General counsel in the manufacturing sector may not be aware of the importance of talent management and leadership and the degree to which other executives expect such abilities. While legal executives do not consider finding internal or external legal talent to be much of a challenge (9% and 16%, respectively), other executives rank their talent management skills lower than other areas of expertise.

It is easy for the general counsel to focus on law and not on people, but leadership and talent management are as crucial for the legal department as they are for the rest of the company.

Companies in the manufacturing industry and beyond expect general counsel to expand their horizons outside of legal matters and act as business partners. This added dimension can seriously exacerbate workload and thus requires leadership and time management skills, as well as the ability to procure and retain exceptional talent.

For the benefit of its manufacturing clients, K&L Gates partnered with Forbes Insights to create one of the most in-depth studies conducted thus far on the pressures and challenges facing general counsel operating within the manufacturing sector. Based upon research collected from a detailed survey of 200 general counsel and senior executives across Europe, the report covers a myriad of issues, including regulation and emerging technologies, forces of disruption and risk, and future outlooks on the sector. We encourage you to download this valuable resource for free here.

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