The Oracle (December 2021)

A Very Big Hell’O’!

I am thrilled to be able to bring you you the first ever edition of the O Shaped Lawyer ‘Oracle’.  

When the O was born nearly 3 years ago to represent the well rounded lawyer, I had no idea that it would capture the attention and imagination of the legal profession in the way it has. Back then it was simply about recruiting the right lawyer into my team. 3 years later, thanks to your support and the unerring commitment of the O Shaped Lawyer Steering Group, it has become synonymous with cultural change across the entire legal industry.

The profession has always been and will always be about its people.  Now, more than ever, there is a recognition from law schools to legal leaders in private practice and in-house that we need to put our people first.  With your continued support we will achieve our vision at the O to realise the potential of every legal professional to create a happier, healthier and more inclusive profession. 

Whether you are entering the profession, already part of it or buy services from it, that can only be a good thing. 

The O in 2021

Support for the O has grown substantially over the last 12 months from all corners of our legal system. There is becoming widespread recognition that to address some of the major challenges faced by our profession such as well-being, ESG, diversity and inclusion and talent retention, we need a more strategic and sustainable approach to developing and caring for our people.

Law schools are now engaged with the O, looking at programmes that embody the O Shaped Attributes. Law firms are listening and responding to the O Shaped agenda being set by some of the most progressive in-house teams across the UK. And in house teams, led by some of the most forward thinking General Counsel, are behind everything that is good about the O.

Our six main workstreams bring together forward thinking in-house leaders from a variety of industries, from outsourcing to financial services, to technology, to FMCG, infrastructure, transport, media and a whole lot more. Those workstreams, broadly split into Legal Education and Practice, are the platform that will drive the people agenda forward in the legal sector throughout 2022.

In the meantime, the Oracle is a great opportunity to share a couple of the highlights from 2021 where we published our second O Shaped Report and sprinkled O dust far and wide across the industry. Click on the links below for more.

The O in 2022