Study uncovers key attributes of successful chief legal officers

A new study has identified the key characteristics of successful chief legal officers, boiling it all down to eight key attributes after conducting assessments of 3000 executives and examining the behaviour of legal officers as a subset of the larger group. The study, conducted by Russell Reynolds Associates, produced the following list of characteristics exhibited by successful legal executives: Socially Bold Persuasive Socially Confident Competitive Achieving Decisive Not Easily Excited Mischievous The study’s findings suggest that legal executives should aim to become informed risk takers. “There is a modernization of in-house legal executives,” says Cynthia Dow, a member of RRA’s legal, government, and regulatory affairs practice. In recent years, the role of law departments has broadened, requiring GCs to work with the business to evaluate risk and develop corporate strategy. 

 “The most strategic conversations are happening within the company,” says Dow, and chief legal officers bring a unique perspective to those discussions. They offer a “cross-functional and cross-business-unit perspective of the organization, as well as a keen eye toward the external—and increasingly shifting—regulatory environment.”



Study uncovers key attributes of successful chief legal officers law.com Wed, Jun 13, 2012