Senior Counsel Search for FTSE 250 Retail Business
Background
The client seeking to hire a senior counsel was and still is one of the UK’s leading homewares retailers. It has a growing portfolio of stores nationwide and a rapidly growing digital presence. With annual revenues then exceeding £1.3bn and consistent year-on-year growth, the business had transformed from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to an omnichannel success story.
There had been a number of changes within the legal and company secretarial department in the previous 12 months. A need for continued succession planning led to the company creating a new opportunity for an additional senior legal resource. A new team structure was created, increasing the department from three to four people. The new senior counsel was to help the GC to support the less experienced members of the team.
Challenge
The main challenges in this search centred around three key factors:
First, the role required someone who could operate effectively within a small legal team in a fast-paced retail environment. They needed to be highly autonomous while maintaining close alignment with the business’s commercial objectives.
Second, as a senior counsel position, it demanded a broad skill set. The appointee would need to cover everything from commercial contracts and consumer law to data protection and intellectual property – areas that aren’t frequently found together, in many candidates, within a reasonable commuting radius of our client’s HQ.
Finally, the client insisted on a shortlist comprised of in-house lawyers only. Given the size of the legal team and the demands placed upon it in such a fast-paced environment, this was essential. People who had already made the transition from practice to industry would be more likely to succeed.
Solution
Following comprehensive briefings with the General Counsel & Company Secretary and other key stakeholders, we developed a clear understanding of both the technical and cultural requirements for the role.
We implemented a focused search strategy targeting senior counsel with in-house retail or consumer business experience, particularly those who had worked in environments that had undergone significant digital transformation and growth.
The search process was structured to thoroughly assess candidates’ ability to handle the broad scope of responsibilities while ensuring cultural alignment. This included:
- Initial screening for their breadth of technical expertise and retail sector experience
- Assessment of candidates’ ability to work in a lean team environment
- Evaluation of commercial acumen and stakeholder management capabilities
Through this approach, we identified 8 strong candidates who met both the technical requirements and cultural fit. After a three-stage interview process, including remote and in-person meetings with key stakeholders, a successful appointment was made.
The appointee brought over seven years of post-qualification experience, including significant in-house experience in another consumer-facing business, combining strong commercial expertise with the ability to handle the diverse legal requirements of a growing retail operation. Within the first year, this individual was promoted from senior legal counsel to Head of Legal, in order to support the further growth of the legal team.
