In a piece for legal recruiter Taylor Root, Vin Murria sums up what search committees really test when they hire a general counsel or chief legal officer. Spoiler: it is not who knows the most law. Hiring leaders want commercial judgement, influence over people you don’t manage, and real curiosity about how the business makes its money.
Harsh news for the brilliant technician three rungs down… but fixable. Volunteer for commercial projects, learn the P&L, and lead something that isn’t a contract negotiation. Our guide on how to become a general counsel goes deeper, and there is a steady flow of General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer jobs and deputy GC openings to aim at.
As Murria puts it: “Having worked on senior legal appointments, one consistent observation is that technical legal capability rarely differentiates shortlisted GC candidates.”
Read: From Legal Counsel to General Counsel: what sets future leaders apart? at Taylor Root