Welcome to this month’s edition of Alex Advocates. My name is Alex Correa and I‘m a Brisbane based Legal Industry recruiter, and the Founder of Alex Correa Executive. In this newsletter, I talk about the how influence is changing in the legal industry in Queensland and how your approach and style can significantly impact the success of your career.

As a legal recruiter, I have the privilege of speaking every day with in-house counsels, general counsels, and private practice lawyers across Queensland (and beyond!). Over time, I’ve noticed a quiet but powerful shift not just in who holds influence within organisations and law firms, but in how they go about earning that influence.

I’m enjoying a book at the moment called “How to Kill a Client” by Joanna Jenkins. The author makes you feel like you are right there in the meeting room with the male protagonist client, Gavin Jones (an absolute loud and obnoxious bully). He has a negative impact even when he is not in the room, and is a great example of what not to be! His fear based style and approach undermine those around him. It ripples at all levels right through the law firm ‘privileged’ to represent him. They are completely at his behest thanks to the millions of dollars in fees that flow in their direction. I won’t give away the end, but let’s just say his behaviour doesn’t work out for him.

It helped confirm for me that the Gavin Jones character was such a stark contrast to what I’ve witnessed in that the best commercial lawyers today are no longer the loudest in the room. Their visibility is earned through trust, commercial acumen, and tailored communication skills based on their audience not volume or taking up space.

Influence, Not Volume

The most effective lawyers don’t need to remind anyone who they are. They’re the ones who translate complexity into clarity, guide decisions, and ensure outcomes are achieved safely and strategically. Their success is tied to the success of the people they support.

They see the bigger picture, including the economic and risk landscape, the financial drivers behind a deal, and the organisational dynamics at play. They very much speak the language of their stakeholders because they deeply understand the needs of the business they support. They understand that visibility comes not from self-promotion, but from becoming indispensable.

The Authentic Lawyer

Whether in-house or in private practice, many lawyers I deal with, whether they verbalise it or not, especially at mid to senior career stages, can often still be trying to develop their professional identity and style.

When we start out in our careers, we tend to emulate those ahead of us. For a lawyer it might be a senior associate, General Counsel or a Partner. For some, that means borrowing what resonates. For others, it can mean adopting a style that simply doesn’t fit.

In recent months, I’ve met a number of capable lawyers who have shared that they have grappled with trying to “make themselves heard” in a way that felt inauthentic. Unfortunately, a confrontational approach or attempting to replicate a “my way or the highway” approach can backfire, eroding credibility instead of strengthening it.

Authenticity matters. Influence isn’t about commanding attention. It’s about earning respect through judgment, timing, and trust.

Balancing Legal Risk and Commercial Reality

In-house lawyers in particular face a unique challenge. They’re advisors and not always the ultimate decision-maker. They must balance the organisation’s appetite for commercial risk with their duty to protect it.

Imagine this scenario: you’ve raised concerns about a contract clause that exposes the business to significant risk. The stakeholder dismisses it. Which approach do you take?

1. Confront the stakeholder in a meeting full of people and try to fight to be heard?
2. Or cover your advice in writing, without drawing attention or embarrassing the stakeholder by being confrontational.
3. 
   

I would say that B gives you a balance between protecting both the business and your credibility, whilst maintaining an important relationship.

That’s influence in action, guiding outcomes even when you’re not the final voice.

Trust and Communication

When I ask clients what makes an in-house lawyer indispensable, they rarely start with “technical excellence.” Instead, they talk about judgment, clarity, emotional intelligence, communication skills and follow-through.

This can look like doing what you say you’ll do. Communicating with precision, by knowing your audience and tailoring your board paper or report to the right people in the right format. Whether that means being more high-level, data-driven, research-based, or purely pragmatic, effective communication cuts through complexity and brings calm to uncertainty.

These are the lawyers whose names are mentioned in meetings and the ones that leaders say, “We need them in this conversation.”

Curiosity Builds Connection

Curiosity is a trait I see consistently among influential lawyers. It’s what allows them to understand not just what’s important to them, but what’s important to their stakeholders.

For an in-house lawyer, what finance needs from you will differ from what risk and governance want. People and Culture will see your role differently again. When you take the time to learn each perspective and to truly understand the business - your advice resonates across the boardroom.

That’s how influence is built: not demanded at the top of your voice, but earned one step at a time.

Collaboration Beyond Legal

There’s no “I” in the word team - and the best legal teams know it. I’ve seen legal counsels who embed themselves within business units by sitting alongside commercial, finance, or operational areas of the business. They don’t just respond to queries, they witness and anticipate them. They hear what’s happening in real time and contribute beyond a specific transaction.

Many bring a rich toolkit, be it a background in construction, projects, banking, or even accounting which allows them to bring multi-dimensional insights to the table. Collaboration, in this sense, isn’t just teamwork; it becomes an integrated partnership.

Leadership, Diversity, and the Quiet Shift

There’s also a quiet evolution occurring in leadership styles. More women and diverse thinkers are stepping into senior legal roles, and I can feel it shifting the tone of influence.

One of my law firm partner clients recently shared that at a meeting between some key influential financial services clients, regulators, and stakeholders every decision maker in the room was a woman. The way the discussion unfolded was collaborative, outcomes-focused, and inclusive. The quiet shift is most certainly taking place.

Authority is being redefined. It’s no longer about dominating a conversation, but shaping it. Creating space for others to contribute. Guiding progress rather than demanding it.

This gentler style of leadership that still drives results, is inspiring a generational shift for both women and men in law.

Staying A-Political and Adaptive

Influence also requires political awareness, but not political behaviour. I often recommend to my candidates that they take the time to understand who’s who, but to not get drawn into office politics. Organisations evolve, people move, and today’s colleague could be tomorrow’s key stakeholder. I recommend maintaining professionalism and neutrality. Protect your credibility by staying above the fray.

The Evolution of Influence

Influence in law, whether in-house or in private practice, is no longer about taking up the most space. It’s about creating value. About helping decisions move forward safely and effectively.

The days of the “command and control” lawyer are fading with many welcoming the change. We’re now looking up to those who share credit, build trust, and enable collaboration across disciplines. Those who help their team or client achieve success together.

Because in the modern legal world, true authority isn’t about being heard the most — it’s about being missed when you’re not in the room.

Are you looking for your next ideal step in the legal market?

Reach out to find out how my team at Alex Correa Executive can help you build the career you aspire to. Get in touch here.