Driving Impact in 2025: Essential Priorities for General Counsel
As we approach the end of year, it’s natural to pause and reflect. Here, Law Squared Founder + CEO Demetrio Zema reflects on what has been a year of growth, collaboration, and deepened connections with our clients, team, and community and looks forward to the looming priorities for in-house legal counsel in 2025.
This month, we brought together the Law Squared team from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and London for our Annual Strategy Offsite. It was an opportunity to refine our strategy and shape our service offering as we draw close to 10 years’ in business. It also gave us the opportunity to pause and celebrate the wins and accomplishments, of which there have been many, over the past 12 months.
From launching our multidisciplinary Energy + Infrastructure practice to co-hosting the inaugural London GC Summit with Law Ninjas, delivering legal webcasts to over 1,000 viewers, and bringing hundreds of legal leaders together at our GC Breakfast series, the year is brimming with achievements. Notably, we’ve also welcomed some exceptional senior in-house legal talent back to private practice with our distinctive employee value proposition and strengthening our reputation as a firm deeply committed to supporting and working with in house legal teams and their business leaders.
These successes—and many more—would not have been possible without the invaluable relationships we’ve built with each of you, our clients, friends, and community. We are profoundly grateful for the trust and belief you place in us and our mission.
As we look toward 2025, I’ve been thinking about the priorities I believe will be front of mind for our clients seeking to increase their business impact:
1. Enhance governance structures for competitive edge
Strong governance is essential for trust, accountability, and strategic decision-making. The C-suite is increasingly looking to legal for guidance on the frameworks that empower Boards and leadership teams to operate effectively. In 2025 the stakes will be higher as organisations face complex challenges in areas such as ESG compliance, privacy and data, and workplace regulation. Proactively addressing these issues and reviewing and preparing governance structures for what’s ahead will be crucial for long-term success.
2. Leverage existing tools
The pressure to automate and streamline the legal function remains a priority, but new technologies can overwhelm smaller – mid size legal teams. Before adopting costly niche legal tech platforms, explore the full potential of tools already at your disposal. Simplifying legal matter management with familiar systems can reduce disruption and change fatigue.
3. Prepare for intensified ESG scrutiny
ESG will dominate the corporate agenda in 2025, with stricter reporting requirements, heightened scrutiny of sustainability claims, and mandatory disclosures on climate and social impacts. For GCs, this means managing complex due diligence, addressing ESG-related litigation risks, and guiding cross-functional teams to balance legal compliance with business goals in the ESG space.
4. Invest in your people
Addressing legal burnout has been a personal mission of mine for nearly a decade and the impetus for founding Law Squared. It’s heartening to see more like-minded legal leaders prioritising the well-being of their teams and talking about a people-first strategy. With legal talent still under pressure, GCs will need to decide whether to recruit externally or build capability internally. Many are choosing the latter, focusing on upskilling teams in technical areas like cyber security, ESG, privacy, and building multidisciplinary skills like project management, change management and digital literacy.
5. Build and nurture your professional network
The role of GC can feel isolating, whether you’re a Sole Legal Officer or leading a team. Building a robust professional network is critical—not just for sharing knowledge and staying ahead of trends, but for finding support when navigating complex legal, business and career challenges. This year, Law Squared focused on creating spaces for legal professionals in Australia and the UK to connect, share ideas, and grow their careers. Through our event program, we’ve seen firsthand the value of legal leaders coming together to find camaraderie and gain insights that elevate the broader impact of your legal team.
As the festive season approaches, I hope you and your teams can enjoy some well-deserved downtime. If you need additional support over the holiday period to ensure everyone gets a proper break, don’t hesitate to reach out about ad hoc or Law Squared as a Service (LSaaS) legal support.
From our team to yours, wishing you and your teams, your family, and those you care about, a wonderful festive season, and we look forward to achieving even greater things, together, in 2025.
Demetrio Zema
Founder + CEO