Elizabeth Luening Long’s Post

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Legal, Compliance & Board of Directors Matchmaker, partnering with Corporate/Non-Profit C-Suites to find the right strategic legal, compliance and Board talent.

Your Weekly Tip from a Recruiter: GCs Who do not Report to the CEO   Are you looking for a new GC who will not report to the CEO? If so, you may have trouble finding candidates with prior GC experience. The GC reporting structure often signifies the level of importance the company assigns to the GC role. i.e.) If the GC reports to the COO or CFO, it may signify that the GC role is more reactive as opposed to a proactive business partner and advisor and less strategic. i.e.) If the GC does not attend the board meetings, it becomes difficult for the GC to proactively advise on matters and risk avoidance since he/she may not be aware that they exist. Most acting GCs will want to be included in the high level conversations, having a seat at the table and a direct line of communication to the CEO so that they can be most effective. With this said, a candidate who is looking for their first GC role, may be interested in such a role so that they can get their first GC role “under their belt.” Thinking about your GC reporting structure? Please reach out.

Allan Wright

Senior Mobile Engineer @ PushPress

2mo

...Am I the only one who had to Google what GC stands for?

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Janet Serafin

General Counsel at TireHub

2mo

Could not agree with this more. Can you imagine your legal advice "filtering" through a CFO or a COO before it gets to the CEO? Or how much less of an impact you would have on the company's strategy when you are not in the room where decisions are made. It's a giant red flag as to how a company views the role and importance of a GC.

Ana C. Ward, Esq., MS, MBA, MS, CHC

Experienced Life Sciences General Counsel; Public, Private, Medical Device, Therapeutics, CLIA Testing, Software

2mo

I have been the GC of 5 different companies and 90% of my time was spent with the CEO. It’s a critical reporting structure and relationship.

Mary Marbach

Chief Legal Officer | General Counsel | Corporate Secretary | Corporate Securities | Governance | G&A | Regulatory Compliance | Capital Raising, Mergers, Joint Ventures, IPOs, Tender Offers

2mo

100% on the nose.

Navin ⚔️ Mahavijiyan

The Dark Lord of Contracts | Managing Partner ⚫ Black Paladin Solutions | LegalOps & genAI Witcher

2mo

Huge red flag if the GC reports to the CFO/COO instead of the CEO. I will go as far as to say these are not true GC roles 😅

Janet C. Tacoronte

Global General Counsel I Florida B.C.S Real Estate I Solicitor England & Wales l CIPP/US I Author I Coach

2mo

It depends on the CFO Or COO as well. They need to have experience in managing a legal function.

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Judith Silver, Esq. CIPP/ US

Privacy, Tech, InfoSec Lawyer/ Consultant / Entrepreneur/#Opentowork

2mo

Yup, red flag every time. Almost impossible to comply with the ethics rules.

Scott Penick

Director of Legal, North America | MBA | Finance | Strategy | Leading a Business-First Legal Department

2mo

On point insights, Elizabeth Luening Long.

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D. Mara Lowenstein

Dynamic general counsel focused on strategy, revenue generation, and preventing fire drills.

2mo

100% agree!

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