Recruitment of General Counsel / Chief Legal Officer

A General Counsel – often titled Head of Legal – is responsible for the company's overall legal agenda. The role includes strategic legal advice to the CEO and board, leadership of the internal legal function, contract management, disputes, compliance, corporate governance, and risk assessment in business-critical decisions. The General Counsel is part of the management team and bridges legal and business.

The need typically arises when the company reaches a size or complexity where external law firms are no longer sufficient – usually at 100+ employees, international expansion, capital raising, IPO preparation, or increased regulatory exposure. An in-house General Counsel reduces external advisory costs, strengthens strategic decision-making, and builds institutional knowledge.

A structured executive search process for a General Counsel typically takes 10–14 weeks from kickoff to signed contract. The first 3–4 weeks are used for requirement profile and market mapping, followed by 4–6 weeks for approach, interviews and shortlist. The final phase with reference checks, negotiation and placement takes another 2–4 weeks. The candidate's notice period (often 6 months) is additional.

What should the requirement profile for a General Counsel include?

The profile should cover legal expertise (practice areas relevant to the company, e.g. corporate law, M&A, IP, data protection), leadership ability, business acumen, industry experience, and personal qualities such as integrity, communication skills, and strategic thinking. We recommend also defining reporting structure (CEO or board), team size and priority projects for the first 12 months.

What is the difference between Head of Legal and General Counsel?

In the Swedish context the terms are often used synonymously, but General Counsel is the internationally established title and more often signals a broader strategic mandate, direct reporting to the CEO, and a seat on the management team. Head of Legal can sometimes denote a more operational role without a management team seat. For international groups we recommend General Counsel as the title.

What does it cost to recruit a General Counsel via executive search?

Fees for executive search in the General Counsel segment are typically based on a percentage (25–33%) of the candidate's first-year total compensation including variable pay, or alternatively a fixed retainer fee in three phases (kickoff, shortlist, placement). We always provide a clear quote before the assignment starts.

Can Selin Legal help with an interim General Counsel during the recruitment process?

Yes. We provide interim General Counsel to bridge the time until a permanent General Counsel is in place, or to support e.g. due diligence, IPO preparation, or large regulatory projects. See our Interim General Counsel service for more information.

All communication, candidate information, and assignment details are handled in strict confidence. We work without revealing the client's identity in initial approaches, and all candidate data is stored in accordance with GDPR. Reference checks are only performed after the candidate's explicit consent.

Complete guide on recruiting a General Counsel: role, process, requirement profile, cost and frequently asked questions. Selin Legal – specialists in legal executive search since 2014.

Recruiting the right General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer is a business-critical decision. The role requires a unique combination of legal expertise, business understanding and leadership ability. Selin Legal has extensive experience in placing General Counsels and Chief Legal Officers with Swedish and international companies.

A General Counsel is responsible for the company's legal strategy and often leads the legal department. The role involves close collaboration with the CEO, management team and board. It requires a person who combines deep legal expertise with the ability to communicate and drive business issues at the highest level.

The demand for experienced General Counsels has increased as legal has become an increasingly strategic function in organizations. A successful recruitment therefore requires both a deep understanding of the role and a strong network within the legal market.

Through our specialization in legal executive search and our extensive network within the legal industry, we can identify and attract the most qualified candidates – including those who are not actively seeking new challenges.

Every General Counsel recruitment is unique. We start with a thorough needs analysis where we define the requirement profile together with the client. Through our structured search process, we map the market, identify relevant candidates and conduct in-depth interviews before presenting a shortlist of the most qualified candidates.

We support throughout the entire process – from requirement profile and search to interviews, reference checks and placement. Confidentiality and discretion characterize every step.