1. Making The Move | Law Firm to GC

A friend asked me to share some thoughts for an attorney making the move from big law to becoming the first general counsel in a high growth company.

First, this is a move of transformation, not just growth. A law firm is a story—with its beliefs, norms, frames, rules. A high growth company is a different story with its own beliefs, norms, frames, rules. What dictates success in one is different than the other. This is a cross-cultural move.

Second, as the first lawyer, you are the standard. It’s likely nobody in the company knows exactly what the lawyer does. Legal may be seen as a black box, an obstacle—you will need to work to define your role as a strategic partner. The High Growth Handbook (Gil)—which I recommend—has no chapter on lawyers. I often describe the general counsel's role as a river guide. Nobody remembers the rocks you miss, everyone remembers the one that flipped the boat. If you do your job well, nobody may know you did your job.

More practically, I would have three priorities: people, context, operations.

Be a student of the company and of its people. What does the CEO care about? What do team members care about? What about the board and investors? Why were you brought in – from their view? Who is your outside counsel? You need to build trust.

Know the context. What are the risks and opportunities facing the company? What is most important right now? What will be in 6 months? Sales? Product? A new round of funding? Employee matters?

Focus on operations. In a law firm, the tools and processes are handed to you. In a high growth company—you get to build your own—and you can learn and borrow from other disciplines. You need to build a process to handle volume at scale with excellence and speed of delivery across functions.