Top in-house lawyers from around the globe gathered at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London on November 9 to discuss the challenges and opportunities that face in-house legal professionals. Here are three nuggets of wisdom from this year's Summit to guide you and your team through the year ahead:

1. Technology is an ally, not an adversary

If one message rang clear above all others, it was that embracing technology will be key to ensuring the long-term business value of in-house departments. The 'golden days' of tech-free lawyering are long gone for the in-house sector, speakers warned, and those who fail to embrace the new opportunities offered by technological innovation risk being left behind. With the legal, regulatory and security challenges of the Digital Age here to stay, in-house lawyers must abandon nostalgia for simpler times in favour of excitement for the potential of evolving technology to add value to the work of legal professionals.

For some, such as Exigent managing director Nicola Stott, tech-based contract management systems will heighten the ability of in-house counsel to anticipate and manage contract risks for their business. For others, like Integreon head of LPO Mark Ross, automation of paralegal work offers the potential to revolutionise legal process outsourcing, while data analysis platforms can minimise contract negotiation times by more easily identifying 'sticking points' in past client negotiations. As for the growing risks to cybersecurity, corporate lawyers' efforts to combat hackers and leaks will prove insufficient without a proper understanding of tech-based vulnerabilities and training. 

It's clear that value-adding opportunities abound for those willing to embrace the digital turn, so make this the year to shake off your tech scepticism once and for all.

2. Communication is key

For all the hubbub about technology, speakers at this year's Summit implored in-house professionals to remember the enduring importance of strong communication skills and systems for lawyers practising in corporate contexts. Beyond an innovative approach to practice, boosting the relevance of in-house legal departments to the wider business will be dependent upon the ability of GC to bridge the cultural gap between legal and management through effective communication.

Lawyers must learn to 'speak business' if their work is to be valued by management, warned members of the Summit's management panel. According to Keith Austin, senior vice president and head of legal services UKIEEMEA for DHL, only 21 per cent of legal departments quantify their work performance for management by using key performance indicators. Without such reporting mechanisms, Mr Austin suggests that in-house lawyers will struggle to make the value of their work, and the return of legal's cost to business, clear to management. 'If you can't measure it, you can't manage it', he warns. 

'Legal takes time', warns Insight Enterprise associate GC Karim Adatia. The pace of legal work can appear sluggish up against the drive for speed and efficiency at the centre of business culture. It may well be that your department can perform faster. More crucial, however, is making sure management can see where your time goes and what it delivers. Without proper communication between legal and management, the value of your work can get lost in translation.

3. Attitude is everything

Before you can speak business, you need to be able to think business. For leaders like Tesltra general counsel Carmel Mulhern, rising through the ranks of the in-house profession is dependent on each lawyer's ability and willingness to adopt the goals and values of their company. While legal work is traditionally grounded in identifying problems, lawyers who commit themselves to 'finding the yes' are well positioned to make themselves valuable to business managers, Ms Mulhern suggests. Moreover, helping your business to clear obstacles, rather than merely identifying them, is key to boosting the perceived relevance of the legal department to business strategy and growth.

More broadly, the skill set which makes for effective business leaders stays relevant for leaders of in-house departments. A commitment to building and maintaining strong relationships, an authentic leadership style that engages team members and the ability to always keep the customer or client at the centre of practice will keep lawyers in good stead for climbing the ranks of business leadership. It sounds like conventional wisdom, but honing business 'soft-skills' in addition to legal expertise can be the difference between surviving and thriving in the in-house sector. Challenging the stereotype of lawyers as 'fence-sitters', for example, is crucial to breaking through the glass ceiling to decision-making business leadership roles, argues Shell UK head of legal Michael Coates.

Embracing tried-and-tested business wisdom may be key in transforming in-house legal departments into well-run business units and in-house lawyers into valued members of business management teams.

For more information, please see: GC Futures Summit