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Section 4 – The role of General Counsel and the Board
I M P O R T A N T A S P E C T S O F T H E G E N E R A L C O U N S E L R O L E
96 % 82 %
Aligning the legal function to business strategy and context
96 % 73 %
Being a trusted advisor to the executive, CEO, and Board
95 % 80 %
Board and General Counsel views on the main elements of the Board’s role are also reasonably well aligned, and the hierarchy of importance has remained generally consistent over time. Board Directors, however, perceive ‘staying up to date with the latest thinking, technology and best practice’, along with ‘reviewing talent and succession planning’ and ‘engaging with internal stakeholders’ as a more crucial part of their remit than is recognised by General Counsel.
It is interesting that General Counsel and Boards tend to emphasise the importance of the strategic and ‘vision’ aspects of each other’s role (rather than operations and communications aspects) whilst placing greater importance in the operations and communications focus of their own role. This could point to a wider trend for organisations to undervalue the increasingly complex operational challenges that all senior leaders are facing. It is likely that the COVID-19 crisis will increase recognition by the Board and across all functions that delivery of strategy is dependent on establishing an integrated and multifaceted operational structure.
Consistent high quality service delivery
91 % 60 %
Collaborating with other departments
91 % 50 %
Horizon scanning to pre-empt issues
87 % 70 %
Maximising value and impact
85 % 50 %
Securing legal and regulatory compliance
84 % 70 %
Building a high performance legal team
80 % 40 %
Proactively assessing the risk landscape
72 % 33 %
Advising the business on ethical and moral risks
71 % 60 %
Maximising value from external legal providers
67 % 40 %
Maximising alignment between demand and resource
61 % 30 %
Managing uncertainty and change
58 % 20 %
Coordinating activities across geographies
57 % 33 %
Empowering the wider business through training and self-service tools
48 % 50 %
Leveraging technology to enhance service delivery
General Counsel Board
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