In-house counsel were last week urged to show the value they add ‘in pictures’ not ‘words’, to be better understood by the rest of their business.

This was among the tips Richard Tapp, director of legal services at construction and support services giant Carillion, shared with 110 lawyers who attended the launch event of the Law Society’s in-house division.

Tapp said lawyers must consider, ‘if your business works in pictures and you work in numbers, then it’s time to realign’. Carillion’s projects include the Yas Viceroy hotel in Abu Dhabi (pictured).

Formally launching the division, Law Society chief executive Desmond Hudson noted that in-house lawyers now account for a third of the Law Society’s membership, and he expects in-house numbers to continue to grow.