Attorney Recruiter Advice to Potential GC’s
By: Karen Anderson
Attorney recruiters work with a wide variety of attorneys at all levels of an organization. This includes General Counsels (GC’s) who have reached the most senior legal position in their company. For many young lawyers, the level of GC is something they aspire to and set out to achieve during their career. But what advice can attorney recruiters offer to aspiring attorneys seeking to reach these career heights?
Career Strategy – Attorney recruiters are best placed to see the career development of successful legal professionals. According to attorney recruiters it’s essential that younger attorneys spend some time planning out a career path. This can start as early as when in law school, but can equally be looked at as you move through the first few legal roles of your career. The importance of planning a path to becoming a GC cannot be overlooked and attorney recruiters can help you make those important steps up the career ladder to provide you with the experience necessary for a position as a GC.
Build Successful Relationships – Any attorney recruiter will tell you how important it is to command respect and trust from your working colleagues. Building trust and respect amongst your peers will indicate to attorney recruiters that you have what it takes to progress in your career. It is equally important that you build strong relationships with other legal professionals and most importantly be willing to listen and learn all you can about the business you work for. Building strong relationships and understanding your business will demonstrate your ability to work as a team on complex legal issues, something GC’s have to deal with all the time.
Emotional Intelligence – According to attorney recruiters, emotional intelligence is a key factor in career progression and building trusting relationships. Being aware of other’s needs and points of view can furnish attorneys with powerful tools to work closely with others to achieve important objectives. Attorney recruiters look for candidates that can demonstrate a track record of emotionally intelligent behavior as an indicator of their capacity to progress in their careers.
Be Open Minded and Flexible – Most attorney recruiters would agree that the role of GC requires a flexibility and open-minded approach that few can demonstrate. This is important because GC’s are often required to work on a wide variety of legal issues and to approach them with an open mind. Being able to demonstrate and develop these key skills will lay the foundations for a potential career as a GC. If this doesn’t come naturally, work on it as a priority and ensure that your reputation is built upon these essential skills.
If you are ambitious and wish to aim for a GC role with a successful organization, these key areas need constant attention and development – and proving them through endorsements and reputation is essential. Attorney recruiters have a lot of experience working and placing many GC’s in a wide range of organizations and industries, they know what it takes to make it and be successful in this position and their advice should be heeded.
Written on: 02/23/17 PDF Version