First and foremost, the in-house lawyer remains the technical legal expert for a business. But as businesses adapt in order to stay ahead, the in-house lawyer is expected to be a ‘regulatory specialist’ as well. In-house counsel is up‑skilling / re‑skilling in the area of regulation, and working much more closely with compliance teams. The overlap between legal and compliance has never been so evident.

The in-house lawyer must also be an effective ‘risk manager’ and ‘solution provider’ in order to keep the business moving forward. Those best equipped to deliver sound and timely legal advice should be acutely commercially aware.  They should have the ability to juggle the competing demands of the business they support, whilst being able to communicate with people at all levels, both internally and externally.