The Sole Legal Officer - Will you take the leap in 2025?
I’ve been asked several times, ‘what’s it like to be the only lawyer for a company?’ It’s a role that can be empowering, exciting, stressful and a lot of fun.
As companies grow and discover the value that having a lawyer can bring, the sole legal officer (SLO) position has begun to grow in popularity. 12 percent (12%) of respondents to ACC Australia and Taylor Root’s 2024 Trends Survey reported that they identified as an SLO. This will likely expand and grow in the coming 12 months.
I’ve been in the fortunate position to have been the first legal hire for two companies previously and have been the sole lawyer for another. I thought I’d use this column to share some of the insights and benefits for anyone who is considering taking a sole legal officer (SLO) position:
1. The Legal Operations:
Being able to create what the legal department looks like is a bit of a dream. If you’ve worked somewhere previously and thought ‘I think this can be done more efficiently’ within your department but haven’t been able to change it, as an SLO this is a power that sits in your hands.
You’d have the potential to create your processes for how the business works with your department, you can explore software platforms that may assist with legal in-take or contract management and create efficiencies including making self-service tools so your non-lawyer colleagues can whip up their own NDA without needing your guidance.
2. Being the trusted advisor
You have a direct relationship with the CEO (you may probably report to the CEO) and the board. What you have to say is critical to guide the business on the best way to progress forward and to make the most logical decision in a world of confusion and change.
Being able to work closely with executive leadership makes you a trusted advisor and being able to deliver timely advice and assistance while balancing risk and reward and pragmatic solutions gives you direct input into business activity.
3. Having community
Outside of your external legal advisor network (who will probably charge you for that phone call…), ACC Australia has the SLO Network. This is a group of lawyers from across the country who are also in the same boat - the only lawyer for their employer. The Network regularly meets virtually to have an informal chat and use the session as an opportunity to speak to the brain's trust on any question that may be popping up in their professional life.
Having a group of people who ‘get it’ and are in the same position with the unique challenges and opportunity is pretty awesome. We’d love to invite you to join our LinkedIn group and use it as a space to ask questions and keep up to date with any upcoming events.
We’ve also compiled a set of useful resources that exist within the ACC community that will help you in your position.
So, if you’re thinking of being an SLO in 2025, why not make the leap? Remember even if YOLO (You’re the Only Legal Officer), you’re definitely not alone.
The Sole Legal Officer Network, colloquially referred to as ‘YOLO’ (you’re the only legal officer), is a network designed to support particularly sole in-house counsel to gain additional support, benefit from tailored learning opportunities and network with other lawyers who might be in a similar position. If you are interested in participating in the special interest group or contributing ideas, please contact ausevents@accglobal.com
about the Author:
Theo Kapodistrias is a multi-award-winning lawyer, based in Hobart, Tasmania. He is also an award-winning speaker, trainer and public speaking + presentation skills coach, running his own business www.theokap.com.au . Theo is also the author of A Way With Words, published by Rethink Press. He has held several SLO positions including most recently as General Counsel at Evergen. He has been recognised for his work in the legal and community space winning several awards and has been named one of Australia's Most Influential Lawyers by the Australasian Lawyer Magazine in both 2022 and 2023. He was also named the Speaker of the Year at the 2022 International Coaches Awards. He is a Non-Executive Director of the Association of Corporate Counsel Australia. In ACC Australia, he is also the Tasmanian Divisional President and Chair of the Sole Legal Officer network. In 2021, Theo took on the role as Executive Director and Licensee of TEDxHobart and is the host of a podcast titled ‘Craft Messages That Matter.’ In 2023, he delivered his own TEDx Talk at TEDxKatoomba titled "Lessons from my Ethnic Lunchbox."