350-plus tips for new general counsel, from others who have been there
In 2001, my friend Bob Robinson and I put together a panel discussion, “Top Ten Things I’d Glad I Knew — Or Wish I’d Known — My First Year as General Counsel,” for the annual meeting of what’s now known as the Association of Corporate Counsel. It turned out to be a very popular presentation; we did it twice, to full houses, at the 2001 annual meeting, and then, by request, four more times, with a varying cast of co-panelists, at the annual meetings of 2002 and 2005.
The paper we wrote, with contributions from many others, was featured twice as the cover story for the ACC’s Docket monthly magazine. Some parts of the piece could stand to be updated, but overall it’s still a useful resource.
You can read the May 2005 version as a PDF.
Signing a business contract:
Follow me on Twitter
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
As a past GC of two public companies, I can assure new general counsels this is an excellent list. I can’t over stress the importance of points 9 and 10, learn the business! The great value that the best in-house lawyers provide, that no outside counsel can match, is intimate knowledge of the business.