We ensure that the professionals we guide to our clients’ shores know why they are in the market and have a clear career vision. In addition, we truly listen and adhere to the client and candidate’s expectation of what they want to achieve.

Please download and read full report here.

Key findings

Lawyers and CEOs differ in assessing the contribution that the in-house legal team makes to a company.

• Nearly 40 per cent of lawyers felt the in-house  team made a very strong contribution last year. Only 14 per cent of CEOs felt the same.
• Nearly one GC in seven felt it was not particularly important that the in-house legal team should add commercial value to the business. None of the CEOs we talked to agreed.
• Most lawyers and CEOs, 86 per cent and 85 per cent respectively, thought it was quite easy or very easy for inhouse lawyers to contribute commercially.
• Only one-third of in-house legal teams currently operate in the top half of the “value pyramid” (see page 10). But nearly half of the GCs we talked to want to be in the top half by 2015, with over a quarter aiming for the top quarter of the pyramid.
• CEOs tend to be sceptical about whether GCs can reach the top of the pyramid.
• We believe performance and value measurement will be crucial for GCs seeking to move up the value pyramid, and will be increasingly important for others as well.
• Only one-third of GCs currently have a formal performance measurement system.
• Nearly all the in-house lawyers who do measure performance find their metrics either quite effective or very effective.
• Many GCs who are interested in the idea of performance measurement struggle to define the commercial value added by their teams, and find it difficult to create a measurement system suitable for an in-house legal function.

The General Counsel Value Pyramid

Vision for General Counsel

Winning Strategy for General Counsel

Mistrust and misperception are often the first challenges that internal legal advisors  come up against. It takes some strategic marketing and communication skills to break down such barriers.

Barriers can be created as a result of three common misperceptions:

1. Rapid changes in the regulatory environment

Management and senior executives are often out of touch with new requirements, such as in corporate governance and compliance, and may not understand what needs to be done. They may even resent the corrections that need to be introduced.

2. Accustomed to keeping legal advisors at arm’s length

In house counsel is only called upon when trouble arises.

3. Cost centre, not an income generator

The business does not see any visible or direct impact to the bottom line; on the contrary, your interventions are seen as a stumbling block to making money.

These misperceptions place the newly appointed legal advisor in a vulnerable position. If not handled correctly, you are in danger of rapidly becoming isolated. So how do you change the skewed mindsets and convince the company of the value that you have to offer?

10 tips for the legal advisor – How to begin:

1. Your interview process

Ask important questions about company operations and about the big picture to gain a feel for what the company is looking for and start the process of educating them about what can be achieved. You want to leave the interview with an understanding of the CEO/Board’s buy in with regards to the legal input and if that corresponds with your vision and values.

2. Promote yourself during the first weeks

Start by going on an internal roadshow. Set up a series of short  meet & greets with the various departments and managers to introduce yourself and find out what they do and what their legal concerns are. Use the meetings to identify key stakeholders and ask “whom do I talk to”. Ask about critical projects. Talk about how you are there to help and about  the value that you can bring to the company.

3. Follow up with a thank you note

Send an e-mail in which you say something like, “Thank you for meeting with me. It was good to get to know you and find out more about how your department fits into the operations of the company.” Then offer some value. Make some observations, offer some guidelines and say how you can help.

4. Keep in touch

Continue the communication via internal e-mails that informally let your colleagues know what impact you are making. Follow up on prior suggestions or offer new observations. For example, “How is the development of your green project going? I noticed in the media that some companies are encountering challenges in XYZ. I have a couple of suggestions for how we could avoid this. Let’s chat about it as soon as you have a chance.”

5. Be proactive

Add value by showing that you can protect the company from risk and help it to fulfil its strategy more efficiently and successfully. This means early investigation into procedures and processes followed by advice on how to do it better – such as in contract procedures, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence requirements, and so on. Also educate your colleagues about critical matters such as of the high cost of competition commission penalties.

6. Use the right language

The tone of your communication has to be sensitive, diplomatic and supportive. Never judge or give offence. Where an intervention is called for, you could say something like, “I can see you have worked very hard to put this together and invested a lot. It would be a pity if this does not proceed so let’s see how we can turn this around.” Your input should always be constructive with the focus on moving forward, not looking back.

7. Understand the company values

Find out what  people think and be sensitive to the nuances of power and politics within the organisation. Cooperate with your colleagues, be a team player and work together  to support the direction of the company. In building good relationships, you need to show genuine interest, invest time and exercise good judgement.

8. Manage those perceptions

How people perceive you depends on how you allow them to see you. You can manage those perceptions by working on your self awareness, understanding how your colleagues see you, and taking responsibility for how you engage with them. Solicit honest feedback from your peers and accept it with humility and maturity. You may want to consult a professional to learn how to engage more effectively.

9. Entrench valuable systems and resources

Once entrenched, subtle innovations will be seen as invaluable in terms of streamlining systems and maximising efficiencies. For instance, you could establish a knowledge resource that is easy to access, or implement an effective compliance programme to meet key legislation requirements, or even just maintain an effective and efficient filing system.

10. Go the extra mile

Always give more than is expected. When you are instrumental in significant gains for the company, your colleagues will gain faith in you, you will earn trust and you will be perceived as an asset to the company.

Kgadi Kekana has had extensive experience as an internal legal advisor and has found that winning a position of trust in a company can be much more difficult than applying the legal knowledge you have acquired during years of study. Here she offers some advice on how to tackle this challenge.

by Mabatho Seeiso |

We all want to be seen as strong, happy, healthy, energetic and successful. Essentially, we have been taught that the only image that we should show to the outside world is that of perfection. To portray anything else is professional suicide.  The trouble is how we define and understand perfection. We understand it as faultlessness, which is unattainable. The reality is that we are perfect in our imperfections. That is what humanity is. We have many great qualities and we also have a shadow, that aspect of ourselves that contains our negative qualities, we are strong in some situations and weak in others, we excel at some things and struggle in others, there are aspects of our lives that work very well and yet in others we have challenges. All these things contribute to our unique story and there is a lot of value, richness and lessons in that story.  Hence, the story I am about to share with you.

I live with chronic fatigue, it is one of several stress related illnesses I have had in my life including Bells Palsy, which I have spoken about publicly. It has taken me four years to accept that this is not going to go away overnight. I am telling the story not to gain sympathy but so that others can learn from my story. When chronic fatigue first came to light in the early eighties it was called yuppie flu because its typical victim was considered a high achieving young professional. The symptoms I have experienced as a result of this condition are typical of most sufferers. Chronic fatigue is characterised by extreme exhaustion. It does not matter how much I sleep, when I have had a relapse, I do not feel refreshed. In fact some days I can wake up, bathe and then feel like going straight back to bed. I get headaches, have mood swings and when I am not being vigilant I get depressed because I have no control over myself, my life and  how long this bout of fatigue is going to last. It affects my appetite and digestive system. Worst of all for me, it affects my ability to think clearly. The brain feels foggy and my short term memory has deteriorated. For someone who used to define herself as resilient, energetic and creative, I found myself suddenly needing to re-define who I am, which I found painful.  I experience the condition as lonely and tend to withdraw when I have it. I have heard of people who have committed suicide as a result of this condition because they felt misunderstood and unsupported. You can only say to people that you are tired for so long, eventually they get tired of hearing how tired you are. The typical reaction is that you must now stop complaining or rest, which does not help or stop being lazing. The other misconception I come across is that this is a psychological problem. About three months ago, I went to see an endocrinologist to tell me what is happening in my physical body. R4000 worth of blood tests later, the results indicated that I had adrenal glands burnout, this imbalance had also affected my ability to control my blood sugar, it was spiking up and down. Since my immune system was down I had a viral infection and I was also vitamin D and testosterone deficient. I am told that testosterone is important to your sense of well being, your ability to assert yourself and to your libido. I also noticed that I am losing my eyebrows. Pay back for all those sisters I used to laugh at because they had shaved off their eyebrows. Seriously though, the suspicion is that I likely also have a thyroid problem and my cholesterol was sitting at 8. My belief is that if one significant part of the endocrine system is not functioning it affects other parts of the system.

What struck me as ironic in conversations with several women who were living with this condition, all considered highly driven achievers, perfectionist who pushed themselves really hard at work. We all came to this condition through years of living highly stressful unbalanced lives working in highly pressured environments. I am a case in point. When I left the corporate world in 2007, I was the only woman Director in a highly specialised asset management company. I used to jokingly and proudly call my work my jealous husband. I essentially lived my work and worked very long hours consistently over a long period of time. I also had a significant portfolio with limited staff. If I were to define the reasons why I got chronic fatigue, I would define them as follows:

• My relationship with work was never healthy. My career defined me and gave me a lot of validation. For someone who struggled with a poor self image for most of her life, once I discovered work and realised how good I was at it and the recognition I often got in the work place for a job well done, it become addictive. It gave me my sense of self worth. I know a lot of people can identify with this. A lot of us did not learn from a young age that we are worthy just by existing. I am talking about an innate sense of confidence in who you are, which is the key foundation for sustainable success. Eric Berne, the father of Transactional Analysis calls it a life position of knowing that you are okay exactly as you are.  Instead, we have bought into the prevailing belief that we are only worthy if we are rich, successful, beautiful, smart or act like someone that society perceives to be important and so when these things are taking away from us, we have a personality crisis.
• My life was almost one dimensional. My work took precedence over my relationships with family and friends. I hardly opened myself up to meeting a life partner. I had very little time for fun. If I was not working, I would rest so that I would be ready for work. If I was not working, I was thinking about work. Not that I did not do the other things that mattered, compared to work, they were a poor third and fourth, forget second. I did not pay attention to the things that kept me centred, fed my soul, continuously gave me positive energy and gave me the emotional resilience to manage stress more effectively. In essence, like most women, I struggled to put me first and to take care of myself. I always say to all these phenomenal women that I meet that taking care of yourself, having your needs met and having fun is not a nice to have but a necessity that will enable you to give more to your relationships and work. Unfortunately for many of them the message will only sink in once they also succumb to some stress related illness. My imbalance manifested in ill health, with some people it manifests in the breakdown of their most important relationships, which may include divorce. I remember a peer who worked in the industry telling me that she felt guilty because she was spending so much time on work that she did not realise that her child was having serious problems and the wake up call for her was when her child tried to commit suicide.
• I could have done a better job of negotiating for sufficient resources to make sure I had a team that could deliver without being overstretched and placing proper boundaries between work and other aspects of my life. The ability to do this, unfortunately, comes from a strong sense of worthiness and belief that your rights and needs matter, which if I were to be truthful, I did not have. I see a lot of women struggle with this. They get promoted without being sufficiently compensated for the extra volume of work and are fearful of negotiating for what they truly deserve or not only are they doing their job, they are doing their boss’ job and often also the job of an incompetent colleague who should be fired.
• Finally, I was an introvert doing an extrovert’s job. Although I worked in a tough alpha male environment, I thoroughly enjoyed the company I worked for. The appeal to my job was starting something new and therefore the ability to develop my own team, come up with creative strategies and seeing something I initiated succeed. Let’s face it business development and marketing require you to constantly be networking, knocking on doors, entertaining and travelling. Although I was very good at my work, it just meant I expended more energy to do my work than someone who has a natural affinity to sales and business development. I was working against my natural flow.

The one thing that this disease has taught me is that you take yourself everywhere you go. Once I became self employed, I found myself repeating the same patterns. It was not unusual to find me working on a consulting job until seven in the morning and with only one to two hours sleep going onto my next meetings. It is no wonder I have had relapses because I failed to appreciate that it was time that I managed myself differently and developed habits that will keep me healthy and sustain my productivity over the long term. I have also learned that unless one changes their life scripts that drive negative behaviour one is unlikely to change behaviour. I was still placing an over emphasis on work because one of my life scripts was that my value comes from working hard and pleasing others.  At times, placing an over emphasis on work is avoidance of other aspects of life that are not work. For example, some people are constantly working because they feel lonely or they are avoiding facing a challenge in another aspect of their life.

One can live a successful life with the condition. For me the biggest shift I made recently was acceptance that I live with chronic fatigue. I was like an alcoholic who refuses to believe that they are an alcoholic. I have now firmly placed work in its rightful place in the context of my life. I understand that to be whole all aspects of my life need to work. I am re-learning to have fun. I do Salsa, Bikram Yoga and go to gym. These things keep me fit, happy and positive. I am managing my fatigue through diet and the help of a very good homeopath. I also employ mind techniques and spiritual practices I have learned over the past nine years to enable me not to give the illness focus and to keep me positive. There are days when I cannot give 100% to my job but I am learning that not everything has to come through hard work, that things are easier when you do things that you are passionate about that flow with your natural energy. They almost seem effortless. I have also opened myself up to receiving help. The condition has been a blessing because it has forced me to be clear on my focus and where I want to be spending energy. I have let go of many things I was doing to focus on my passion which is teaching women personal mastery. This is the first time that I am backing myself up fully and focusing on a business that aims to facilitate women to develop authentic power. This is healing work for me and I am enjoying the ride.  I hope that by sharing my story I will make a difference in someone else life.

Mabatho is an expert teacher, speaker and consultant on personal development and increasing one’s personal power. She facilitates pioneering women to gain the tools, confidence and courage that enable them to attain success and fulfilment in all aspects of their lives, through her company The Bridge. For the past 10 years she has worked with various enlightened teachers both locally and internationally on spirituality, personal mastery and leadership.

The interview went very well and I was essentially offered the job on the spot. Though the compensation they offered was lower than what I expected for a position with this type of global responsibility and less than I was accustomed to, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe I just got offered my dream job,” and excitedly accepted the offer. The amount of compensation was not a priority for me – I felt so grateful that I was being given this opportunity.

To make a long story short, I thrived in my position and delivered more than was expected. I made significant cost reductions through reorganization and streamlining programs; increased the strategic value of the team; and established the company as a thought leader in the industry. I was so excited about what my team and I collectively achieved that I didn’t even notice that our hard work often went unnoticed.

It wasn’t until I was at a conference and my “girl crush” Mika Brzezinski – co-host of CNBC’s Morning Joe and author of All Things at Once and Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What You’re Worth – was the keynote speaker. She talked about how and why men generally receive higher compensation than women for the same work, commenting that women are “grateful” for opportunities and they don’t typically ask for what they want even if they know they are worth it. Her words rang true with me and I thought back on the past few years of my working life. While my situation had nothing to do with men getting paid more than women, it had a lot to do with knowing my worth.

In my reflection, I realized that I had taken a position that I knew was worth more but I hadn’t even asked for more. I worked hard and exceeded expectations without thinking twice about it – I did, after all, love the work I was doing and it was my “dream job”…how could I ask for more? But what I heard Mika speak about stuck with me. One afternoon, my phone rang and a recruiter was on the other end. While I greatly valued the opportunity to work at such an impactful organization and I look back fondly on my time there, I knew in my heart of hearts that it was time for me to start a new career chapter.

Just as I learned a few things when I became a mother, I also learned some invaluable lessons through this experience: in any economy, appreciate your team – a lot of managers think that the economy makes it difficult for people to leave the company, but there are always good jobs for good people; stay close to your talent – no matter how high your position is within an organization, take time to connect with and recognize your teams; empower your high-potential employees – help them determine a career path and ensure they have opportunities to apply their skills.

But above all, be sincere and show your team that they are appreciated. And most importantly, say thank you…and really mean it.

By Kimberly Ramalho, 6 June 2011,  Forbes.com

Here are some questions that can be added to your 5-minute daily career habit. Take one question a day and reflect on your answer for no more than a few minutes. You might need to do some longer research based on the initial result you get. But hopefully, most of the time, your gut reaction to these questions will reaffirm that you are exactly where you need to be.

Have there been changes in your industry? Even media giants such as Time Inc and Hearst are grappling with the shift from print to digital. Financial services is undergoing massive consolidation, affecting even giants from Citigroup to Goldman Sachs. When there are big shifts happening in your industry, this doesn’t necessarily mean your job is in danger, but you want to stay on top of how the changes will change your job.

Have there been changes in your company? New management often likes to bring in their own people. A change in strategic direction could mean your area becomes a lower priority. Or changes might also work in your favor to raise the profile of your group. Know which way the wind is blowing.

Have there been changes in your department? It’s not just the C-level team bringing in their own favorites. A new department head might also shift your role to accommodate a former team.

Are your performance reviews still strong? In my former life in HR, I’ve seen many managers avoid giving negative feedback at all costs. When they finally get around to it, it’s often times when they’ve just had it and are laying the ground work for termination. Listen closely to any negative feedback to have as much time as possible to turn things around.

Are you getting good assignments? You want to be indispensable or at the very least relevant. Make sure you are assigned to clients and projects that matter to the firm. If you are working on things management doesn’t care about, then they are less inclined to care about you.

Does your boss act differently towards you? Remember that managers dread giving feedback. If you sense your boss is avoiding you, don’t assume things will just get better on their own.

Do your colleagues’ act differently towards you? Sometimes the office grapevine moves faster than official communication. This is another reason why networking is so powerful. You can’t be everywhere, but maybe someone else looking out for you can fill you in when they hear something you should know.

Are you learning or challenged in any way? Again, you want to be indispensable. This is not just your boss’ responsibility to give you the right work. Make sure you are raising your hand and going after stretch roles.

Are you contributing to the bottom line? Part of being indispensable is making sure your work matters. Directly or indirectly you need to be adding revenue, cutting costs, or increasing profits.

Are you happy? Work is not about being fulfilled 100% of the time. There are ups and downs. But if you can’t remember any recent ups, this is a signal you don’t want to ignore. Even if the above questions don’t raise a red flag, don’t discount the importance of liking what you do.

by Matt Palmquist (extracted from strategy+business.com)

Have you been offered a new job and are now wondering what to do about the starting salary? Or are you starting to hire others, and wondering how much to offer in an uncertain economy? A study of the negotiating strategies of new employees, conducted before the recession took hold, suggests that the best deal is the most well-rounded one.

A survey of 149 employees in a variety of jobs and industries found that those who opted to negotiate, rather than simply accept the initial salary offer, boosted their annual pay by an average of US$5,000. Over time, that can make a big difference: An employee who enters the workforce making $55,000 stands to earn $600,000 more than a colleague who starts at $50,000, assuming 5 percent annual raises during a 40-year career.

Not surprisingly, the biggest salary increases went to those who negotiated in the most competitive manner, acting purely out of self-interest. This could mean trying to use a job offer from another firm as leverage or even misrepresenting some facts. This type of negotiation often left both sides feeling on edge.

But it’s not all about the money, the study’s authors found. Those who were willing to cooperate with their new employer and sacrifice some monetary compensation for non-salary benefits felt better about the outcome and their role at the company. They also gained in other ways. “When they collaborate, they raise their salary a bit; get some non-salary benefits like more vacation, better healthcare, or help with education expenses; and walk away thinking it’s a win-win,” says one of the study’s coauthors, Crystal Harold, an assistant professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. When companies don’t have a lot of money to offer, the collaborative approach is an especially useful tool at the negotiating table.

The study also identified less-successful strategies for job seekers: avoiding negotiation altogether (a tendency of risk-averse people) and accommodating or compromising — similar approaches in which the new hires yielded too quickly to the company’s wishes, leaving them feeling dissatisfied. If this disappointment leads to a lower level of commitment, it may be a problem for both the employer and the employee.

The researchers found that although men generally got more than women in the negotiations — which could reflect historical gender imbalances in workforce pay — there were no significant differences in the strategies they employed.

Bottom Line: In setting a starting salary, both sides benefit from a comprehensive negotiation. The winners, especially in a weak economy, are those who work with the company to find a mix of benefits likely to engender commitment.

1. Use numbers

The quantify your achievements and people remember them, says Richard Maun in his book Job Hunting 3.0. Saying that you “saved money” or “improved the business” are meaningless. Saying that you “saved the company R200 000 a year” or that you “increased sales by 20%” will grab the interviewer’s attention and make him curious about the story behind the matter, giving you a chance to sell yourself.

2. Get to the point

Tear the first half of your CV in half. Does the top half leap out on its own? Think of it like the front page of a news paper. The reader needs to have seen your personal profile and your first two achievements by half-way down the first page. Also make sure your CV is no more than two pages long, and always put your name at the top and bottom of each page, just in case they get separated.

3. Avoid cliches, include details

nobody ever said that they were a bad communicator, lazy or lacked passion. Prove that you have the qualities rather than jusr stating what you do. Tell the reader what you have done, and he will infer the qualities that you want to prove you have. Things like “entrepreneurial skills” are unquantifiable. If you set up a business, say so. Otherwise you are not an entrepreneur, however much you might like to be one.

4. Think about presentation

Think about presentation. Use a sans-serif font with no smaller than 11-point type – any smaller and it looks like you couldn’t edit your CV. Make sure there’s enough white space to make it look nice. Avoid crazy designs or too much colour. Simple is best. Also, if possible, send your CV in paper form. Its harder to lose than an email, and good quality paper makes a good impression. As Maun says, “People do judge books by their covers, otherwise they’d all have plain brown ones.”

5. Work on your profile

It’s the first thing that the interviewer reads,. So be relevant in your profile, and pin yourself to the job that was advertised by using words already appearing in the advert. Include industry-specific keywords, brand names and countries you have worked with. Do not use “I”. Use the third person as it makes it easier to read. And above all, do not forget to be interesting – if there is a juicy detail that will make them remember you (“the one who did the Goldman Sachs deal”) then you will have improved your chances.

By Jeremy Hazlehurst. Extracted from Evening Standard UK, 10 Nov 2010

When I left university I wanted to be a solicitor, or thought I did.

One of the well-known London firms I applied to called me for interview. The all-male selection panel asked me to tell them a joke.

They laughed politely. Later, chatting to the other candidates it became clear they made the same request of the other men but critically, not the women.

Those who did succeed are now at the top of the practice — I will spare their blushes by not naming them.

I was reminded of this episode when talking to Laura Empson, professor in the management of professional service firms at Cass Business School. Last week, she hosted an evening seminar on the “professional work bargain” — the deal which professionals strike with firms in order to provide their professional services.

She was being polite and could quite as easily have called it a Faustian pact, as young trainees sacrifice incredibly long hours in the hope that one day they might make it to partner and achieve a share of the profits and long-term security.

Of course they are paid well but many are also utterly exhausted. For women, the compact is even more taxing — in many cases, they have to square having children with the rigours of the job and with working in what can still be a sexist environment.

It was a fascinating discussion. Generally, the accountancy firms are more forward-thinking, more flexible in their arrangements and working practices. They’re also not so dominated by a white, all-male Oxbridge culture.

The leading “Magic Circle” law firms on the other hand, tend to struggle with change, not seeing why they need to because they’re doing pretty well, thank you.

What was illuminating was a survey conducted by Dame Janet Gaymer, visiting professor at Cass and the first female senior partner of a leading City law firm (Simmons & Simmons), among the managements of the top London solicitors.

Gaymer found increasing pressure for reform from such factors as globalisation, the effects of technology and the need to attract and retain the best talent. The junior lawyers themselves also wanted modernisation but not those, she noted, who had already become partners. They “were seen as perpetuating the current model by their behaviour and success”.

It was also said that although most firms now publicise their commitment to diversity, it’s actually harder for young people from poor backgrounds to join the professions than it was a few decades ago. I thought of my own interview and being forced to tell a joke and wondered, has anything much changed?

By Chris Blackhurst Extracted from Evening Standard UK, Nov 15 2010

I am not assuming these conversations are not being had!  Rather I am opening the conversation for robust debate.  I appreciate am wondering into uncomfortable territory that has evoked reactions (I relayed some of this recorded conversation over dinner with very dear friends who nearly showed me to the door before dessert).

Listen to or download the free audio from the Transformation Conversation after the link. I also encourage you to respond to this issue by posting your comment – let’s start a constructive debate that will add value to participating in conscious environments.

To listen, click on the audio resource  title. To download a resource, click on ‘Download’ under the resource’s title, or right click on the resource title and select “Save As” from the menu.

• Introduction to the Conversation
• Who is Leonard Carr and how has he contributed to Transformation?

• Why are we having this conversation about Transformation?
• What are the blocks to Transformation?

• What is Transformation?
• What are the issues surrounding the conversation on Transformation?

• How can we create a “culture of Transformation”?
• Whose responsibility is it and why is it essential to invest in the process?

• Practical advice for improving your Transformation experience
• What Can I Do?: How a Candidate can make Transformation work
• What Can We Do?: How Organisations can play their part
• Closing Remarks