Training & Development is the legal team’s structured capability-building program - designed to ensure that every lawyer is equipped to meet the evolving demands of the business. It’s not just about technical legal knowledge; it’s about developing commercial acumen, operational literacy, and the soft skills needed to influence and lead.

Legal teams are increasingly expected to deliver more than just legal advice. They must understand the business, navigate technology, manage stakeholders, and contribute to strategic decision-making. Yet many legal teams rely on passive learning - hoping that experience alone will fill the gaps. This station challenges that assumption.

Training & Development is about intentional growth. It’s about identifying capability gaps, designing targeted learning pathways, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement. It’s also about aligning development with the legal team’s strategic priorities - including the Group Legal Policy, legal operations maturity, and business enablement.

GLS helps legal teams build modular, scalable training programs that are practical, relevant, and measurable. Whether it’s onboarding new hires, upskilling mid-level lawyers, or preparing future leaders - this station ensures your legal team stays sharp, agile, and aligned.

The scope of the Training & Development station includes:

◼️Skills Gap Analysis: Identifying current and future capability needs across the legal team

◼️Learning Pathway Design: Creating structured development plans tailored to roles and seniority

◼️Legal Operations Literacy: Training on tools, processes, and performance metrics

◼️Commercial Acumen Building: Helping lawyers understand business models, drivers, and priorities

◼️Soft Skills Development: Enhancing communication, influence, and stakeholder engagement

◼️Regulatory & Risk Awareness: Keeping the team informed of legal and compliance developments

◼️Onboarding Programs: Equipping new hires with the knowledge and tools to succeed

◼️Performance Tracking: Measuring training impact and adjusting programs accordingly

In GLS legal ops speak – the Training & Development is considered a “Foundational” resource within the process ecosystem of an in-house legal team.

The Foundational Resource is a CRE that is responsible for determining the overall performance capabilities of a “critical” legal function. If it is not optimised, the function can never be optimised. 

The best practice features of the Training & Development station are as follows:

◼️Skills & Experience Register Integration: Training plans are informed by a live inventory of team capability

◼️GLP Alignment: Training content reflects the Group Legal Policy and strategic priorities

◼️Modular Learning Design: Programs are broken into digestible, role-specific modules

◼️Blended Delivery: Combines live sessions, e-learning, and on-the-job learning

◼️Usage Analytics: Tracks participation, completion, and performance impact

◼️External Provider Engagement: Leverages law firms, ALSPs, and industry experts for specialist training

◼️Continuous Feedback Loops: Training programs evolve based on team input and business needs

◼️Legal Ops Integration: Training includes operational, tech, and process literacy

The Training & Development station delivers the following value to the Business:

◼️Faster Deal Execution: Skilled lawyers deliver advice and documents more efficiently

◼️Improved Risk Management: Up-to-date knowledge reduces exposure to legal and compliance failures

◼️Enhanced Business Confidence: Stakeholders trust legal input that is commercially and strategically informed

◼️Reduced External Spend: Internal capability reduces reliance on law firms for routine or specialist advice

◼️Scalable Legal Support: A well-trained team can handle more work without increasing headcount

◼️Better Strategic Decisions: Legal contributes more effectively to business planning and execution

Improved Team Performance: Lawyers operate with greater confidence, speed, and accuracy

◼️Stronger Collaboration: Training improves communication and alignment across the team

◼️Faster Onboarding: New hires become productive more quickly

◼️Enhanced Retention: Development opportunities improve morale and reduce turnover

◼️Operational Maturity: Legal teams become more process-aware and tech-enabled

◼️Professional Growth: Lawyers build careers, not just complete tasks

The Training & Development station is essential for:

◼️General Counsel

◼️Heads of Legal Operations

◼️Legal Team Leads

◼️Legal Knowledge Managers

◼️Legal Technology Leads

A legal team operating without a Training & Development framework will face a wide range of inefficiencies including:

◼️Skill Gaps: Lawyers lack the capability to handle evolving legal and business demands

◼️Inconsistent Advice: Quality varies across team members and jurisdictions

◼️Slow Execution: Lack of confidence and knowledge delays delivery

◼️High External Spend: Routine matters are outsourced due to internal capability gaps

◼️Low Morale: Lawyers feel unsupported and stagnant

◼️Poor Stakeholder Engagement: Legal struggles to influence or align with the business

The Training & Development station leverages technology. It benefits from:

◼️Learning Management Systems (LMS): To deliver, track, and manage training programs

◼️Knowledge Platforms: To support on-demand learning and reference materials

◼️Skills Analytics Dashboards: To monitor capability gaps and training impact

◼️Collaboration Tools: For peer learning and team-wide engagement

◼️Integration with Legal Ops Systems: To align training with operational performance metrics