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Beyond the Legal Role: How In‑House Lawyers Can Build Broader Business Leadership Careers

| 20 Apr 2026 | 9:17 am
James Lewindon

Our 2025 white paper posed the question, “Why are lawyers underrepresented in CEO roles?” The response to the publication was so overwhelmingly positive that the team decided to continue the conversation. We launched an interview series with Heads of Legal and General Counsel to explore what it truly takes to step out of one’s comfort zone and progress up the in-house career ladder. Although these legal leaders offered a wide range of perspectives, common themes emerged throughout their stories: pushing past fear and remaining open to the new and unknown.

In this latest interview in our in-house legal series, we’re joined by Paul Barrett, GC and Company Secretary at Helios Towers

Paul Barrett

Broad remit legal leader: Oversees legal, company secretariat, regulatory affairs, compliance, public affairs and sustainability at Helios Towers, reflecting a consciously expanded role well beyond pure legal.
Strong commercial operator: Emphasises deep understanding of how the business makes money, its pressure points, and operational realities as critical to earning credibility outside the legal lane.
Proactive career architect: Firm believer that broader responsibilities don’t “arrive” organically — lawyers must actively put themselves forward and demonstrate aptitude, energy and commerciality.
Leadership first mindset: Sees senior roles as fundamentally about leading people rather than technical mastery, relying on experts while focusing on judgment, direction and trust building.
Comfortable with discomfort: Draws on personal experience — including leading an IPO without prior experience — to show that stepping outside the comfort zone accelerates growth and organisational impact.

Paul Barrett

General Counsel & Company Secretary, Helios Towers

People don’t want five‑page legal memos, they want simple, commercial solutions.

Paul highlights that one of the biggest challenges for lawyers moving beyond traditional legal roles is overcoming the default perception that they are “the legal person” and nothing more. Transitioning successfully requires lawyers to be proactive, seeking opportunities rather than waiting to be invited, and demonstrating real commercial understanding of the business they serve. Another challenge is navigating imposter syndrome, which often surfaces when lawyers step into unfamiliar territory or leadership‑heavy roles. He advises lawyers to focus less on technical legal excellence and far more on emotional intelligence, people skills and trust‑building. They also stress the importance of succession planning within the legal function to enable personal growth without weakening the team. Ultimately, lawyers who actively invest in personal development plans and embrace discomfort are best positioned to transition into broader business leadership roles.

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