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Nov 21, 2023 · Essential general counsel skills. So, with a GC becoming so integral to a company’s operations, what types of skills does a quality GC need to succeed? Whether you’re considering becoming a GC, or just starting out, there is a wide array of categories (also dependent on jurisdictions so skills in the United Kingdom may differ). Jump to:
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Aug 4, 2016 · If you are currently in a GC role and want to raise your game (or emphasize your value proposition in an upcoming interview), or if you are looking to become a GC from a law firm or in-house counsel spot, here are eight qualities that you must cultivate to be a successful General Counsel.
This toolkit is for lawyers taking a new role as General Counsel — whether you have served as GC before, or are taking your first GC role, moving from a law firm to an in-house position, or being promoted from within your organization.
Discover the 12 essential skills every General Counsel should showcase on their resume to stand out in the competitive legal field.
- The Successful General Counsel: Lawyer and Leader
- Judgment, Judgment, Judgment
- Communication, Communication, Communication
- Forward-Thinking Collaborators
- Thought Leadership
- Strong People Leaders
- Business Acumen
- Ethics and Integrity
- The Technical Legal Expertise You Need to Be A Successful General Counsel
- Making The Shift from Firm to In-House
People often argue that leadership and judgment are innate. However, qualities considered innate can often be developed with practice, and a good general counsel — indeed any good executive — is able to combine the instinctive with the learned. When it comes to filling the general counsel position, most enterprises seek a driven leader who “reaches...
The number one attribute corporations want in their general counsel? Strong and tested judgment. That means someone who makes effective, productive decisions aligned with business objectives while taking into consideration multiple inputs and potential impacts, not to mention legal and ethical ramifications. Compared to a private practice, where pr...
The best general counsel are first-class communicators who are particularly adept at knowing how to connect with different audiences. The general counsel must be able to simplify complex legal matters for business colleagues with varying levels of legal, compliance and regulatory knowledge. Conversely, the general counsel has to be able to translat...
CEOs and executive teams don’t want their general counsel calling balls and strikes — they need help winning the game. To borrow from Colin Powell, strategic general counsel can “see around corners”; they are long-term thinkers who can look beyond the short-term environment to anticipate long-term issues regarding the company’s safety, security, re...
The best general counsel are leaders and visionaries, seen as trusted legal experts both inside and outside their organizations. They demonstrate curiosity about the world, technology, business trends, and their industry and business. They are trusted teachers, authors and speakers, and are often involved in industry organizations and/or serving on...
General counsel manage a team of lawyers and other colleagues, and companies want passionate, sincere team leaders who inspire strong, high-performing, ethical teams. The ability to attract, select, develop, direct, motivate and drive performance from highly diverse staff is critical — regardless of whether you’re the only lawyer at the company or ...
CEOs and boards expect the general counsel to contribute to non-legal business matters with other leaders and investment bankers. Corporate general counsel require deep understanding of key business concepts (such as finance, accounting, statistics and marketing) as well as the company’s own strategies and business activities. Some general counsel ...
As the top legal expert in the enterprise, the general counsel must be the ultimate demonstrator of unimpeachable ethics and integrity. Situations will arise where right and wrong are not always clear, and organizations look to their general counsel to ensure the company is on the right side of the law and ethics. They will also be key advisers in ...
Of course, a general counsel is the primary legal subject-matter expert at the firm, and technical expertise in many legal areas is a central qualification for every general counsel position. It’s critical to have experience in many of these areas, but there is a reason it’s called a “general” counsel. Key areas of valuable expertise include: 1. Co...
Becoming a general counsel is not an opportunity to move into semi-retirement. General counsel may (at times) have more control over their schedules than their law-firm counterparts, yet most work as long and hard as their peers at the most rigorous law firms. A general counsel needs to be able to sustain long hours under high pressure on a broad r...
Dec 13, 2023 · If you want to be general counsel in the future, start acting, talking, and dressing like one now. Expand and enhance your legal skills. General counsel must deal with and make decisions about many types of legal issues, from litigation to contracts to intellectual property to corporate governance.
Aug 28, 2023 · Here are the 7 steps to becoming a general counsel. We cover the skills needed to be a general counsel and their salary to give insight into the field.
