Relationships are top-of-mind for in-house lawyers today. Inherent tension in the relationship between in-house lawyers and their organisation – which is both their client and their employer – and the increasing scrutiny of in-house lawyers due to recent corporate and political scandals has put pressure on the management of their relationships with themselves, their teams and their employer clients. Furthermore, CEOs, non-executive directors and boards not only struggle to navigate their relationship with in-house lawyers but are also often unaware of the underlying systemic problems in the legal function and profession, which can adversely affect organisational sustainability.

This book shows how in-house lawyers can better manage their relationships and how their client organisations can reciprocate. The main theme throughout is that reframing relationships, and then making small changes in them, can have a big impact on individual fulfilment, organisations and society. This title provides solutions for when specific relationship management problems occur, and key features include:

• exploration of the evolution of the legal function;

• diagnostics and tools to assess and manage relationships with boards, law firms and the ESG movement;

• strategies to address common relationship issues with key individuals including the CEO, CFO, compliance staff, the group GC and other in-house lawyers;

• guidance on allaying career concerns and dealing with an overwhelming workload which threatens work–life balance; and

• the nature of leadership as it pertains to the legal function.

Written by Ciarán Fenton, who has worked with hundreds of in-house lawyers as well as CEOs, chairs and boards all over the world, The Modern In-house Lawyer draws on the author’s own consulting experience and successes and failures in relationship management – including case studies demonstrating what works, and what doesn’t – and the insights of other academics and experts. It provides in-house lawyers at all levels, members of the c-suite and private practice lawyers with the principles, tools and models to manage their key relationships and enhance their work.