Why We Chose These In-house Lawyer Spirit Animals on our Website

Our recent website refresh introduces a series of striking wildlife images that, among other things, reflect a commitment to diversity in recruitment.

Just as nature thrives through diversity, we understand that legal and compliance teams flourish when they bring together varied perspectives and approaches. But why animals? And why these in particular?

After many years of helping organisations build legal and compliance teams, we’ve seen enough corporate stock photos to last a lifetime. You know the ones – steel and glass cityscapes, the perfectly lit meeting rooms, the pristine office receptions, the carefully orchestrated handshakes between immaculately dressed professionals. We decided it was time for something different.

We weren’t going to mention it, but there’s actually a touch of irony here.  While we’ve always dismissed the classically awful interview question “If you were an animal, what would you be and why?”, we’ve somehow found ourselves being inspired by drawing parallels between the natural world and the various legal and compliance roles we help our clients to fill.

These carefully selected animals do more than just add visual interest – they serve as powerful metaphors for the different scenarios we encounter in legal and compliance recruitment. Each image tells a story about the unique characteristics required for success in these positions.

Whilst this might not strike a chord with everyone, and there is always a significant overlap between the skills that make a lawyer successful in each and every one of these roles, there are some particular themes that emerge.

The Watchful Guardian

We chose the long-eared owl to represent our General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer searches.

The parallels between this remarkable bird and the role of a GC, being the “eyes and ears” of the executive team, are particularly apt.

• Perhaps the most immediately striking feature is its penetrating amber eyes. These extraordinary organs allow owls to detect the smallest movements in their environment, even in difficult, low-light conditions. Similarly, a General Counsel serves as the “eyes and ears” of the executive team, maintaining constant vigilance over legal and regulatory matters that could impact the business.
• The owl’s sophisticated hearing system, with asymmetrically positioned ears, creates a precise three-dimensional understanding of its environment. This mirrors how successful GCs and CLO’s must synthesise information from various business units, jurisdictions, and stakeholders to form a complete picture of legal risks and opportunities.
• In ancient Greek mythology, the owl was a symbol of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. The owl’s centuries-old association with wisdom isn’t merely folkloric – it reflects their patient, considered approach to their environment. Like the “wise old owl” of tradition, successful General Counsel combine deep legal knowledge with measured judgment, knowing when to act decisively and when to watch and wait.
• Just as owls demonstrate remarkable adaptability in different environments, GCs must adjust their approach based on organisational context. Whether operating as the first in-house lawyer in a startup or managing other experienced lawyers in Head of Legal roles across a multinational organisation, they maintain the same sharp oversight and strategic perspective.

The owl exemplifies the perfect combination of vigilance, wisdom, and adaptability. Whether serving a fast-growing startup or a multinational corporation, the right GC, like our owl, combines acute awareness with strategic insight to protect and guide their organisation.

The Adaptable Leader

We chose the lioness to represent our Head of Legal searches.

• Like most successful in-house lawyers, Lionesses are renowned for their adaptability – they’re equally capable of leading the pride’s hunting operations or operating independently when necessary. This perfectly mirrors the varied contexts in which Heads of Legal operate – whether serving as the de facto General Counsel in smaller enterprises, managing specialised legal or compliance specialisms within the larges legal functions, or heading up legal operations for specific business divisions.
• The lioness’s approach to survival demonstrates both strategic thinking and hands-on capability. She can seamlessly switch between coordinating group hunting efforts and executing precise individual manoeuvres. Similarly, a Head of Legal must balance high-level strategic guidance with more day-to-day legal operations, especially when serving as the top legal position within a company, or as its sole legal advisor.
• Leadership in the pride is often collaborative rather than hierarchical. Lionesses work together, each bringing their individual strengths to the group’s success. This reflects how Heads of Legal operate within modern corporate structures – whether coordinating with external counsel across multiple jurisdictions, managing a team of legal counsel, or collaborating with other Heads of Legal in different practice areas.

The lioness demonstrates the perfect combination of leadership, adaptability, and practical capability. Whether serving as sole legal counsel or managing specialised teams, the right Head of Legal, like our lioness, combines strategic thinking with hands-on expertise to advance their organisation’s interests.

The Alert Collaborators

We chose meerkats to represent in-house legal teams. Standing vigilant on their hind legs, each surveying the landscape in different directions, these remarkable animals perfectly embody the collaborative and protective nature of a successful legal department.

• Meerkats are famous for their coordinated approach to group security. While some members of the group focus on immediate tasks, others stand sentinel, scanning the horizon for potential challenges. This mirrors how effective legal teams operate – with different members focusing on distinct areas of legal risk while maintaining a collective awareness of the broader business environment.
• Like meerkats, which organise themselves in groups of varying sizes with clear roles but flat hierarchies, in-house legal teams adapt their structure to their environment. In growing organisations, team members must be versatile, handling diverse responsibilities. In more mature departments, specialists emerge, each developing expertise in particular areas while maintaining the group’s collaborative spirit.
• The meerkat family’s success relies on teaching and developing their young, just as successful legal departments emphasise career development and succession planning. Junior members learn from experienced colleagues, gradually taking on more responsibility while being supported by the group’s collective knowledge.

This natural approach to diversity in recruitment mirrors how the most successful legal departments operate – recognizing that different viewpoints and complementary skills strengthen the whole team.

Whether we’re recruiting a company’s second lawyer or expanding a mature department, we focus on building teams that, like our meerkats, maintain constant vigilance while working seamlessly together.

The Ultimate Adapter

We’ve chosen the chameleon to represent a company’s first in-house lawyer. This choice perfectly captures the remarkable versatility required when an organisation brings legal and compliance expertise in-house for the first time.

• Just as the chameleon seamlessly adapts its appearance to suit its environment, the first in-house lawyer must continually adjust their approach to meet the diverse needs of the organisation. Regardless of whether they are appointed as General Counsel, Head of Legal, or Legal Counsel, they must blend seamlessly into different business contexts – from strategic boardroom discussions to day-to-day operational matters.
• The chameleon’s most famous trait – changing colours – is a reference to how it optimises its interaction with its environment. Similarly, the first in-house lawyer must modulate their style and approach, whether advising C-suite executives, collaborating with business teams, managing external counsel or taking on wider exec roles which, depending on the corporate context, can sometimes include risk, compliance, insurance or HR.
• Like the chameleon’s independently moving eyes, which provide a 360-degree field of vision, the inaugural legal hire must maintain oversight across all aspects of the business while focusing on specific challenges. This panoramic perspective enables them to spot both immediate legal risks and long-term strategic opportunities.

This diversity of approach helps the first in-house lawyer navigate complex organisational dynamics while maintaining their effectiveness at every stage of your corporate journey.

The Wise Protector

We’ve chosen the African elephant to represent our senior governance, risk and compliance searches. The parallel between these majestic creatures and GRC leadership roles reveals itself in multiple compelling ways.

• Elephants are renowned for their exceptional memory – they never forget a threat or safe passage through challenging terrain. Similarly, senior GRC professionals must maintain a comprehensive understanding of regulatory landscapes and past risk events, using this knowledge to guide their organisations safely through complex compliance environments.
• Like the matriarch elephant, who leads her herd with a combination of wisdom and protective instinct, senior GRC leaders safeguard their organisations’ integrity while ensuring sustainable growth. They possess an innate sense of where dangers lie and how to navigate around them, whether in their role as Head of Compliance & Risk, Head of Governance, or Group Company Secretary.
• The elephant’s acute sensitivity to ground vibrations, which allows them to detect distant threats, mirrors how skilled GRC professionals must sense and respond to emerging risks before they materialise into significant issues. Their protective instincts extend beyond immediate threats to consider long-term sustainability, just as elephants maintain and protect established safe pathways for future generations.

As with these wise guardians of the savanna, the senior GRC professional’s diverse skill set (from strategic oversight to detailed compliance work) and their measured and deliberate approach,  enables them to protect their organisation’s interests while fostering an environment of sustainable growth and ethical conduct.

The Agility Specialist

We chose the frog, poised confidently on its lily pad, as a metaphor representing senior interim lawyers. The parallels between this remarkably adaptable amphibian and the role of interim legal leaders are both elegant and apt.

• Like a frog that can leap precisely from A to B, successful senior interim lawyers move seamlessly between different corporate environments, landing exactly where needed. Their ability to transition rapidly into new roles – whether filling an unexpected leadership gap or supporting a specific project – mirrors the frog’s natural agility and sure-footedness.
• The frog’s amphibious nature, equally at home in water or on land, reflects how experienced interim lawyers adapt instantly to different corporate cultures and challenges. They bring their wealth of cross-industry experience to each new environment, while maintaining the perfect balance between diving deep into immediate issues and maintaining strategic oversight from an objective vantage point.
• Just as frogs are known for their acute peripheral vision, allowing them to spot both opportunities and threats in their environment, senior interim lawyers bring fresh perspectives shaped by their diverse experience. They can quickly assess situations, identify risks, and implement solutions without needing time to adjust to their surroundings.

The frog, like the interim lawyer, has a natural instinct for finding the right landing spot, for a period of time. Whether bridging a temporary gap or handling a specific challenge, these agile professionals, like our frog, combine swift adaptation with precise expertise to deliver exactly what’s needed, when it’s needed.

The Power of Natural Diversity

Throughout these examples from nature, a common thread emerges – just as each species brings unique capabilities to its environment, diversity in recruitment practices leads to stronger, more adaptable legal teams. Whether we’re helping a PE-backed business appoint its first General Counsel or helping the GC to build an entire legal department, we recognise that different backgrounds and perspectives significantly enrich the team dynamic and corporate ecosystem.

Finally, my personal thanks to Stu Davison at Built By Geeks, Mark Booker at Caslon & Co for tolerating us for 17 years and generally making stuff like this happen!