In recent years, Angus Haig has contributed much to the Centre for Legal Leadership.
Across topics such as managing legal teams across multiple jurisdictions, stakeholder engagement and building personal resilience, his advice for in-house lawyers is always insightful, actionable and founded on real-life experience.
Angus’ CV includes six years as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Cox Automotive as well as a 19-year spell at The Coca-Cola Company, serving most recently as International General Counsel for Asia Pacific in Tokyo.
Currently living in Atlanta, Angus has been based in Australia, China, Japan and the UK. He’s a board member of the International Dyslexia Association and The Howard School in Atlanta, which provides specialist education for children with learning differences.
What attracted you to working in-house?
After working in legal practices for a few years I quickly worked out that I didn’t want to be a partner in a law firm. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and enjoy the workings of business and playing a central role of an organisation’s strategy. Of course, I wanted to utilise my qualifications, so began to look for in-house legal roles.
Intriguingly, an unbranded In-house Counsel Ad drew my attention. The employer was looking for a lawyer who would be genuinely interested in the job, rather than the brand itself – which turned out to be The Coca-Cola Company.
What advice would you give to someone new to an in-house role?
Firstly, get to know the organisation you’re joining. Understand the business itself, the wider industry and the competition in as much detail as possible. Take time to ask as many questions as you need to - and do this early. The longer you're in a role the harder it becomes to ask basic questions, as you are expected to be up to speed pretty quickly.
Next, build relationships with your internal clients. The better you understand your colleagues and their challenges, the better placed you’ll be to solve legal issues. This will also help to generate trust, respect and confidence in you personally.
Be visible, available and approachable in the office. Let colleagues see that you’re there to support them. Similarly, embrace change and seize every opportunity. It may not seem relevant at the time, however almost every experience will prove valuable further down the track.
I also advise in-house lawyers to understand their organisation’s financials. Knowing where the money is being made helps you understand what matters most to the business.
Also, try to avoid saying a blanket ‘No’ when asked for help. Aim to say, ‘Yes, though there are usually certain factors or issues to consider first before moving forward.’ And combine commercialism with pragmatism. Common sense goes a long way in the in- house legal environment.
Finally, build and maintain your network, it's easy to get bogged down in the work and not make time for networking, maintaining relationships and connections – you may need it sooner rather than later. The next time you get asked to speak on a panel, invited to a lunch, an event or CLE, make time, it's always worth the effort.
What do you enjoy most about in-house life?
Working side by side with the business. I like playing a strategic business partnership role and coming up with pragmatic commercial solutions for complex legal issues.
I’m also passionate about people development - recruiting talented people and helping them excel.
Mentoring and coaching is increasingly satisfying for me. I get a kick out of supporting younger GCs and people who may be considering the move to in-house. I help them think it through and work out if it's right for them.
It’s also enormously satisfying to help the business navigate challenges such as cyber incidents, major litigation or regulatory issues. And it’s great to work with fun, interesting and energetic people across all business disciplines and functions.
What are you most proud of?
Apart from my family, I couldn't have dreamed of the career I’ve had, the places I've been to, or lived in. So I'm probably most proud of having had such an international and varied career and life.
I’m also proud to have held numerous senior in-house legal positions at two major organisations.
I’ve loved working with many great people around the world and being able to understand, assimilate and integrate with many different cultures. I’ve built teams and worked across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, the United States and Canada.
There have also been some major antitrust litigation and regulatory matters that I've been involved in. They were pivotal to my employers, so it was satisfying to get those resolved.
How do you see the in-house role changing in the next five to ten years?
I see it changing in two key ways.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is something that everyone is trying to plan for. But few of us really understand it. It’s still early days and we’re at the tip of the iceberg, but the development of AI will speed up exponentially. In-house lawyers will feel the impact, not only in the practice of law, but in terms of cyber activity, data privacy, the way businesses are run and develop new products and services.
For example, just as the smartphone has become so powerful and ubiquitous over 10 – 15 years, so too will AI innovations over the next decade. AI will impact every industry, at every level and change will be constant. Legal teams will need to find ways to keep up!
I think change will also arise from continual pressure to do more with less. This is of course nothing new – I’ve had this pressure for last 26 years – however, insufficient funding or staffing a legal department comes with some risks - not only to the business (i.e. litigation and regulatory exposure etc) but the more you decrease internal headcount and external counsel spend, the more you demand of your team.
People will end up leaving the in-house career path, putting more pressure on those who stay. It ends up being a self-fulfilling prophecy. Its critical to find the right balance and investing enough in the legal function to ensure good risk management and governance of the business.
What skills do in-house lawyers need to develop?
Predominantly soft skills.
The ability to connect with people through common interests, empathy, active listening, relationship building and concern for others are essential to a leadership role. That said, it’s also important to maintain the right balance in relationships with business clients and team members. Sometimes, you’ll need to give people tough advice or news they don’t want to hear, it often involves walking a fine line to preserve business relationships whilst providing advice to protect the company.
Another important skill is to understand your organisation’s tolerance for risk. Every business has a different tolerance and even within the management group, individuals’ tolerance will vary. As a senior in-house lawyer, with guardianship of risk, you’ll need to be clear about how much risk the organisation should be exposed to, and at times provide counsel to help reduce that risk.
How has your philanthropic work helped you professionally?
It's helped me gain experience as a director, a trustee, on board committees and as an advisory board member. My voluntary roles have helped me leverage my legal skills for the benefit of the organisations I have served, as well as build my network beyond the legal profession.
It has also prepared me well to be able join for-profit boards and take up advisory roles, which I really enjoy.
Best of all though is that it has helped me understand people better. Everyone learns differently. And understanding the way people learn gives you insights into the ways they behave. It certainly helped me understand my children better. For everything you put into philanthropic work, you get tenfold back.
Away from the office, what’s your passion?
I’ve been racing Porsches since 2012. I recently upgraded from a 1970 911 to a 2016 GT4 Clubsport. We race at Daytona and Sebring Raceways in Florida, Watkins Glen in New York as well as Road Atlanta closer to home. One of my sons has been coming to the racetrack with me since he was five. He’s now seventeen and is an integral part of my pit crew. He wants to be an engineer, so this is experience has been perfect for him.
