Content of the Week: 13th October 2025

Hiring a Compliance Officer? Ask these 5 questions.

Compliance hires can make or break a business’s ability to operate confidently, especially in sectors where regulation changes overnight. Yet too many companies still treat compliance as a checkbox exercise rather than a strategic function.

Before you even start recruiting, ask yourself these five questions:

1) What’s driving the hire? Is it regulatory pressure, customer demand, or a desire to get ahead of risk?
2) Where will compliance sit? In Legal, Risk, or as a standalone function? This will define both the scope and seniority.
3) What does success look like in 12 months? Be clear about measurable outcomes, not just “stay compliant.”
4) Do they have real influence? If the compliance officer isn’t empowered to challenge or change processes, they’ll never add value.
5) What support are you providing? A compliance hire without tools, budget, or internal buy-in is a short-term fix, not a solution.

The best compliance professionals want to make an impact, not just maintain policies. If you hire them right, they’ll future-proof your business.

10 questions that reveal a great legal leader.

When you’re hiring senior lawyers, technical competence is a given. And in reality, it's not the main reason you're paying for this person to join. The real question is: can they lead?

Here are ten questions I use (and encourage clients to use) to uncover leadership capability:

1) What’s the single most important decision you made as GC this year, and why?
2) How do you measure your function’s success?
3) What would your CEO say is your biggest contribution?
4) What have you deliberately stopped doing as your team has matured?
5) When was the last time someone in your team challenged you, and how did you handle it?
6) How have you grown your successor?
7) What role should legal not play in your business?
8) How do you handle tension between risk and revenue?
9) What non-legal conversations do you contribute to regularly?
10) What’s the biggest blind spot GCs often have?

Strong leaders answer with clarity, reflection, and business alignment.

If they can’t, it doesn’t mean they’re bad lawyers. It means they haven’t yet made the shift from legal manager to strategic leader.

Building a commercially-focused legal function

There are a few clear ways I've found to build a commercially-focused legal function.

The most effective legal teams I’ve seen don’t measure their success by how many contracts they review, but by how much business value they create.

To build a truly commercial legal function, start by reframing its purpose. Legal shouldn’t be there just to minimise risk; it should help the business move faster, smarter, and with confidence.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Align metrics to business outcomes. Instead of counting NDAs, measure cycle times, deal acceleration, or risk reduction.
- Embed legal early. The earlier you involve legal in a commercial discussion, the more value they can add, and the fewer roadblocks appear later.
- Speak the language of the business. Drop the jargon. Show the commercial impact. The best lawyers explain legal issues in terms of opportunities, not obstacles.
- Build scalable processes. Automation and templates aren’t about replacing lawyers, they’re about freeing them to focus on strategy.

When legal is seen as a partner in growth rather than a department of “no,” the relationship changes.

You gain influence, credibility, and a seat at the table.

That’s how legal earns its place as a commercial function, not a compliance formality.

Fractional General Counsel

There's more than one way to hire a General Counsel: fractionally.

Interim and fractional GC roles are no longer stopgaps, they’re strategic moves to advance or continue careers.

And companies are realising they can access top-tier legal leadership without the cost of a full-time executive. For startups, scale-ups, or businesses in transition, it’s the perfect model: expertise without excess overhead, or the long-term commitment.

And for lawyers, it’s flexibility without compromise - the chance to shape multiple businesses, diversify experience, and work on what truly matters.

We’ve placed several fractional GCs recently, and the impact has been remarkable. It’s a sign of how much the legal industry is evolving.

The future of legal leadership? It might not always be full-time.

How to prepare for a legal interview.

Most lawyers treat interviews like depositions: structured, factual, and cautious. But that approach rarely wins hearts or offers.

Hiring managers aren’t looking for perfection; they’re looking for partnership.

Here’s how to shift your mindset and stand out:

- Understand the business. Read financials, strategy updates, and press releases. Know where the company’s heading and what challenges it faces.
- Tell stories that show outcomes. Don’t list activities, explain impact. “We reduced contract cycle time by 40%,” carries far more weight than “I negotiated contracts.”
- Mirror the company’s tone. If they’re entrepreneurial, be conversational. If they’re corporate, be structured. Show you can adapt to their environment.
- Anticipate their concerns. If your CV shows short stints or gaps, address them confidently. Explain what you learned and why you’re now ready to stay.
- Prepare a list of questions they'll likely ask, and answers to them (use ChatGPT if you need - put the JD into it and ask it for a list).
- End strong. Ask smart questions about culture, growth, and strategy. It shows you’re thinking beyond the legal function.

The lawyers who treat interviews as a two-way business conversation, not an interrogation, are the ones who get the job.

Why GCs in the Middle East are getting younger

The Middle East has one of the youngest populations of General Counsels globally, and that’s no coincidence.

Rapid market growth, leaner structures, and fast promotions mean lawyers here often step into leadership roles far earlier than their counterparts in Europe or Asia. There's also a younger general age across leadership, and CEOs want a team around them that match their age.

A 10PQE lawyer in Dubai might be running a team that would typically require 20 years’ experience elsewhere - we see it all the time.

It’s a huge opportunity, but also a challenge.

Younger leaders often need more structured mentorship, better internal support, and exposure to board-level dynamics earlier in their careers. If you're a young leader, make sure to reach out to a mentor or find someone internally you can learn from.

If you're someone with a few more grey hairs (sorry...I mean metaphorically) then become familiar with the idea that your boss might be a few years younger than you.

Businesses that recognise this and invest in leadership development will see the biggest long-term payoffs - both in performance and retention.

𝟓 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 (𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞).

  1. Tailor your CV for impact: Highlight achievements, not job descriptions.

  2. Be clear about your availability and flexibility.

  3. Showcase your sector experience: financial services, construction, energy, etc.

  4. Build visibility on LinkedIn, recruiters do notice engagement.

  5. Treat every contract as a long-term relationship.

    Short-term doesn’t mean short-sighted. Every role is a stepping stone if approached with intent.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 - 𝗡𝗼 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗴𝗮𝗽 

Interim legal professionals are reshaping how law firms and in-house teams operate across the GCC.
Once seen as a temporary fix, contract lawyers are now viewed as strategic assets - bringing agility, cost efficiency, and specialist expertise exactly when needed.
In Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Doha, we’re seeing more organisations embracing “legal on demand” models to handle cross-border projects, regulatory work, and M&A support.

The result?

  • Leaner teams

  • Faster execution

  • Smarter budgeting

The future of legal work in the Middle East is flexible - and interim professionals are leading the charge.

Why Interim Legal Contractors Make Financial Sense in the UAE

In today’s fast-moving UAE legal market, cost efficiency isn’t just a priority - it’s a necessity.
Many firms and in-house legal teams are discovering the value of interim and temporary legal contractors as a smart financial strategy.
Here’s why:

  • No long-term overheads: Interim hires avoid the fixed costs of full-time employment.

  • Pay for impact, not presence: You bring in experienced legal professionals exactly when you need them - for a deal, a dispute, or a compliance project.

  • Scalable support: Interim talent lets legal teams flex resources up or down without compromising quality.

  • Immediate ROI: Senior interim lawyers often deliver results from day one, with minimal onboarding or training.

For many UAE organisations, interim contracting isn’t just a temporary fix - it’s becoming a strategic cost advantage.

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Why Talent Acquisition Leaders Are Rethinking Recruitment in 2025