‘Take every opportunity’, in-house lawyers urged
A General Counsel Summit at the Law Society has been told that solicitors working in the sector should embrace being out of their comfort zones.
Hundreds of in-house solicitors attended the event, which included one-to-one conversations with leading lawyers in the sector and a panel discussion involving four ‘rising stars’.
The in-house sector is becoming increasingly important, now representing 27% of the solicitor profession, and the event is part of a drive by the Law Society to increase engagement with those working in the area.
‘Problem-solvers’
Several of the speakers stressed the importance of taking every opportunity offered to them in their career – even if they worried that they were not ready.
“Get the job, then figure out how to do it”, one leading lawyer told the summit.
The event heard that lawyers were ‘problem-solvers’ who could add extra value to a company at the highest levels. Aspiring in-house solicitors were urged to be direct and succinct in their advice to management.
Asked what they looked for when hiring in-house lawyers, speakers listed qualities such as curiosity and a willingness to listen and build relationships.
Optimism
There was general optimism about the future of the sector, despite the rise of AI, with speakers pointing out that AI could not think critically, and adding that this would make qualities like judgment and the ability to build relationships even more important.
Speakers at the event were:
- Máire Barr (general counsel – Europe, Kellanova),
- Diarmaid Cunningham (chief administrative officer, general counsel, executive vice-president, and company secretary, ICON), and
- Elaine Fox (head of Ireland and head of privacy Europe, TikTok).
The in-house ‘rising stars’ were:
- Emma Maher (group senior legal counsel, Flutter Entertainment),
- Dan McNamara (senior legal counsel M&A, CRH),
- Eanna O’Donnell (EMEA regulatory counsel, Stripe), and
- Danielle O’Riordan (associate general counsel, Interactive Brokers Ireland).