VIP Study Hall: Future Skills & All Things Drafting

Introduction

The latest biannual In-Person VIP Study Hall brought together a blend of essential hard and soft skills training in two focused sessions. Our VIPs gained insights into the critical skills required for future in-house legal career success and learned practical drafting skills to enhance their day-to-day work.

Session 1: In-House Future Skills To Thrive Amidst Current Operating Reality

In-house legal teams face mounting challenges: fewer resources, restructuring, increasing workloads, and the rapid digitisation of processes. It’s no surprise that burnout is on the rise. Yet, this is also a period of tremendous opportunity for transformation. For those willing to act, the future of the in-house legal profession has never been brighter. Here’s how you can seize this moment to build a successful, future-proof career.

In-House Future Skills

Here are 10 categories of skills that you are going to need to develop to future-proof your career and make you outstanding at what you do.

1. Legal Technical Skills: these skills are foundational and expected to be mastered quickly and at a high standard. Accuracy and precision are non-negotiable.

2. Organisational Skills: master the "ins and outs" of your organisation: its power structures, key personalities, and policies. Navigating this landscape effectively is essential.

3. In-House Essential Skills: communication, process management, emotional intelligence, adaptability and internal client management are the backbone of in-house success. Master these to remain indispensable.

4. Legal Operations Skills: these skills are force multipliers. Mastering performance management, data analytics, knowledge exploitation and having a perpetual transformation mindset empowers you to deliver the loaves and fishes.

5. Sector Knowledge Skills: choose your sector wisely, focusing on dynamic industries like e-commerce, tech, or renewables, while avoiding fads. Your sector choice will significantly shape your income and future opportunities.

6. Knowledge Acquisition Skills: rapid knowledge acquisition across all essential areas, not just legal, is a must. As clients demand faster answers and tools like ChatGPT raise the bar, staying competitive requires quick processing, effective application, and strong horizon monitoring of tech, legal, and regulatory trends.

7. Transformation Skills: embrace a mindset of perpetual improvement. Transformation is now the day job, and there's a new rule: 15% of your time must be spent working on the machine and not in the machine, meaning that is time you must spend on transformation and training.

8. Acquire Technology Skills: proficiency in technology is essential. Legal leaders must take ownership, as these decisions shape service delivery models and critical department functions, making tech mastery critical.

9. Business Acumen Skills: As law becomes increasingly commoditised, legal professionals must transition from knowledge keepers to deal enablers. Leverage your unique perspective to focus on deal strategy, enablement, and objectives, addressing aspects like profitability, financial risks, and rationale behind decisions.

10. Self-Ownership & Excellence Skills: Your career is your responsibility. Most won’t proactively acquire the skills needed to excel, but those who do set themselves apart.

 

So Here Are 10 Simple Things You Can Do Right Now

1. Career Plan: develop it and take control - commit to intentional activity​

2. Personal Brand: consider your personal brand – and make it based on excellence 

3. Mentorship: everyone needs one – internal clients, colleagues, external contacts​

4. Professional Development: identify it, demand it & obtain it. It is everywhere!​

5. Discomfort/New Opportunities: seek it out and accept it. It is what lawyering is about!​

6. Tune In: to trends relevant to your role and career plan ​

7. Relationships: identity, establish & cultivate them internally & externally​

8. Contribute: identify 3 simple things that you know will improve your team – offer it ​

9. Leadership Skills: you don’t have to be the GC to be a leader​ – and this value will be recognised

10. Volunteer: put your hand up! There are lots of opportunities in a transforming legal team, and getting involved 
 

Session 2: All Things Drafting

In the second session of our study hall, we delved into practical drafting strategies. Here is the GLS drafting style to drive substantive contracting efficiencies: 

1. Two-Line Drafting, Always: If you can not say it in 2 lines then you do not know what you are saying. Keep sentences concise, limiting each to one concept or issue. This approach ensures precision, speeds up reviews and approvals, and is automation-ready. ​

2. Anchor “Obligation” Expressions: a “shall” – not “A shall, should, must, may, will, is required, is obliged, etc” ​- this eliminates ambiguity , delivers precision , standardises sentence structure , drives active voice and advocates discipline.  

3. Anchor Common Legal Expressions: limit the ways in which you say things to avoid ambiguity.

4. ‘3-Level’ Numbering: limit numbering to three levels. It allows for faster drafting, navigation, clarity, delivers a more polished layout and flow, and is easier for non-lawyers to follow.

5. Listing (Pure Gold): use lists to enhance readability and organisation. They simplify navigation, present complex ideas logically, streamline editing and reviews, and reduce cognitive overload by breaking dense text into concise points.

6. Concept/Clause Co-Location/Ordering: Ensure clauses are logically structured and concepts are predictably located. This approach aids issue development, streamlines contract administration, reduces disputes through clarity, and creates a well-organized library effect for easier reference and navigation.

7. Terminology: Use clear, consistent and defined terms to eliminate ambiguity and interpretive discrepancies.

8. Document Structure: Static & Variables: contracts are a team effort – clear structure allows for coordinated team effort. Cover Sheet: short data point variables . The front: legal terms , the back: everything else..

Conclusion

The legal industry is undergoing irreversible change. Whether this represents an opportunity or a threat depends on how you respond. By acquiring new skills, taking personal responsibility, and creating a plan, you can thrive in this dynamic environment.

One powerful step is enhancing your contract drafting skills. Streamlined, precise drafting not only simplifies your work but also elevates the overall quality of your in-house legal operations. 

At GLS, we remain committed to providing practical strategies that empower legal professionals and propel our community to new heights.