Take Note

We asked 460 legal executives about various enterprise-wide and legal function-specific topics including transformation, trust, Generative AI, understanding the work and priorities of the legal function, and how that work is accomplished. Respondents were grouped into four geographical clusters--the United States, Europe, Australia, and Canada--to better understand where legal functions around the world are aligned, and where they are not.

Authenticity. Business acumen. A sense of purpose. Communication skills. Beyond technical legal expertise, these are the competencies that chief legal officers (CLOs) need to help advance their leadership strategies and cultivate resilience.

“Workplace communication” may not be a frequently discussed skill for legal leaders, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Our research shows there’s a clear communication gap between chief legal officers and their employees. Here are some recommendations on how they can close it.

Implementing change is hard, especially within the structures of corporate legal departments. However, legal functions often face realities that can make transformation a smart move. So where do chief legal officers (CLOs) and their teams begin? When coupled with a demonstrated transition strategy, our research points to an answer that’s simpler than expected: a shift in mindset.

As chief legal officers (CLOs) advance their departments, they often have to rely on “dirty” data—data that isn’t accurate, readily available, or well-understood—during the process. And it may prevent them from implementing sustainable change. Prepare your legal team for success with four data-cleaning takeaways and other insights.

Being an in-house counsel is considered by many to be a good job. Could it be better? To find out, we surveyed attorneys working in-house across a range of industries, and 305 of them responded.

An encouraging shift in chief legal officer (CLO) priorities seems to suggest an evolution in the CLO’s focus from reactive to proactive, from manager to executive leader. To be successful, a CLO may seek to master and strike the right balance between “four faces”: catalyst, strategist, guardian, and operator.

The regulatory attorney who became general counsel. The general counsel who became deputy CEO. Susan Yashar shares her experiences and insights for those looking to learn from her journey to becoming one of Deloitte’s top in-house lawyers.

How CLOs can adapt to unpredictability and disruption: Between growing workloads and burnout risk, resilience may be more important than ever to in-house lawyering. Break out of limiting patterns with practices aimed at mastering adversity through resilience.

It’s not unusual for organizations to struggle with organizational change. In-house legal departments are no exception. We recently asked legal executives about possible challenges they’re facing with transformation. 57% say that adoption and change management are the biggest concerns related to technology transformation. A human-centered change management approach can elevate transformation efforts.

Product lawyers often speak the same language and support the same goals as those who work in the lines of business. Even if your organization doesn’t have a product counsel—or even a formal product team—your legal team can benefit from knowing more of what a product counsel knows.

Riding a hiring wave. What is happening in the current environment? And what lessons should current and aspiring chief legal officers (CLOs) take away about the changing nature of the legal profession? To find out, we sat down with four executive recruiters who specialize in CLO hiring: Jaime Massar of Korn Ferry, Debbie Tang of Bridge Partners, and Bob Barker and Max Gelernter of BarkerGilmore.

Chief legal officers (CLOs) and chief compliance officers (CCOs) are widening their strategic aperture to lead on issues where trust is imperative, focusing first on cybersecurity and ESG strategy as they drive transformation initiatives. That’s the key takeaway from our survey of 217 legal and compliance executives on the challenges and opportunities they may face over the next year.

Many companies are technology companies at their core—even if they’re not in the technology business. And, as technology brings new and enhanced capabilities to the organization, legal executives find themselves having to answer new questions about right and wrong. This is the realm of ethical technology.

The growing frequency and severity of cyberattacks have pushed cybersecurity higher on the agenda for boards and C-suite executives. CLOs can play a leading role in developing an effective cyber security strategy by combining a strong defense with a proactive offense and leveraging cross-functional relationships.

An effective intellectual property (IP) strategy enables, and can potentially accelerate, competitive advantage. For a CLO, taking a leading role in IP strategy design and implementation can provide an opportunity to lead in an area of commercial significance, wield greater influence within the organization, and support the success of the enterprise.

With the right approach to strategy, chief legal officers can positively influence innovation and growth. This article, the first in a four-part series, lays out the elements of a strong strategy, common challenges and tips for successful change management.

As the push for organizations to develop and execute on their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy grows, leaders are increasingly making choices in alignment with ESG considerations. In this article we explore the role of the chief legal officer (CLO) in ESG efforts: Effectively communicating the risks and opportunities of the ESG strategy, developing ESG reporting and disclosure mechanisms and influencing the regulatory environment.

Leadership is something that may be innate for some, but can be developed, honed, and evolved for most. In a corporate setting, leadership involves the assembling, developing, focusing, and inspiring of others to effectively achieve objectives to advance the overall values, vision, mission, and strategy of the business. Explore three areas of focus for aspiring legal leaders.

Chief legal officers have always had a key role in the conscience of the enterprise, setting the course for ethics and, often, compliance. In this article we explore various ways that CLOs build trust, for the organization and for themselves, with an eye to taking the lead in guiding stakeholders along the journey.

With COVID-19 accelerating the pace of change, legal executives report increasing workloads but are charting the path forward, citing both increased investments in technology and greater reliance on alternative legal services providers as probable responses to current conditions.

Today’s legal operations executive is multidimensional, bridging the world of operational efficiency and legal services delivery. As corporate legal operations professionals continue to chart the path forward for this critical role, they must divide their time between four critical “faces”: Strategist, Catalyst, Steward, and Operator.

Legal departments are faced with increased demands on time, energy, and the heightened volume of unique challenges and elevated risk. How, in these times, do leaders persevere? In this article, we explore the insights, experiences, and advice of several experts to explore that question. The answers may surprise you.

As the enterprise considers the decisions and risks related to workplace transition, the chief legal officer is uniquely positioned to play a key leadership role. In this article, we explore common challenges and potential responses to some of the most pressing transition issues CLOs face.

May 2020

Chief Legal Officers (CLOs) are increasingly expected to offer strategic advice and insight to the C-suite and board, and to meaningfully advise, CLOs must be seen as trusted collaborators. Earning trust at this level requires, first and foremost, the consistent exercise of good judgment.

March 2020

In contract life cycle management (CLM), different stakeholders have different priorities. Business unit stakeholders typically want fast and efficient contract cycle times. Finance stakeholders usually look for governance around contract pricing and revenue. Legal stakeholders are concerned with legal risk management. How can you foster a virtuous cycle instead of competing priorities and meet the needs of all three at once?

January 2020

Digital transformation is a top priority for many organizations but in the face of continually expanding potential for cyber-attack, companies must become more knowledgeable about the cyber threat environment. What are three things that chief legal officers can do now to become more cyber-savvy and bring the legal perspective to organization’s approach to cybersecurity?

December 2019

Expectations of corporate legal departments continue to change. Technical legal expertise alone is no longer sufficient for chief legal officers to address resource constraints, demands for strategic advice to stakeholders across the enterprise, and the steady march of digital transformation. To be more effective leaders in this environment, chief legal officers and their leadership teams need to engage their legal teams in ways that elevate their contribution and value to the enterprise. But what leadership skills will help them do that, and how do legal leaders measure up?

September 2019

Solving the challenge of unstructured data has brought the legal industry to an inflection point. For the first time, many labor-intensive, repetitive legal department tasks can now be performed by computers instead of humans. Legal executives should be able to leverage analytics and AI to free up legal department resources so they can perform more value-added work.

How can you identify improvement opportunities that are achievable, affordable, and can help move your legal department in the right direction?

July 2019

To help chief legal officers (CLOs) explore technologies that can help them increase efficiency and align legal strategy with corporate strategy, our Tech Bytes series explores common pain points of legal departments, the benefits of automation, and how CLOs can determine which technologies are best for their organization.

May 2019

Rashmi Airan was an ambitious lawyer, by many measures at the top of her game leading her own law firm, when she lost sight of her own high standards for corporate ethics. After pleading guilty to charges of general conspiracy, she was sent to federal prison and had time to reflect on how she got there. She shared her story with us, including what she learned about how to encourage ethical behavior as an organizational leader.

March 2019

The role of today’s chief legal officer (CLO) is complex, demanding much more than legal operations expertise. To be successful, a CLO must master and strike the right balance between “four faces”: Strategist, catalyst, guardian, and operator.

January 2019

It seems almost every day a new corporate scandal is popping up in the headlines. Which is why having a strong culture is more critical than ever. But who in the organization is best positioned to lead the charge in driving a positive corporate culture? While it may not be the most obvious choice, chief legal officers could be in the best position to help lead corporate culture initiatives and manage any related reputational risks.

November 2018

In this article we explore alternative fee arrangements, focusing in on the critical elements essential to success. With insight from our own clients, we also discuss some tactical advice for implementing successful AFAs.

September 2018

In this edition, we feature Susan Blount, former executive vice president and general counsel for Prudential Financial, Inc., who shares her views on the critical elements of leadership success.

July 2018

Working with people across a range of teams isn’t always an easy task. And as in-house lawyers are increasingly expected to work with individuals across their organizations, effectively navigating different working styles is more critical than ever. In this issue, learn how our Business Chemistry® framework can help you better understand your own working style and improve your work relationships.

June 2018

The Deloitte Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Program has been working closely with CLOs to help them become successful legal executives and strategic members of the C-suite. We recently asked Cornell Boggs, senior advisor at BarkerGilmore and former general counsel of Toys "R" Us and Dow Corning, to share his thoughts on one of the most important skills CLOs should cultivate: people-focused leadership.