Individually, Helen and Paul have impressive CVs in the professional services sector. Jointly, they bring their unrivalled knowledge, understanding and insights to help organisations and internal teams build memorable brands.
We sat down with Helen and Paul to discuss, among other things, brand and strategy for in-house legal functions.
Tell us briefly about your careers so far
Helen: I started my marketing communications career at Towers Perrin (now WTW). There, I trained as a consultant and led the marketing of the HR, benefits and change management side of the business. After leaving WTW, I held marketing comms roles at Bristows, then Latham & Watkins, before joining Gracechurch Consulting as a director.
In 2006, I joined EY, where I spent ten years, latterly as Brand, Marketing and Communications Leader for the global consulting business. In 2015, I wanted to experience entrepreneurship, so I left EY and picked up consultancy contracts with several prominent brands, including Paul Hastings, where Paul [Clarke] was the client. Around this time, I was introduced to a lady who was ex-Havas and Saatchi & Saatchi. With her agency experience and my in-house knowledge, we set up The Listening People in 2019.
Paul: I've been a partner at The Listening People for two years now. Before that, I spent eight years at Paul Hastings, my last role there being Chief Communications and Brand Officer.
Prior to that, I was at EY, starting as UK Communications Director and acting informally as Chief of Staff to the then UK chairman before moving into the Global Communications and Engagement Leader role. Before joining EY, I’d held senior marketing, communications and PR roles at McKinsey, Prudential and Deloitte.
My appointment as joint UK Head of PR and later Marketing Leader for UK Consulting at Deloitte arose from the firm’s acquisition of the business assets of Arthur Andersen's UK practice, where I had previously served as the UK Head of PR. Going back even further, I began my career with Universities UK in a PR role.
What markets does The Listening People serve?
Helen: Professional services providers, such as law, accounting and consultancy firms, are our core clients, although we also serve the wider B2B sectors. In B2C, our focus is on strategic communications and engagement initiatives. For example, we help in-house legal functions formulate and articulate their purpose, values and strategies. We also work with purpose-led startups and scale-ups, often focused on people or other key elements of ESG.
What makes The Listening People unique?
Paul: As our name suggests, the ability and willingness to listen. To really grasp what a client’s needs and priorities are and build a strategy around them from the inside out. Our combined experience in marketing and communications roles at major professional services firms is a decisive differentiator for The Listening People. We have walked in our clients’ shoes and know where the pains and gains are.
How do you demystify the term strategy?
Helen: Your strategy is the articulation of where you want to get to and the big buckets of work that are going to get you there. It’s a high-level outline that sets direction, creates focus, and guides decision-making. It helps you allocate time, people and money to the things that matter most. This is where the importance of listening to your stakeholders and understanding their perception of your function’s work - and impact - comes in.
Paul: Aligning purpose and goals to a strategy makes the whole thing less intimidating. Then, rather than worrying about how to perfect the finished article, concentrating on one element at a time will give the strategy space to grow and evolve.
What’s your advice to in-house lawyers for managing strategy on a day-to-day basis?
Helen: At its core, strategy is the deliberate choice of where to focus your energy and resources for the greatest long-term impact. Strategy is about direction, not perfection and typically, a good business strategy builds on what you already do well and introduces no more than 5-10% of change.
That said, there will be times when bigger moves are necessary - like supporting a new business model. In those moments, strategy might also mean letting go of legacy processes and building new capabilities.
Either way, don’t overthink the minutiae of every step. Stay focused on the outcomes your function is responsible for delivering and break them down into manageable workstreams.
Paul: Remember why the legal function exists and what value it provides. Keep in mind that your strategy is a living document – it evolves as the wider organisation changes and your clients’ needs alter. Staying aware of the top-level goals of a strategy – like enabling growth, value protection, or improving speed to execution - takes away a lot of the anxiety of working on something that’s not part of your core role.
However, don’t just wait for change. Watch where the business is heading and consider how legal can help shape or support it. Anticipating needs makes your team more strategic and valued.”
Why should in-house legal teams develop their brand?
Paul: Firstly, branding the in-house legal function helps the wider organisation understand what the team does and how it adapts in a world of change.
Secondly, it builds vital stakeholder engagement and cooperation across the whole business. When your colleagues in other departments understand why you're there, how you can support them and what you need from them, it makes collaboration much smoother.
In the organisations I've worked in, the legal teams often had broader roles than most people realised, so raising awareness of their full remit really mattered.
Helen: If you accept that your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room, then you have one - whether you’re shaping it or not. The key is to own your function’s narrative and make it meaningful for your colleagues. You can achieve this by getting clear and crisp on who you are, what you stand for and what you're helping the organisation achieve - both short and long term.
Use this clarity to train everyone on your team so that clients get a consistent, seamless experience every time they work with your lawyers.
How is AI changing the in-house legal role?
Paul: AI is automating routine tasks, giving legal teams more time to focus on higher-value work and think strategically. As this process continues, in-house lawyers will be increasingly expected to deliver even more.
So, I see the emphasis shifting from technical legal expertise to soft skills such as listening, empathising and framing legal issues in a way that resonates with business leaders. AI won't be able to do that. For example, your competitors will likely be using AI tools and getting similar outputs. The differentiator will be your ability to turn those outputs into insights that are relevant and actionable for your organisation - this will be a key skill for senior in-house lawyers.
Helen: Legal leaders must now consider how they’ll develop younger lawyers and help them build the critical thinking skills they need. AI can automate a lot, but the role of the in-house legal team is more nuanced these days.
Lawyers aren’t just legal gatekeepers that some perceive them to be - they’re guardians of an organisation’s reputation. Their role extends far beyond interpreting the law. Take intellectual property, for example: while company policy might mandate action against infringements, enforcing it doesn’t always mean going to court. Navigating these grey areas - balancing legal obligations with commercial judgment and reputational risk - requires human experience and insight.
These are decisions that only humans, not policies or machines, can make. Leaders need to train younger lawyers in these nuances.
What do you enjoy most about your roles?
Helen: I love meeting different people with different challenges. I enjoy getting under the hood of those challenges and finding the clarity that empowers clients to pursue their goals.
We work in genuine partnership with our clients and like to think of ourselves as the management consultants of the brand, marketing and communications agency world - always connecting our work to strategy and business outcomes.
Paul: I love helping leaders find their voice. So many organisations do incredible work yet struggle to tell their story and get the recognition they deserve. Helping them articulate their value is deeply fulfilling. It’s also great when every member of the team is involved in a project - working together to build a vision, a purpose, and a strategy is incredibly rewarding.
Away from work, how do you unwind?
Helen: With young twins, I don’t have much time to relax, but I do enjoy getting out to exercise and take in nature. I love travelling and going on big adventures in countries like Peru and New Zealand. We’ll do more of this when my children are a little older. I co-lead the London chapter of The Quorum Initiative, a network for professional women, and also help out at the Scouts.
Paul: I have a stake in a 1950s boutique motel in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. It’d been empty for years until some friends invited me to help renovate and reopen it. The motel is just minutes from Bethel Woods, which is where Woodstock music festival took place. I go there every few months and love spending time with the locals.