What qualities make a good in-house lawyer?
I do not think that the qualities that make a good in-house lawyer are very different from those of a private practice lawyer, in the sense that they should be technically excellent lawyers who can provide pragmatic, commercially focused legal advice in a timely fashion. I believe that it is also important to the success of an in-house lawyer that they seize the advantage they have of being so close to the business to ensure that they immerse themselves in the commercial activities and ethos of the organisation and embed themselves in the business. Lawyers whose only interest is providing legal advice in isolation have no place in a modern in-house legal function. Is the role of the in-house lawyer changing (eg, becoming more specialised)? I think it really depends on the structure and resources available to the in-house legal function. If a function has a need and the resources to employ specialist lawyers, then in that sense it is becoming more specialised. But I believe the norm con
