[The latest in-house perspective from Matt Fawcett, senior vice president and general counsel for global data company NetApp:]
I wrote a post recently about talent trends and new job opportunities in our rapidly changing industry. I wanted to test my views with leaders across the entire ecosystem, so I asked them to comment on the future of talent and team development.
Here is what they said:
1. Strong work ethic, good communication, reliability...
"The legal profession of today is far different than it was 20+ years ago. As a result, candidates are different as well. We now have a new generation in the workplace with its own unique set of values and behaviors. Regardless of this evolution, the very best candidates … whether seasoned or green, still possess the same qualities: integrity, strong work ethic, good communication, reliability, responsiveness, excellent judgment, intellectual curiosity, selflessness, and professional courtesy. These are the hallmarks of a superstar which I value most - and always seek when I interview candidates." - Julie Q. Brush, Founding Partner, Solutus Legal Search and The Lawyer Whisperer
2. Knows how to listen, does what they say...
"We look for people who share our core values and possess the emotional intelligence and innovative spirit to embrace change and excel in our fast-moving environment. While technical skills are important, we can teach those who are eager to learn – another key attribute we look for. Our ideal candidate knows how to listen to our customer’s needs, does what they say they will do and is eager to be a positive influence on their colleagues and help them succeed." - Kunoor Chopra, Vice President Legal Services and Co-founder, Elevate Services
3. Sophisticated and thoughtful problem solvers...
"As Dean at UCLA, I see the legal profession changing rapidly, and more change is yet to come. It is critical that our students imagine and prepare for a career likely to involve some pivots, large and small. I want to train our students to be sophisticated and thoughtful problem solvers. They certainly must be powerful legal analysts, but I also want them to incorporate insights from other disciplines, like psychology, economics, business, and design thinking. And they can’t ignore soft skills like teamwork, professionalism, cultural competence, and the ability to listen thoughtfully and to communicate effectively. This is an ambitious, multifaceted, and still unfolding conception of legal education; it still starts with the Langdellian case method but it sure doesn’t end there." - Jennifer Mnookin, Dean, UCLA School of Law
4. Team players who bring something different and complementary...
"Hiring is a gift, an opportunity to take a step back and assess the overall makeup of a current team and see what skill sets, perspectives, abilities, personality types, and experience levels would best enhance the existing team. I don't look at my star performers and try to hire more people like them; I look for team players who can bring something different and complementary to the table." - Mary Shen O’Carroll, Head of Legal Operations, Google
5. Great legal minds who are energized by the prospect of rethinking legal service...
"The next decade will bring unprecedented change in the legal world, driven largely by existing, emerging, and as-yet-uninvented technologies. We cannot be sure what skills our lawyers will need but I would be looking for great legal minds who are also willing to become knowledge engineers, data scientists, risk managers, process analysts, project managers, online court practitioners, and system developers. The willingness here signals a bigger point – I would want to recruit lawyers who are enthusiastic about the impending changes, energized by the prospect of being involved in rethinking legal service - action-oriented lawyers, free of cynicism, who are inspired by the idea of transforming the law."- Professor Richard Susskind, author of Tomorrow’s Lawyers
6. Curious, precise, business-oriented...
"Across the European markets, a new normal is developing, impacting the skills required for future success. The future-proofed lawyer must be curious, precise, business-oriented, a networker who helps others, a multidisciplinary & culturally diverse thinker, and someone who can stay ahead of the curve both legally and in other disciplines. To hire these lawyers, companies must offer a lot more opportunities to develop these skills, such as internal and external networking time, continuous learning across many disciplines, and a global work field. Employers and employees will need to show guts in order to build their dream teams." - Petra van Hilst, Founder of General Counsel Netherlands (GCN), the network for General Counsel
7. Grit, emotional intelligence, adaptable...
"Our approach at Orrick is focused on enabling each of our employees to chart his or her own course. We hire great people and then try to provide them the tools, opportunities and team experiences to take their careers where they want to go. So what do we look for? Grit, emotional intelligence and teamplay have always been important to us. But what's increasingly essential is adaptability -- because we need every member of our team to contribute to innovation both in our client advice and our service delivery model." - Mitch Zuklie, Chairman & CEO, Orrick
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[As senior vice president, general counsel, chief compliance counsel, and secretary for NetApp, Matthew Fawcett is responsible for all legal affairs worldwide, including corporate governance and securities law compliance, intellectual property matters, contracts, and mergers and acquisitions. He has overseen the development of NetApp Legal into a global high-performance organization with a unique commitment to innovation and transformation.]
