City AM reports that the data published by global law firm Reed Smith and Netherlands-headquartered professional services giant KPMG showed that the number of chief executives with a legal background at FTSE 100 companies has increased from three in 2002 to seven today.

Legal talent

The report also suggested that legal talent should be encouraged to take the reins at top companies in the future.
Kathryn Britten KPMG partner and chair of the forensic practice said that the influence of legal minds in the boardroom is growing, but there is still a ‘gap in perception between the benefits that law can bring to strategic decision making and the actual involvement of lawyers at board level’.
The report found a similar trend across the Atlantic, where the number of Fortune 100 chief executives with a legal background increasing from 10 in 2002 to 17 today.