‘In the legal profession people don’t always let go quickly enough. That mentality can be destructive if it gets carried in-house,’ says Suzanne Wise, group general counsel (GC) and company secretary of Network Rail, the public body that owns and maintains the bulk of the UK’s railway infrastructure. For Wise, learning to let go is one of the distinguishing features of a successful GC.
‘You don’t get into the technical details of your function at a very senior level because discussions tend to be much more focused on the business as a whole, and the expectation is that you will take full part in those discussions. Communicating and influencing skills are very important if you want to move into a senior position in-house because an awful lot of what you find yourself doing is not legal work.’
Wise leads a diverse team at Network Rail, with 35 lawyers among the 110 staff based within the legal function. The remainder are a mix of support staff and a group of non-legal units that Wise oversees, including the central business change team. Taking on a managerial role that has little to do with being a lawyer is, she says, a development many other GCs are now experiencing. ‘I meet a lot of other GCs now with wider remits. The role is not seen as that of legal adviser anymore.’
‘You will need someone to help you.’
Learning to thrive with such a broad remit is a challenge, but Wise says the in-house role typically provides ambitious lawyers with plenty of opportunities to hone non-legal skills. ‘I certainly didn’t learn how to do this at law school, but if you look back over your career there are lots of things you can do to prepare yourself for being a strong leader. Always put your hand up when people are looking for someone to take things on outside legal and take advantage of leadership programmes, especially those that will teach you about your own strengths and weaknesses.’
For lawyers with an eye on the GC role, Wise is an advocate of coaching and softer skills training. ‘You can’t be a strong leader unless you know yourself well. A lot of lawyers think they don’t need this stuff, but from my perspective it was invaluable. The more senior you become in an in-house role, the lonelier it becomes. Having a professional, executive-level coach is really helpful. You’ll almost certainly have issues communicating with the board or the chief executive as you rise to the top and you will need someone to help you work out how to respond.’