Confidence, Curiosity and Why In-House Lawyers Need a Seat at the Table: Alistair Day at AECOM

Alistair Day is General Counsel for International at AECOM, the US-headquartered construction and engineering business, leading a team of 65 lawyers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia and New Zealand. He joined AECOM seven years ago and stepped into the international GC role three years ago, having started out covering the UK and Ireland before his remit grew to include India, Europe, and beyond. Before AECOM, Alistair trained as a litigator and made partner in private practice, before moving in-house to Bechtel. In this episode of *Lessons I Learned in Law*, Alistair talks about what makes for a genuinely embedded legal function, why the litigator-to-in-house move is often underrated, and how AECOM is putting AI and legal ops to work. His three lessons: first, **confidence in having a voice** — the best in-house lawyers don't just advise on the legal risk, they engage with what the business is trying to achieve, and that confidence builds over time and repeated exposure to the exec table. Second, **flexibility and embracing change** — there's never been a more exciting time to be an in-house lawyer, but that means genuinely engaging with AI and technology rather than assuming the job stays the same. Third, **have a real passion for the industry you're in** — people can tell whether a lawyer actually cares about what the business does, and that interest is what earns trust and buy-in. He also shares due-diligence questions for lawyers considering a move in-house — including whether legal reviews decisions or actually approves them — and reflects on why litigators often make excellent in-house hires. *This episode is brought to you in partnership with Wordsmith AI — the legal AI platform built specifically for in-house teams.* **Resources & Links Mentioned in This Episode** - Register your interest in joining The Lodge In-house Legal Community: https://bit.ly/TheLodgebyHB - Heriot Brown: https://heriotbrown.com/ - Wordsmith AI: https://www.wordsmith.ai/ - Legal Engineering Project Application form: https://wordsmith.fillout.com/legalengproject **Listen to the Podcast** - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/61xrrepWuWxNsnXIaYxsj5 - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lessons-i-learned-in-law/id1563397804 - YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@HeriotBrownInHouseRecruitment **Connect with Heriot Brown** - https://heriotbrown.com/ **About Heriot Brown:** At Heriot Brown, we help lawyers find fulfilment in their careers. Beyond recruitment, we foster a thriving community of in-house legal professionals who share insights, experiences, and growth opportunities. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to *Lessons I Learned in Law*, leave a review, and share it with someone building their career in legal leadership.