Succession planning is one of the most fraught, emotional and critical tasks faced by a general counsel. But the answer could be right down the hall. A general counsel could identify his or her successor by expanding the role of associate or deputy in-house counsel, experts told Corporate Counsel.

By exposing junior in-house attorneys to new areas of the business, and to different parts of the law, the candidate pool grows deeper and wider. When retirement comes up, a successor might already be working in the legal department.