A senior legal headhunter friend, who could easily be described as a Renaissance Man, recently confided that one of the lesser-known challenges of placing lawyers today is that it is no longer sufficient just to be technically brilliant. Employers want candidates to have emotional intelligence and be able to communicate with clients and colleagues – with less of the ego.
Commentators have long banged on about law being a ‘people business’ but truth be told, it hasn’t been until recently – not really. ‘The grey lawyer in the corner,’ as one Magic Circle managing partner hilariously put it, could once have had a long and happy career pencil pushing and never speaking to another soul for 25 years. The same is true of journalists. Being a people person was never really a prerequisite of becoming one, as long as you could bash out a decent story to deadline and not get the paper sued. And I am unfortunately old enough to recall the days when it was de rigueur in the newsroom to scream in the face of a hapless hack over some minor transgression.
Thankfully, in these days of enlightenment, that sort of toxic behaviour is no longer worn as a badge of honour and is largely condemned. As this year’s Global 100 report makes plain, the brightest and most successful organisations value people who are not only personable and technically astute, but also commercially intelligent, innovative and brave. That’s what we have to focus on too.
The hundreds of messages of congratulation and support I received from across the legal profession, colleagues and friends on becoming editor of Legal Business I hope bear testament to how well I’m liked in the industry but, at the risk of sabre rattling, the only way we can move the dial is by refusing to shy away from holding the feet of firms to the fire over the less edifying stuff – where they don’t exactly shine.
With that ethos, the mandate is clear. Continue to maximise our peerless trusted relationships with law firm leaders and general counsel, but broaden our international scope, embrace the law firm talent shaping the future and bolster our insightful coverage of what matters to you. We will redouble our resolve to shine a light on commercially-critical issues such as the ESG agenda, the war for talent and the competitive tensions underpinning the market now and, on the all-important technical side, mobilise the peerless market data that we have garnered over decades.
Expect new data-driven products, greater international reach and our trade mark incisive analysis, only better. You may not always like what you read, but as another City law firm leader recently, and (some might venture) in a rare showing of humility, noted: ‘If you don’t ask us difficult questions and expose our failings, how are we supposed to do better?’
Of course, we share the challenges faced by all businesses in keeping the pace even as reversals posed by looming Covid restrictions continue to cloud our professional and personal horizons.
However, if last year has taught us anything it is that we are well placed to, not only survive, but thrive. Contrary to certain public opinion, there is no Plan B.
I would like to wish you all a very merry, peaceful and safe Christmas. I look forward to seeing you in 2022.