Head of Legal Job Description, KRAs and Skills

A Head of Legal runs the legal department and its matters, turning legal strategy into daily delivery. They lead the lawyers, manage contracts, disputes and advisory work, and keep the business supported and protected. The role reports to the General Counsel or, in companies without one, the Chief Executive Officer. A good head of legal keeps contract and advisory turnaround fast, manages litigation and risk well, builds standard templates and processes, develops the team, and gives the business dependable legal support instead of a bottleneck that slows deals down.

Detail	For this role
Department	Legal and Compliance
Level	Senior management
Reports to	General Counsel
Direct reports	Legal Counsel, Legal Manager, Contract Specialist
Experience	10 to 15 years in legal with team leadership

Head of Legal job description template

Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.

Job title: Head of Legal

Department: Legal and Compliance

Reports to: General Counsel

Location: [City], [office, branch or site]

About the role

Key responsibilities

Run the legal department and turn legal strategy into daily delivery for the business.
Lead the lawyers and allocate contracts, advisory work and disputes across the team.
Manage the review, negotiation and standardisation of the company contracts.
Oversee disputes and litigation with the litigation team and external counsel.
Give timely legal advice to the business on commercial and operational questions.
Build templates, playbooks and processes so routine legal work is fast and consistent.
Keep legal turnaround fast so deals and operations are not held up.
Manage the panel of external law firms and the legal budget for the team.
Support governance, compliance and policy work across the company.
Develop the team through clear goals, feedback and training.

Requirements

LLB, with an LLM an advantage
Enrolled with the Bar Council of India
Experience in corporate and commercial law
10 to 15 years in legal with team leadership

KRAs and KPIs for a Head of Legal

Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.

Key result area	How to measure it
Advisory turnaround	Legal queries answered within the agreed service time above target
Contract turnaround	Contracts reviewed within the agreed service time above the level set
Dispute management	Disputes managed within cost and outcome expectations
Standardisation	Routine contracts handled on templates above the agreed level
Legal spend	External legal spend held within the team budget
Team capability	Team goals met and development plans completed on schedule

Skills and tools

Legal team managementContract lawCommercial advisoryDispute managementTemplate and playbook designExternal counsel managementLegal operationsJudgementStakeholder managementCoaching

Tools used day to day: Contract lifecycle software, Legal matter management, MS Office, Case law databases, e-signature tools.

Reporting line and career path

Moves up from: Legal Manager, Legal Counsel, Corporate Lawyer
Next roles: General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Company Secretary

Interview questions for a Head of Legal

How do you keep legal turnaround fast without cutting corners on risk?
How do you build templates and playbooks for routine legal work?
How do you allocate matters across a legal team with different strengths?
How do you manage external counsel to control cost and quality?
How do you handle a business team that treats legal as a blocker?
How do you develop junior lawyers into confident advisers?

Managing a Head of Legal in ZeniaHR

AttendanceOffice based on general hours with occasional court and client meetings. Use web punch from approved office networks and mobile app punch with location for external meetings, recorded through on duty requests.LeavePlan leave so contract and advisory queues are covered and deals are not held up, and name a backup approver for legal sign offs. The leave ledger tracks balances and the team leave calendar shows cover.Performance and KRAsSet advisory and contract turnaround and dispute management as goals in a quarterly review cycle with an annual appraisal. Rate probation reviews for new lawyers on the one to five scale with a comment.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a Head of Legal do?

A Head of Legal runs the legal department and its matters. They lead the lawyers, manage contracts, disputes and advisory work, build templates and processes, and manage external counsel and the legal budget. They keep turnaround fast so the business is supported and protected rather than slowed down.

What is the difference between a Head of Legal and a Legal Manager?

A Head of Legal leads the whole legal department and its strategy for the company. A Legal Manager runs a legal team or function within it, handling contracts, coordination and support. The head of legal owns the department; the legal manager manages a part of it and reports upward.

What qualifications does a Head of Legal need?

Most roles ask for an LLB and enrolment with the Bar Council of India, often with an LLM, and ten to fifteen years in corporate and commercial law with team leadership. Employers value strong contract, advisory and dispute experience, legal operations skill, and the judgement to balance risk with business needs.