Inside NAPABA 2025: Leadership, Technology, and the Power of Community

NAPABA 2025 showcased what makes this conference unique: a deeply connected legal community, candid conversations about leadership, and forward-looking insights into technology, regulation, and culture. Here are the biggest themes our Paragon team took away from the week.

1. Leadership Expectations Are Rising Across Every Level

Leadership wasn’t described as a future milestone but as a responsibility for every in-house lawyer, regardless of title.

Key themes:

• In-house counsel are increasingly viewed as strategic business partners.
• Leadership development now spans law students through AGCs.
• Influence, communication, and judgment are emerging as core legal skills.
  

As Reza Mansouri shared:

“There was a clear emphasis on leadership development across the spectrum. In-house counsel are being positioned as strategic partners, not just service providers, and sessions were designed to help attendees step into those expanded roles with confidence and clarity.”

2. New Hiring Trends Are Signaling a Shift in What Matters

Hiring trends across the conference pointed to meaningful shifts in what companies value in senior legal talent.

Key themes:

• Internal hiring is on the rise, including at the GC level within Fortune 500 companies — a notable shift away from historically external searches.
• This trend reflects a growing focus on soft skills, cultural alignment, and leadership presence, not just technical excellence.
• Professional assessments are increasingly used at the GC and senior counsel levels to evaluate strengths, communication styles, and leadership potential.
  

As Daphne Manilla, Senior Recruiter at Paragon, noted:

“What stood out is how much hiring is shifting toward soft skills and cultural fit. The assessments being used at the GC and senior counsel levels aren’t just employer tools. They also give candidates a clearer picture of their own strengths and leadership style.”

For senior in-house leaders, the takeaway is clear: the definition of “qualified” is broadening. EQ, judgment, and communication matter as much as black-letter law.

3. The Candidate Experience Is Becoming a Strategic Priority

Across conversations, one theme echoed loudly: people care more deeply than ever about the candidate experience — not just the hiring result.

Key themes:

• Clients and in-house teams are thinking holistically about how candidates are treated.
• Compassion, transparency, and support throughout the process are emerging as differentiators.
• Attendees were just as curious about compensation structures, benefits, and onboarding as they were about pure sourcing capabilities.

As Easton McFerren, BD Manager at Paragon, observed:

“People weren’t just asking whether Paragon could source talent — they wanted to know how candidates are supported throughout the process. There was genuine interest in ensuring candidates feel cared for, not just placed.”

This mirrors a larger industry shift: talent strategy is becoming a pillar of organizational culture, not a transactional function.

4. AI, Technology, and Regulatory Pressure Are Reshaping the In-House Role

Technology wasn’t portrayed as a nice-to-have but as a regulatory and strategic force that legal teams now have to lead through.

Key themes:

• AI risk, compliance obligations, and regulatory scrutiny dominated programming.
• In-house teams were urged to prepare for future-facing challenges tied to emerging technologies.
• Sessions on autonomous vehicles highlighted how AI intersects with safety, compliance, and business model transformation.

As Reza shared:

“AI is no longer an operational question. It is a regulatory and strategic one. Discussions centered on how in-house teams should prepare for heightened scrutiny, new categories of risk, and the long-term legal implications of AI adoption. For companies in tech-forward or highly regulated industries, the timing could not be more relevant.”

The Bottom Line

NAPABA 2025 made one thing clear: the legal profession is evolving fast, in expectations, in leadership, in talent strategy, and in technology.