Most general counsel benefited from professional development opportunities before assuming their leadership positions, according to a recent survey of 300 legal chiefs in the U.S.

Additionally, GCs who were promoted from within were more likely to receive at least some type of professional development than external hires, the survey from executive search firm BarkerGilmore found.

More than six in ten GCs promoted from within (62%) reported they took on an expanded scope of responsibilities prior to becoming the legal chief, and 57% of external hires said they experienced that at their prior company. 

Taking on additional responsibilities was the most common type of professional development reported by both types of legal chiefs, according to the 2023 General Counsel Succession Report.

Other development opportunities

More than half of internally promoted general counsel said they also received increased C-Suite and board exposure (59%), leadership training (53%) and stretch assignments (52%).

Less than half of external GC hires reported receiving C-Suite and board exposure (45%), leadership training (35%) and stretch assignments (28%).

The gap between the type of training internally promoted legal GCs received compared to external hires can also be seen in the realm of executive coaching. 

Roughly 43% of internal appointments benefitted from executive coaching compared to just 21% of executive hires.

Most legal chiefs reported receiving executive coaching prior to their appointments from an external provider and found it to be valuable or extremely valuable.

Other types of professional development reported by legal chiefs included GC shadowing, mentoring with an executive other than the GC and financial training.

Overall, 84% of internally promoted GCs reported receiving at least one type of professional development mentioned above compared to 73% of externally recruited GCs.

“General Counsel succession planning and recruitment are imperative exercises to ensure a strong strategic advisor is leading the in-house team,” said BarkerGilmore Managing Partner Bob Barker in a press release.

Prior roles

More than seven in ten (71%) of the legal chief survey respondents were recruited externally to their roles compared to 29% who were internally promoted.

The general counsel who were surveyed held a variety of roles just prior to their appointments.

For internally promoted GCs, more than one in three (36%) had served immediately beforehand as deputy general counsel.

Other internal legal chief hires reported serving just prior as senior counsel (15%), associate general counsel (13%) and division general counsel (13%).

More than half of the external hires had either served as GC (37%) or chief legal officer (14%) before taking on their latest legal chief role.

A smaller percentage of externally hired GCs held the role of senior counsel (11%) or associate general counsel (10%) prior to their legal chief appointments.

Advance notice

Meanwhile, roughly seven in ten internally promoted GCs said they were alerted to their successor status ahead of time.

Approximately 58% received notice one year or less before the succession took place, while 20% received three or more years of notice. 

“Public companies were the least likely to alert women successors, with 67% having a year or less notice compared to 55% of men,” the report said.

The internal promotions reported that 62% of the time no other candidates were interviewed for the positions that they landed. 

Additionally, less than one in five promoted legal chiefs reported serving as interim GCs prior to their appointments.