Relentless succession planning remains an essential component of any well-run legal departments, despite the trend toward companies opting to fill more general counsel roles by hiring outside candidates, in-house leaders and recruiters agree.

John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner of the recruiting firm BarkerGilmore, said GCs should embrace a what-if-I-got-hit-by-a-bus-tomorrow mindset, while also continually pondering what their organization would look like if some of their most-valued lawyers left.