Webinar report: Developing yourself and your team for in-house success and recognition

Scant leadership training, shifting legal landscapes, social and geopolitical change and the unstoppable march of technology are just some of the factors that keep professional development at the front of the in-house lawyer’s mind.

To share their takes on this evergreen topic in the first CLL and Thomson Reuters Legal Leaders webinar of 2026, two senior in-house lawyers joined moderator Elizabeth Duffy, Thomson Reuters Institute’s Senior Director Client Engagement. 

Nicki Schroeder is Group General Counsel at Reach plc, publisher of international, national and regional titles including OK! the Mirror and the Manchester Evening News. Nicki began her career in private practice before joining Reach via roles with ITV and Discovery Inc. For over 23 years, Nicki has also held diverse NED and charity trustee roles.

James Butler has been a GC and Head of Legal for the last 15 years. He is Group Head of Legal and Corporate Governance at UBP (previously SG Kleinwort Hambros). Prior to that: he ran the legal function covering the various Schroders Wealth businesses; and was the General Counsel at Quilter Cheviot. Before moving in-house, he worked in city law firms, acting for a wide range of financial market participants, including regulators. James is the Chair of the Private Wealth Lawyers’ Group and is a Fellow of the CISI.

The business case for personal development

As Nicki says, “Out of date legal advice is no use to anyone.” AI is a great example. Just four years ago, nobody was concerned about the legal implications of AI. Today, entire teams are tasked with understanding the governance, data and regulatory implications of a technology that permeates almost every business function. 

It’s also vital to keep staff members stimulated and assured that we’re committed to their growth and career progression. Similarly, up-to-date lawyers get things done faster, thus saving their organisations money and contributing to strategic goals.

The evolution of personal development needs 

At junior - to mid-level, training needs revolve primarily around technical skills and changes in legislation. As your career progresses, people management becomes much more important. As such, training in management, communication and (so called) soft skills becomes the more relevant area of focus. 

It’s also increasingly important at this stage to learn how to demonstrate the value of legal across the organisation. Learning about wider business and commercial disciplines, such as how to read financial statements, is a great way to pursue this objective.

Building internal relationships and a helicopter view

Understanding multiple aspects of an organisation and how they affect one another is a key part of the senior in-house lawyer’s development. James advises taking a step back to achieve this wider vision. “You can be super-experienced, yet mired in detail,” he says.

However, using your experience to predict typical blockers to plans and regulatory responses to corporate strategy help you get closer to internal clients. So too does knowing when to spend precious time on building relationships as opposed to wading through pages and pages of information which your instincts tell you will be of limited value.

Getting infinite value from finite resources

Opportunities for personal development are many and varied. Getting yourself on well-selected mailing lists and attending webinars and industry events are great places to start. 

Nicki told us how, when members of her team are asked to speak at events, they’re encouraged to ask for an additional ticket for a colleague to attend. That way, the department’s benefit from the event is doubled. Keeping a calendar of learning opportunities in the office is helpful for when people have time - even if it’s just an hour – to spend on continuing professional development (CPD). 

For technical training for paralegals and juniors, look to your panel law firms. Many will be happy to include your team members in the SQE training they provide their own trainees as part of the panel relationship. Look too, toward the industry bodies your organisation is a member of as many of these run highly relevant industry-specific training.

Building personal development into BAU

Describing his ‘coverage map’, James set out how he plots the workstreams across his organisation. From here, he can plan legal’s tasks for those workstreams and, from their volume and complexity, identify training needs. The coverage map is a dynamic document, evolving as corporate strategy, horizon scanning, technology and the legislative framework present new challenges and opportunities.

Keeping it relevant to all team members

Not everyone in a legal team aspires to be the GC. Some, of course, will want career progression and fast-tracking pathways to bigger and better things. Others, however, will be content to stay in their lane and specialise in the work that interests them most.

Recognise the needs of both types of team member and, where you can, provide opportunities for aspiring lawyers to prepare for leadership roles and for subject matter experts to deepen their knowledge and maximise their job fulfilment.

Demonstrating value of personal development in legal

Always be on the lookout for ways to blow legal’s trumpet across your organisation. If you have regular/formal executive meetings with other department heads, use these to both promote work that your team has done and identify matters that you can help other business functions with.

If legal has, for example, mitigated a risk, saved the business money or averted complex litigation, make sure people know as a great deal of legal’s work goes unnoticed in most organisations. And, if your C-suite colleagues are grappling with an issue that legal has the skillset to help with, be sure to put your team forward.

Another option is to circulate a weekly/monthly/quarterly legal newsletter, outlining legal’s successes and contributions to the organisation’s strategy and linking your wins to your ongoing commitment to personal development.

See you again on 23 April
Conflicting priorities? Unexpected demands? Scrambling to uphold team morale and keep business ticking over as usual? If so, join us for webinar no. 2 in this series: Workloads in focus – BAU and the unplanned. Register here.