May 2026

Effective strategic planning for in-house legal teams

Some legal teams have a strategic plan, but too often, the plans are not particularly useful in guiding decisions or influencing the business in a meaningful way.

In our recent CPD webinar, Johnny Short, Head of Strategy at MITS and former GC at Transurban, and David Fish, former Chief Strategy Officer of a global advertising network, unpacked what separates a strategic plan that works from one that quietly loses relevance.

Here’s what matters. 

A legal strategy only has value if it is synced to the business

Too often, legal strategies are built from an internal perspective rather than one based on business outcomes. The shift is simple but significant. Start with where the business is going, what it values, and how it measures success. From there, shape Legal’s role in enabling that direction. This requires ongoing stakeholder engagement, not a one-off consultation. If Legal is consistently brought in late, it is a signal that your strategy is not aligned or embedded.

Clarity at the start is critical

Strategies lose traction when they are built on assumptions rather than reality. A useful legal strategy is grounded in a clear understanding of where the team is today, where it needs to get to, and the deliberate choices required to close that gap. That includes being explicit about what will not be prioritised. Without this clarity, even well-intentioned plans struggle to gain momentum. 

Focus drives impact

Most legal teams try to do too much. The result is predictable. Initiatives compete for attention, and delivery suffers. A better approach is to prioritise a small number of strategic initiatives and commit to delivering them well. Simplicity is not a compromise. It is what allows a strategy to be understood, remembered, and executed consistently across the team.

Progress should be measured in milestones, not activity

Breaking strategy into long lists of actions often creates noise rather than clarity. A more effective model is to define a small number of meaningful milestones and review progress regularly. This keeps the team focused on outcomes rather than tasks and creates space to adjust activity as conditions change, without losing sight of the overall direction.

Connection to business outcomes is what earns influence

Improving internal legal processes may be important, but it is not enough on its own. The real shift happens when legal work is clearly connected to the metrics the business cares about, whether that is growth, margin, or managing risk. When those links are visible, Legal moves from a support function to a strategic contributor and is brought into conversations earlier and more often.

For legal teams, the question is not whether a strategy exists, but whether it is actually being used. Does the strategy reflect what the business actually values? Can the team clearly articulate the priorities? And is progress reviewed often enough to stay on track? If not, you have an opportunity to reset.

This is explored in more depth in the full CPD webinar below.