remain agile and to anticipate change at any time.