Has Social Media Changed the Skills Required of the General Counsel Function?

Derek Walsh, Counsel & Group General Counsel, Royal & Sun Alliance, United Kingdom

“Act in haste, repent at leisure” is perhaps a fitting mantra for any aspiring lawyer. Reflecting on a problem is significantly preferable to acting too quickly and giving advice which we spend a long time regretting. This mantra is under challenge. Increasingly businesses need its General Counsel (GC) and their function to exercise judgement in very tight timescales. GCs now need to act decisively and with speed, perhaps something for which we have not traditionally been known.

Derek joined RSA as Group General Counsel and Group Company Secretary in July 2010 and has over 18 years’ experience in the insurance industry. From 2002, he served as Group General Counsel at Benfield Group Limited, where he was responsible for the globa

With a 300-year heritage, RSA is one of the world’s leading multinational insurance groups. Today, we employ around 23,000 people, serving 17 million customers in over 140 countries. While our origins lie in London, RSA is a global company with busines