Six Ways GCs Can Build Credibility with the Board

Key Points

• A general counsel can build meaningful relationships with directors by first enlisting the CEO’s endorsement.
• Translating legal complexity into plain business language—and listening more than speaking—positions a GC as a trusted collaborator.
• When GCs deliver difficult news paired with a clear plan of action, they reinforce their integrity and deepen directors' confidence in their judgment.

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A business seeks to expand internationally. A shareholder files a derivative suit and names each of the company’s board members. A manufacturing plant explodes. 

Moments of crisis allow the general counsel (GC) to build credibility with the board and prove their mettle. But there’s also no shortage of ways to strengthen credibility in everyday situations as GCs and boards collaborate on new and widening ...