In-house legal
Alex Correa Executive works with organisations in Brisbane and across Queensland to support thoughtful, well-considered in-house legal recruitment decisions. We understand that in-house roles often require more than legal experience. They require commercial judgement, stakeholder confidence, clear communication and the ability to work with complexity in practical, ways that make sense for the organisation.
In-house legal recruitment requires a careful understanding of the organisation, not just the role title.
A strong appointment needs to make sense for the legal work, the commercial setting, the organisational context, the stakeholders, the level of autonomy required and the way decisions are made. The right person needs to be able to provide sound legal advice while also working effectively inside the organisation.
What we consider.
Every in-house appointment has context. We work carefully to understand the organisation, the legal function, the reporting lines, the decision-making environment and the stakeholders the person will work with.
We also want to understand what success will look like in the role. The right appointment may need to bring commercial judgement, careful risk assessment, stakeholder influence, leadership potential, governance experience, or support through growth, change or increased complexity. Technical capability matters, but it is only one part of what will help someone succeed in-house.
That context shapes the way we approach the market and the people we recommend.
Roles we support.
Alex Correa Executive supports in-house legal recruitment across a range of legal, governance and related roles.
- Legal counsel and senior legal counsel
- General counsel and legal leaders
- Legal operations roles
- Governance, risk and compliance roles
- Selected shared services, operational and management appointments where legal or governance context is important
We understand that in-house teams rely on lawyers who can move between legal detail and organisational context. The right person may need to translate risk clearly, influence without formal authority, support senior decision-makers, and give advice that is both legally sound and commercially useful.
How we support in-house legal hiring.
We support the thinking that sits around a strong in-house appointment, not just the search itself.
That may include clarifying the brief, advising on the market, identifying and approaching suitable candidates, assessing suitability and alignment, developing a shortlist, supporting interviews and helping with offer conversations.
We will help you understand what the market is likely to offer, where a brief may need to be refined, and whether a different candidate profile could bring the capability your organisation needs.
Why organisations work with us.
Alex Correa Executive brings a long view of the Brisbane and Queensland legal market and a relationship-led approach to recruitment.
We know the obvious candidate is not always the right person for the role, and that a strong appointment is not always easy to identify. Our work is grounded in care, honesty and advocacy for the outcome that will best serve the role, the team and the organisation.
Relevant case studies
1. General Counsel, Construction and Projects — Government Owned Corporation, Renewable Energy
The brief
This GOC exclusively engaged us to recruit a permanent General Counsel, a newly created position for the organisation, after a referral from one of our private practice clients.
The challenge
A brand new role like this is hard to benchmark. Without a predecessor in the position, the client needed a partner who could help define what success would actually look like, not just fill a seat.
Our approach
We ran a full process over six weeks, considering more than eighty individuals. The person ultimately appointed had first reached out to us over a year earlier to talk through their next move, and had stayed connected with our work in the meantime.
The result
The organisation appointed a General Counsel who was already the right fit before the role even existed, a result of staying close to the market long enough to recognise the moment when timing and capability aligned.
Creating a new senior legal role?
When there's no predecessor to benchmark against, we help you define what success looks like before the search begins. Then we draw on relationships we've built with the market over years to find the right person.
2. General Counsel, Construction and Projects — Government Owned Corporation, Utilities
The brief
This GOC came to us after running its own recruitment process for a new General Counsel and not finding a candidate with the right level of skill and experience.
The challenge
A prior unsuccessful search can leave a client uncertain whether the right person exists in the market at all, and wary of running the same process again.
Our approach
We advertised the role and reached out to candidates both known to us and headhunted directly, drawing on a relationship with a senior lawyer we had known for over ten years.
The result
That lawyer, who had been contemplating a move for over a year and was waiting for the right opportunity, was appointed to the role, delivering the outcome the client's own process had not been able to reach.
Creating a new senior legal role?
When there's no predecessor to benchmark against, we help you define what success looks like before the search begins. Then we draw on relationships we've built with the market over years to find the right person.
3. Deputy General Counsel, Commercial — In-house, Construction
The brief
Having placed a number of lawyers within this in-house legal team over the years, we were exclusively engaged to recruit their Deputy General Counsel.
The challenge
An initial pool of over eighty individuals needed to be narrowed to a shortlist strong enough to trust, without losing sight of what this particular team needed technically and culturally.
Our approach
Our existing relationship with the client meant we understood the kind of person who would excel in the role. We provided a shortlist of five candidates, all of whom progressed to interview.
The result
The client appointed someone with the right technical background who was also a strong cultural fit, a result made possible by years of prior work with this legal team.
Want a shortlist you can trust?
We get to know your team so every candidate we present is worth meeting.
4. General Manager, Legal and Property — In-house, Sport
The brief
A professional sporting organisation contacted us to recruit a General Manager of Legal, a greenfields role and the organisation's first ever legal position.
The challenge
The organisation had initially tried to recruit the role themselves, before realising that defining and filling a first legal hire required specialist input, not just a job advertisement.
Our approach
We advised the client on the background and experience the role actually required, then ran the full recruitment process on their behalf.
The result
A suitably qualified person was appointed. The most valuable part of this engagement happened before the search began, in helping the client define what they actually needed.
Making your first legal hire?
When there's no legal function in place yet, it's hard to know what to look for. We help you work out what the role really needs, then find the person to deliver it.
Contact Inhouse Legal
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Let’s understand what your legal team needs next.
You may have a clear role to fill, a capability gap emerging, a leadership or succession question to consider, or simply a sense that your legal team needs different support.
Use the contact form to tell us a little about what you are considering. We will work carefully to understand the role, the context and the kind of person who may be right for your organisation.
