Features

A million thoughts swirl in my mind. So much has changed in a mere four months, since the coronavirus began sweeping across the world, upending the stability and excitement of daily life while devastating the global economy. It seems the whole world is on stand-by and the future is uncertain.

The 2020 In-House Counsel Compensation & Career Survey results are in! The results show that national average base salary stands at $167,500, an increase from $163,000 in 2018—but varies between organization types and location.

The CCCA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2020 In-House Counsel Awards.

The CCCA’s new webinar series, "In the House with In-House," explores the key issues you are facing and how your colleagues are overcoming them. These short webinars share the real-life experiences of in-house counsel in various industries and sectors as they talk about the challenges created by the pandemic and look to the post-pandemic world.

Several months ago, I attended a networking event by myself for the first time. I decided it was time to make more connections in my legal community even if the circumstances were outside of my comfort zone. Following that evening, I continued on this path, reaching out through cold messages to in-house counsel throughout my city—and have grown in ways I never would have otherwise been able.

How you present yourself matters. As professionals, we pride ourselves on our legal and industry knowledge and our business acumen. However, conveying this expertise to communicate complex ideas, move items forward and influence strategic decisions can be challenging. Whether our audience is one or many, a growth mindset, a confident (and self-aware) approach and positive body language are paramount to success.

Technology has certainly provided us with the means to build solid relationships, but we fall short when we consider technology as our reality, instead of simply an operational tool.

In recent years, “innovation” has become the legal industry buzzword that everyone is talking about. However, the true purpose and mechanics of innovation have largely been lost in myth and mystique.

I embrace innovation in my day-to-day work. I fiddle with our available technology. I habitually customize tracking spreadsheets. I kneel at the altar of internal optimization. My colleagues are either inordinately gracious or they sincerely appreciate my efforts. Internal innovation seems welcome. However, I have found client-facing innovation is not necessarily so.

Stop focusing on fires, and start thinking more broadly about your organization and your role in it. Let its strategy be your guide to more meaningful action and success. Strategic management professor Mara Lederman helps you cut through the buzzwords to explain what strategy is, what role it plays in an organization and why it matters to in-house counsel specifically.