C O M P E T E N C Y FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF

F R A M E W O R K IN-HOUSE COUNSEL
OF SINGAPORE
2 0 1 8
 WORKING LEVEL POSITION, INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTOR,
LEVEL 1 TYPICALLY SUPERVISED, UNLIKELY TO HAVE MATERIAL BUDGET
RESPONSIBILITY

TECHNICAL SKILLS BUSINESS SKILLS FUTURE-READY SKILLS

Core Legal Knowledge Leadership Internationalization
Baseline knowledge and ability to advise in the technical areas Learning from role models on leadership. Starting to define own Primarily leveraging domestic qualification(s).
relevant to your employer and its industry sector, e.g.: leadership style. Developing awareness of and exposure to the typical issues
encountered in mature, international legal systems and emerging
economies.
• Contracts Basic understanding of cross-cultural considerations.
• Transaction management
Management Beginning exposure to macro issues.
• Disputes/privilege
Basic understanding of and ability to identify considerations important to:
• Sector-specific regulation – e.g., financial industry, TMT, shipping, etc. Digital
• Business clients
• Other internal stakeholders – e.g., Finance, Tax Awareness of how digital trends are impacting your employer
Focus on the basics – clear and concise advice and drafting, sticking to and industry sector:
deadlines, prioritization. Escalates to Legal manager where appropriate. • Analytics/AI
• Cybersecurity
Adjacent Legal Knowledge Basic project management skills. • Design thinking
• Architecture – cloud, etc.,
Awareness of adjacent areas, with ability to identify issues, e.g.:
Developing skills around management of law firms and service providers. • Social evolution – mobility, social media, sensors/ IoT
• Rules relating to data
• Changes in legal risks arising from digital trends – data, privacy/
• Intellectual property data protection, IP, competition
Communication and Relationships
• Employment
Developing personal network in the company, and in the broader industry
• Competition / antitrust Legal Technology
and profession.
Proficient in platforms and tools used by your employer to
(note in some industry sectors what may be considered adjacent – e.g., Good communication skills – presentations, negotiation, influencing and communicate with clients, share knowledge, and develop / store /
data and IP - may well be a core competency) advocacy. execute documents.  

Adjacent Non-legal Knowledge Ability to solicit and assess diverse viewpoints before taking a view on a
Awareness of non-legal areas relevant to your employer and its legal issue and debate robustly with cooperative or non-cooperative
industry sector, e.g.: counterparts.
• Your company’s business model
Ethics and Conduct
Compliance with Code of Conduct
Awareness of how public policy issues affect your employer and its
industry sector.

Risk Management
Ability to identify and evaluate legal risk in the context of your
employer’s business, consult law firms and other stakeholders where
appropriate, and make well-informed recommendations.
 LEVEL 2 TEAM LEADERSHIP POSITION, CAN OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY
TO A CORPORATE STRATEGY, SOME BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY

TECHNICAL SKILLS BUSINESS SKILLS FUTURE-READY SKILLS

Core Legal Knowledge Leadership Internationalization
Advanced knowledge and ability to advise in the technical areas relevant to Can align team efforts to a corporate strategy, and ensure (cross Proportionate to the nature of the employers’ business,
your employer and its industry sector, e.g.: functional) team buy-in. demonstrate advanced knowledge of typical issues encountered
• Contracts in mature, international legal systems and emerging economies.
• Transaction management Advanced understanding of cross-cultural considerations, diversity and In the process of broadening geographic experience and
• Disputes/ privilege inclusion. exposure to develop familiarity with typical legal issues.
• Sector-specific regulation – e.g., financial industry, TMT, shipping, etc.  
Management Has awareness of macro issues.
Adjacent Legal Knowledge Advanced understanding of and ability to identify/ navigate
Baseline knowledge of adjacent areas, with advanced ability to identify / considerations important to: Participates in regional/international forums and is developing a
address issues, e.g., • Business clients visible presence.
• Rules relating to data • Other internal stakeholders – e.g., Finance, Tax
• Intellectual Property Digital
• Employment Escalates to Legal leadership where appropriate. Ability to articulate how digital trends are impacting your
• Competition / antitrust employer and industry sector:
• Insolvency Ability to operate in various types of management environments, with or • Analytics/AI
• Corruption/AML/sanctions without well-defined KPI.  Has the ability to articulate team / • Cybersecurity
• Knowledge of other relevant legal systems departmental performance in any scenario. • Design thinking
(note in some industry sectors what may be considered adjacent – e.g., data • Architecture – cloud, etc.
and IP - may well be a core competency) Intermediate / Advanced cost and change management skills. • Social evolution – mobility, social media, sensors/IoT
• Changes in legal risks arising from digital trends – data, privacy/
Adjacent Non-legal Knowledge Intermediate / Advanced project management skills. data protection, IP, competition.
Baseline knowledge of non-legal areas relevant to your employer and its
industry sector, e.g.: Effective management of law firms and service providers to extract Legal Technology
• Your company’s business model and roadmap optimal value. Ability to identify opportunities for automation and
• Finance simplification, and implement mechanisms to address those
• Tax / transfer pricing Communication and Relationships opportunities. Seeks data to evaluate effectiveness of and refine
Strong rapport with colleagues, can influence legal department solutions. Broad awareness of trends in the legal technology
Ability to articulate how legal decisions relevant to your employer or industry leadership and other stakeholders / company senior management, and industry.
segment are impacted by public policy issues, and make appropriate peers in the industry.  
recommendations to address such issues.
Advanced communication skills – presentations, negotiation, influencing
Risk Management and advocacy.  Ability to solicit and assess diverse viewpoints before
Excels at identifying and evaluating legal risk in the context of your employer’s taking a view on a legal issue and influence senior-level stakeholders
business, consulting law firms and other stakeholders where appropriate, and both internally and externally. 
making well-informed recommendations, including in ambiguous situations.
Ethics and Conduct
Has exposure to crisis management (facing major prosecution, business Role model for Code of Conduct and personal ethics
suspension, labour action, governmental intervention, hostile takeover,
insolvency, material investigation).
 LEVEL 3 GENERAL COUNSEL, REGIONAL SEA/APAC HEAD OF LEGAL FOR
MNC, SIGNIFICANT BUDGET AND STRATEGIC RESPONSIBILITY

TECHNICAL SKILLS BUSINESS SKILLS FUTURE-READY SKILLS

Core Legal Knowledge Leadership Internationalization
Expert knowledge and ability to advise in the technical areas relevant Ability to identify important changes for the future, define a vision, grow Proportionate to the nature of the employer’s business,
support for that vision, chart the process to attain the vision, and execute. demonstrate advanced knowledge of typical issues encountered
to your employer and its industry sector.  
Delivers consistent success on such organization-wide projects. in mature, international legal systems and emerging economies.
Demonstration of thought leadership capabilities.  
 Familiar with most legal issues in any given geography which
Expert understanding of cross-cultural considerations, diversity and overlaps with the risk footprint of the employer, and able to
Adjacent Legal Knowledge inclusion.
direct the resources of the legal department more efficiently as a
Advanced knowledge of adjacent areas, with expert ability to navigate result.
such adjacencies, which should include: Advanced talent management skills (recognition, development,
succession planning).
• Corporate governance Has a current and forward looking view on macro issues facing
• M&A/fundraising/listing rules Be a driver and adopter of legal technology and champion innovation in economies (e.g., interest rates), geographies (e.g., populism, social
• Material disputes and investigations legal operations. trends) and industry sectors (e.g., upstream/ downstream issues),
• Brand advocacy/corporate communications strategy/investor has a response, and can define how that affects strategy.
relations Management
Ability to define success factors for departmental performance, including Has a visible leadership presence on the regional/international
performance, budget and team engagement factors.  Ability to stage.
Deep engagement with public policy issues affecting your employer
implement a system to measure such factors, obtain and allocate
and its industry sector and ability to develop a strategy to manage resources, and deliver consistent organization-wide success. Digital
legal and regulatory changes. Ability to define and articulate your employer’s approach to
Strategic law firm and service provider management skills; maintains digital trends and their impact on your department’s work and
Risk Management relationship with firms and service providers at executive level, ability to the wider legal industry:
Expert ability to manage risks both strategically and tactically.  Can extract maximum value from panel. • Analytics/AI
lead company-wide projects to mitigate legal risk in a given area. • Cybersecurity
Advanced cost and change management skills. • Design thinking
Has made significant risk decisions in crisis. • Architecture – cloud, etc.
Communication and Relationships
• Social evolution – mobility, social media, sensors/IoT
Manages board-level stakeholders, maintains a peer relationship with
• Changes in legal risks arising from digital trends – data,
senior management, and senior colleagues in the industry including
government.   privacy/data protection, IP, competition

Consistent track record of outstanding communication skills – Legal Technology

presentations, negotiation, influencing and advocacy.  Ability to rapidly Ability to evaluate, define and prioritize opportunities for
distil the most complex issues - points of law or fact scenarios - into a automation and simplification, and implement mechanisms to
decision point for the Board or senior management, and stand by that address those opportunities. Seeks data to evaluate effectiveness
decision in a wide range of forums. of and refine solutions. Ability to execute the necessary change
management across legal department processes, and manage
Ethics and Conduct the human impact.
Role model for Code of Conduct and personal ethics