The role of the General Counsel has been evolving for years, but how much time do today’s legal leaders actually spend on strategy?
For many years, the General Counsel was viewed primarily as the organisation’s chief legal adviser, responsible for managing legal risk, ensuring compliance and protecting the business from potential disputes.
That role remains fundamental. But the latest findings from the GC Elite Leaders Germany 2026 research suggest that the modern General Counsel is increasingly expected to contribute far beyond the legal function.
As part of our research, conducted in association with Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein, we asked General Counsel and senior in-house legal leaders a simple question:
How much of your time is spent on strategic business matters rather than purely legal work?
The results paint an interesting picture.
How General Counsel Spend Their Time
Perhaps the most striking finding is that 44.6% of respondents said they spend more than half of their working time on strategic business matters rather than purely legal work.
That is a significant proportion of the role.
The General Counsel Has Become a Strategic Leader
The findings reinforce what many organisations have been experiencing over recent years.
Today’s General Counsel is increasingly involved in shaping commercial strategy, supporting executive decision-making, helping organisations navigate transformation, advising on major transactions, managing geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty, and influencing the direction of the business.
Legal expertise remains the entry ticket.
What differentiates the most influential General Counsel is their ability to combine legal judgement with commercial awareness, business understanding and leadership.
Increasingly, they are expected not simply to identify legal risks, but to help the business understand which risks are worth taking and how they can be managed successfully.
Strategy Doesn’t Replace Legal Work
The data also highlights an important reality.
Almost half of respondents (47.5%) said they spend between a quarter and half of their time on strategic matters.
This suggests that while strategic responsibilities continue to grow, the traditional legal workload has certainly not diminished.
Regulatory requirements continue to increase.
Compliance obligations continue to expand.
Businesses continue to expect rapid, practical legal advice across multiple jurisdictions and increasingly complex commercial environments.
General Counsel are not exchanging legal work for strategic work.
They are expected to excel at both simultaneously.
The Challenge for In-House Legal Teams
As strategic expectations rise, many legal departments face a difficult balancing act.
Boards want their General Counsel to be visible contributors to business strategy, while day-to-day legal demands remain relentless.
That inevitably raises important questions.
How can legal teams create more capacity for strategic work?
Where can technology, including AI, help reduce routine legal tasks?
What work can be delegated, automated or streamlined?
And how should legal functions be structured to allow senior lawyers to spend more time where they can create the greatest value?
These are questions that many organisations are now actively exploring.
Measuring the Evolution of the GC Role
The evolution of the General Counsel has been widely discussed for many years.
What makes research like this valuable is that it moves the conversation beyond assumptions.
Rather than relying on anecdotal evidence, we can begin to measure how the role is changing through the experiences of General Counsel themselves.
Time allocation is only one measure, but it provides an important insight into where organisations increasingly expect their senior legal leaders to add value.
As businesses continue to face economic uncertainty, technological disruption, geopolitical challenges and growing regulatory complexity, the strategic importance of the General Counsel is likely to increase further.
The question is no longer whether General Counsel should have a seat at the strategic table.
For many, they are already there.
About the Research
These findings form part of the GC Elite Leaders Germany 2026 research, conducted in association with our Country Partner, Arnecke Sibeth Dabelstein.
The research explores how the role of the General Counsel is evolving through the experiences and perspectives of senior in-house legal leaders operating in Germany, providing data-driven insights into the future of legal leadership.
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