In-house Counsel
Also known as: Corporate Lawyer · In-house Lawyer
Represents the organisation's legal interests, advises the board on contracts, disputes and compliance and directs external law firms.
The in-house counsel is employed by the organisation itself rather than a law firm and combines legal advice with commercial understanding of the sector. Unlike an external lawyer, they work from a standing mandate within the organisation rather than per case for changing clients. Selection often fails to test whether a candidate can direct outside counsel and translate legal jargon into a business decision.
Competencies to measure
These are the behavioural and ability constructs in this profile. Each one shows which hrmforce questionnaire measures it.
| Competencies to measure | Target level | hrmforce instrument | Assessment method | Behavioural anchor at target level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| integrity and dependability Competency (50-framework): Integrity Knockout | N5 | Big Fifty (Integrity Scale), 360 Feedback, Structured interview | Personality questionnaire | Sets the organisation's integrity standards, enforces them also with influential parties and explains the resulting choices publicly. |
| Verbal reasoning | N5 | Ability Scan | Cognitive ability test | Dissects legal or policy texts with conflicting passages, reformulates the central question and substantiates the chosen reading for the whole organisation. |
| Judgement under uncertainty Competency (50-framework): Judgment | N4 | Big Fifty, Competency Check | Situational Judgement Test | Forms a judgement on incomplete files, names the assumptions used and states which new fact would change that judgement. |
| organisational awareness Competency (50-framework): Organizational Sensitivity | N4 | Big Fifty, Competency Check, 360 Feedback | Situational Judgement Test | Assesses which interests a proposal touches, involves the right people beforehand and chooses a suitable moment to raise it. |
| independence Competency (50-framework): Independence | N4 | Big Fifty, 15PF | Personality questionnaire | Takes a decision that departs from the group line, explains the reasoning behind it and accepts the consequences. |
| Stress tolerance Competency (50-framework): Stress resilience | N4 | Big Fifty, 15PF, Mental Resilience (4C) | Personality questionnaire | Keeps working in a structured way at peak load, keeps agreements with clients clear and flags early which results are at risk. |
Short profile
The ten heaviest skills in this profile. The full profile with every skill, behavioural anchor and assessment method is in the download.
| T | Skill | Target level | Weight | Knockout | Assessment method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | Critical thinking and source evaluation | N5 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| V | Business reporting | N5 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| G | integrity and dependability | N5 | 5 | yes | Personality questionnaire |
| V | Legal analysis | N5 | 5 | yes | Work sample test |
| K | Applying legislation | N4 | 5 | no | Knowledge test |
| A | Verbal reasoning | N5 | 4 | no | Cognitive ability test |
| K | Governance and compliance | N5 | 4 | no | Knowledge test |
| V | Contract management | N5 | 4 | no | Work sample test |
| G | Judgement under uncertainty | N4 | 4 | no | Situational Judgement Test |
| V | Advisory skill | N4 | 4 | no | Assessment centre |
See all 26 skills in the full profile
Assessment instruments for this job
Competency Check
Behavioral-Level Competency Assessment
Knowledge test (client-specific)
Professional knowledge test, customized for each client
Work sample test
Representative work sample under standardized conditions
360 Feedback
Multiple assessments based on behavioral anchors
Big Fifty
Personality questionnaire, 150 items, 25 factors
Portfolio
Evaluation of prior work against fixed criteria
Structured interview
Behavioral interview with a fixed structure
Ability Scan
Aptitude Test: Verbal, Numerical, and Abstract Reasoning Skills
15PF
Personality Profile, a shorter alternative to the Big Fifty
Big Fifty (Integrity Scale)
Conflict Styles
Preferred style in conflict situations
Mental Resilience (4C)
Mental Resilience According to the 4C Model
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