Who is today’s in-house lawyer?

The ‘sketch’ of the corporate lawyer is that of a professional of 46.9 years of age, with extensive experience, with previous experience in law firms, working mainly in large companies in the financial, technology, energy and infrastructure sectors. These are the conclusions of the study on this group promoted by the Bar Association of Madrid (ICAM) and carried out together with the consulting firm GAD3 based on 893 interviews with in-house lawyers.

“The data speak for themselves: we are facing a professional figure in full transformation,” says the Dean of ICAM, Eugenio Ribón. “From a traditionally technical role, linked to compliance management, we have moved to a profile increasingly involved in decision-making, corporate strategy, legal innovation and risk management. This evolution is not accidental: it responds to an increasingly complex, more regulated and more interconnected legal and economic environment,” he adds.

An experienced profile in key sectors

Regarding their professional profile, in-house lawyers in Madrid have an average age of 46.9 years and a long career: 60% have been in this position for more than 11 years. Most of them (7 out of 10) come from law firms, which reveals a hybrid path between the traditional legal profession and the corporate environment.

Eight out of 10 work exclusively in-house, and 68% work in large companies, with a special presence in sectors such as finance, technology, energy and infrastructure. In addition, 82 % of the group of corporate lawyers in Madrid are members of the ICAM as practicing lawyers.

As for the configuration of the legal departments, 34 % work in large teams, with more than ten people, while 16 % work alone, which highlights the diversity of structures and the versatility required by the role.

Profession with strategic functions within companies

Seventy-eight percent of corporate lawyers occupy positions of high responsibility: 39% as legal director and 39% as senior lawyer. However, at the gender level, the report points to a gap in management positions: although women account for 42 % of senior lawyers, only 35 % lead the legal department, compared to 44 % for men.

Participation in decision-making is also significant: 42% of in-house lawyers are actively involved in business strategy, 26% sit on the management committee and 23% act as secretary to the board.

Their growing relevance within organizations is also reflected in an increasingly active participation in high-level strategic decisions, with 30% of in-house lawyers directly involved in defining corporate strategy.

Moreover, their role is in transformation, with functions extending to key business areas such as institutional relations (20%), sustainability (17%) and human resources (17%), where their legal knowledge brings added value from within the corporate structure.

Confidentiality, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity: the three main alerts

The protection of professional secrecy is one of the concerns most highlighted by the group. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed consider that it is little or not at all protected, and 30% say they have experienced breaches of confidentiality in their communications.

This figure is in line with the growing risk perception linked to cybersecurity: 86% express a high level of concern about this threat, especially in sectors such as technology, media and construction.

In addition, digitalization is one of the most relevant vectors of change in the practice of corporate law. According to the study, 27% of law firms have begun to incorporate artificial intelligence tools, with a greater presence in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, technology and audiovisual. Although implementation is still uneven, the data point to a sustained process of integration of these technologies into in-house legal practice.

ESG and sustainability, the new battlefield

In terms of sustainability, 63% of corporate lawyers say that their company already applies ESG criteria in its legal strategy. This is an area that is gaining in importance in line with new regulatory requirements, especially in sectors such as finance, food and energy.

The study also sheds light on a less technical but no less relevant issue: emotional health. Only 44% of those surveyed work in environments with active wellness policies. Thirty-two percent say there is an intention, but no clear strategy, and a quarter say their company does not promote emotional wellness. The gap is more pronounced in smaller companies.

A figure in transformation

“The corporate lawyer is at a turning point,” says Narciso Michavila, president of GAD3, responsible for data analysis. “Those organizations that do not fully integrate it into their strategy are giving up a key competitive advantage.” In his opinion, “the study clearly reflects that, although 42% of in-house lawyers already participate in strategic decisions, there is still a long way to go to consolidate their role as a pillar of corporate strategy”.

For the ICAM Deputy responsible for corporate law, Ana Buitrago, the study highlights one of the attributes that characterize this group: versatility: “the in-house lawyer must be a rigorous and creative person, open to learning methodologies to improve his or her capacity for innovation. They must also be experienced in risk calibration and in the detection of opportunities. In addition to knowing their business and the sector, they must know about project management and technology, without forgetting their legal function. It is a very demanding profile, with a broad and diverse background and experience”.

Protecting confidentiality

The results of the study also raise a fundamental reflection on the role of the in-house lawyer in an environment increasingly exposed to technological risks, since nine out of ten in-house lawyers express a high level of concern about cyber risks and a significant percentage say they have seen the confidentiality of their communications compromised.

In this context, the Dean of ICAM, Eugenio Ribón, recalls that guaranteeing confidentiality between client and lawyer is not an internal matter of companies, but a structural element of the rule of law: “From ICAM we want to clearly underline an inalienable principle: professional secrecy is an essential pillar of the practice of law, also – and especially – in the field of business. Protecting the confidentiality of communications between lawyer and client is not a corporate privilege, but a democratic guarantee. It is the basis on which trust, independence and effectiveness of legal advice are built, both in the firm and within business organizations”.

And he concludes: “As we have been doing without any lukewarmness, we reject any interpretation that relativizes or unfairly limits the right and obligation to professional secrecy”.