I’ve been stuck into the glamorous world of in-house legal recruitment for 8 years now.
It doesn’t sound like a particularly long time, but I could comfortably bore you on how the role of recruiter has changed, how the market compares to 2018, and what makes an ideal candidate. The reality, though, is that it all stems from the same underlying theme: continuous change, driven by the evolving expectations of what forward-thinking businesses want from their in-house counsel.
Those 8 years have taken me through three excellent agencies, all of which offered invaluable lessons. One in particular has stuck with me because of how relevant it feels to the modern lawyer. It comes from management consultant Andy Bounds and his principle of “Afters.”
“Afters” was introduced to me as a sales concept, but it applies far more broadly. Whether you’re trying to influence a decision, land a point, or position yourself as a commercially minded, business-first lawyer, the idea is simple: focus not on what you do, but on what your work achieves. In other words, what problem are you solving?
Businesses are not paying for legal advice in isolation. They are paying for outcomes. The difference now is that expectation is explicit. I recently worked with a high-growth fintech who put it bluntly: “technical knowledge isn’t as important, we can teach that. What we need is someone who sees the bigger picture and can move the business forward.” A senior lawyer at another company jokingly described his team as “the shoelace-tying department”, not because of legal complexity, but because they were the go-to for making things happen across the business.
The modern in-house lawyer is judged less on technical accuracy, which is a given, and more on their ability to influence outcomes. Risk-balanced advice is key. It is about avoiding defaulting to “no”, but understanding how to get to “yes” in a way that aligns with the business’s risk appetite. In order to do that you need a firm grip of the “Afters,” of what the company is actually trying to do.
That shift has pulled legal firmly into the centre of strategy. It should be energising. It is about getting involved early, seeking out challenges rather than waiting for them, and shaping decisions, not just validating them. Alongside this comes an expectation of legal operations fluency: understanding processes, technology, and how to run legal as an efficient, data-informed function.
The consistent differentiator, though, is relationships. The ability to build trust, communicate clearly, and align with commercial priorities is what turns legal into a genuine business partner.
Initiatives like Dan Kayne’s O-Shaped Lawyer movement are a direct response to this shift, broadening the lawyer skillset beyond black-letter law to include communication, collaboration, and commercial awareness. Communities like Crafty Counsel are also playing a big role, giving in-house lawyers exposure to how modern teams operate and a space to share ideas. For junior lawyers in particular, my advice is simple: get involved, build your network and be a sponge.
For both clients and candidates, the direction of travel is clear. Technical excellence is essential, but it is no longer enough on its own. The in-house counsel of the future is a business partner first, and a lawyer second.
So next time a question lands on your desk, ask yourself: “Am I focusing on the answer, or am I looking for the Afters?”
Please get in touch with Tom Shaw for a confidential conversation.