Mark Levine, In-House managing director at BCL Legal, reflects on six months of conversations with General Counsels to distil the essence of a great GC.

Over the past six months I have run various “workgroups” with General Counsels around what is the secret sauce that enabled them to be or become a great General Counsel.

Below is what I learnt through questioning numerous GCs at Workgroup/Legal events and responses garnered elsewhere.

I hope this helps aspiring GCs or, if you are already a GC, provides confirmation that what you are doing is as good as, if not better than, the below.

If you would like to add anything I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Some ideas that I have garnered from 20 years of working with CEO’s and Exec teams to find the right GC for their business include:

1. Think like a non-lawyer/commercial counterpart.

2. Build great relationships across the business.

3. Be decisive.

4. Be proactive.

5. Be a problem solver.

6. And, of course master the fundamentals of being a strong lawyer – with often the key being knowing what areas to be relaxed about and what to be like a dog with a bone over!

And here are some of the answers from GCs in my community:

• “In all honesty, I think what you have described is more what I would expect from a senior lawyer in my team. The expectations of an in-house lawyer have changed and no longer does a business just expect a lawyer to give legal advice! For me, a GC has to be a strategic leader and to have a seat at the top table to be able to influence and have complete oversight of corporate governance issues.”

• “I think it’s really helpful to undertake some form of professional leadership qualification. I didn’t, but I’m not yet halfway through an MBA and I’ve found it’s really complimented my legal skillset and enabled me to view issues through a completely different lens. I think, as lawyers, we are trained to think in a specific way, and that’s not always conducive to supporting a business on innovation and growth.”

• “Building great relationships is imperative because legal are often seen as a blocker/in a negative light but if you have that great relationship they know you don’t want to slow things down or make things difficult. Plus, it’s absolutely crucial that, at GC level, the C-suite actually want to be in a room with you or find that they can come and talk to you (it’s also crucial if you want them to tell you when things have inevitably gone wrong somewhere). You have to give a bit of yourself, so that you’re seen as more than the faceless lawyer.”

• “Take the opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and explore whether there is a possibility of taking a secondment in the business to get more commercial hands-on experience. I took ten months out to manage operations and found the experience to be so beneficial and provide a different perspective. I think it’s definitely made me a more pragmatic, well-rounded lawyer who is much more comfortable with making business decisions now.”

• “Be a problem solver – again this is where you separate yourself from a standard, less experienced lawyer. Very rarely have I ever had to say a blanket ‘no’ to something, but there are lots of things that require further thinking or mitigating actions. It’s how you deal with those that makes or breaks your perception with the senior folk.”

• “You need to be the chief marketeer of the team department. Be able to communicate clearly and credibly the value that the legal team provides as a whole (not just as an individual GC/legal leader). This will help to establish legal as a crucial partner rather than an expenditure. Any failure in this area can jeopardise budget and reduce trust in the influence that the legal team should hold at all levels.”

• “You need to know when to get out the way of your other legal team members. When working in a large complex organisation especially, this ability then allows numerous senior legal leaders within an organisation be able to operate effectively and collaborate with business leaders. This broadens trust and supports legal having a stronger influence on the business (especially important in a larger business where bandwidth and visibility can be a challenge). Failing to do this stifles progression and development of team members, and can harm the broader standing of the legal team within the organisation.”

• “One of my previous CEO’s said to all of his management team, ‘Leave your title at the door when you walk into management meetings.’ A good GC should be financially literate and be able to add good comment on all aspects of the business in order that they can be a good contributor and sounding board.”

At the various sessions that I ran across the country this is what was mentioned:

• Time is required - there's no getting around that bit.

• Build your legal and non-legal networks – to help you when you need it.

• The ability to build strong internal relationships is key.

• Variety of experience is often helpful – makes you a more rounded “experienced” lawyer.

• Recognise that CEO’s often have few people to confide in – a strong GC can be that person. The relationship with your CEO is crucial, so make sure you have one.

• Help your team gain the experience that they will need to become a GC in the future – this will help you and your team dynamics.

• See yourself as a commercial business leader not just “The GC.”

• Recognise that GCs often approach problems in a different way from other professionals – this is nearly a super-power.

• Focus on the real risks to the business that actually matter and find solutions to those.

• Have the strength of character to ask awkward questions – don’t shy away from this.

• Keep on reminding yourself, if you have to, that you are in this position because you are worth it. Don’t let imposter syndrome hold you back. You might be at the start of your GC journey but, by pushing yourself forward constantly, you won’t always feel comfortable, and learning to be comfortable with the uncomfortable is a skill in itself!

Unsurprisingly there is not just one factor that “makes” a GC. It is a whole host of experiences and abilities. Unless you are superhuman you are more likely to excel in some areas and perhaps less so in others. Therefore, learning and developing potentially never stops.

For those lawyers fairly new into a GC position, the message is be kind to yourself and recognise you have been picked for this position for who you are now. Be comfortable with that and enjoy the journey into becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable!

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