Blog: 28 April 2023 - Deborah Evans, LLG CEO

There is rarely an opportunity to get bored in local government. A constantly shifting environment, it delivers both challenge and opportunity. For many authorities, the May elections will precipitate change - perhaps a change in political leadership; new agendas, first time councillors, maybe the challenges of dealing with a council with no overall control.

Managing change well is about juggling several balls. Strong relationships and good communication are key - whether that be within the golden triangle at the top of the organisation, within your legal team, or with your clients across the council. Know your local authorities' ambitions and constraints well enough to inform a legal services strategy that is medium to long-term - will workloads grow or shrink? What specialist skills will be required? Ensure your budget is lean - that your financial operating model is sustainable - but not so lean that it impacts on the fundamental quality of legal services.

Is your structure still fit for purpose? Are you retaining staff through developing and training them, and are you planning for succession with apprenticeships and trainee recruitment? A high performing team looks after its key players, nurtures talent, and celebrates success. All of this requires leadership - visible, active leadership - and for first time leaders, all this juggling can be daunting.

Our role at LLG is to support you in what you do, and as a consequence we are very excited to be launching our LLG Inspire program, designed to give you the skills and knowledge you need to become a legal leader. The extensive course runs over 12 months and includes a mix of online learning, interactive sessions with a face-to-face event or two to enable you to meet and bond with your peers.

We will be launching LLG Inspire at the Spring Conference in Birmingham, with the opportunity to sign up for a September start.

Interested? Get in touch with me at Deborah.Evans@LLG.org.uk. We’d also love to hear from you if you are interested in becoming a mentor to a student, or would like to share your skills.

Let’s equip our future legal stars for a bright future.

Best wishes
Deborah Evans
CEO