Senior executives in business need to ask for advice earlier, according to Barclays group general counsel, Judith Shepherd. Historically senior executives have left it far too far before seeking legal advice, she says, adding that by the time they do, ‘it can be an unhelpful interchange – their barriers go up if we cast down their idea’. In common with the vast majority of general counsel, Shepherd says that employing general counsel is all about adding value. 'It is actually an underrated asset to have an in-house legal team. They are far more than just legal advisers and can advise on wider issues, for example reputation risk and conduct risk. 'Those within the business can be too close to an issue to ask themselves the right questions when making decisions – lawyers are good at spotting the questions that need to be asked. It is a system of partnership. We are there to support the business and are happy for the business to bounce ideas off us early on.'  The GC Excellence report, which is in association with global law firm network TerraLex, can be downloaded  at GC Excellence Report.