• Jan 17, 26
• Shawn Cole
• Legal
• 0 comment

What Does a General Counsel Do? 

By Lega Executive Recruiter Shawn Cole — Top Legal Executive Recruiter Shawn Cole is a trusted thought leader and premier authority on general counsel recruitment across all industries. As President & Co-Founder of Cowen Partners, Shawn Cole is a trailblazing leader in the legal executive recruiting space, known for finding exceptional talent while uncovering key insights about today’s C-suite leaders.

As the chief law officer in corporations, the Chief Counsel or General Counsel fulfills the role of principal attorney and primary legal adviser to the board and shareholders. While they frequently report directly to the CEO, the General Counsel’s job is to secure the company’s interests and protect it from operational legal risk. 

With the increasing fluidity of organizational roles in an unpredictable business environment, the General Counsel has matured from a strictly legal-focused position to a complex function that combines business and strategy. Lately, the responsibilities of General Counsel have expanded to become more integrated with company leadership and corporate concerns. 

The modern General Counsel is no longer simply the head of Legal – She’s also a business-critical manager and member of the senior management team. 

Who Is General Counsel? 

General Counsel — also known as “GC” or Chief Counsel — heads the legal department in a company. In a small organization, the general counsel role may have broad functionalities, with the GC expected to lead the legal team and provide advice to other departments. 

In larger organizations, there may be several tiers within the department, incorporating other positions such as:

• In-house counsel
• Deputy general counsel
• Vice President Legal

In these organizations, the GC occupies more of a supervisory and leadership role, with the responsibility to oversee the department and report directly to the CEO and board. 

GCs are usually qualified lawyers and will have passed the state bar exam. Their qualifications might also include the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) in addition to other state-specific certifications.

They might take an MBA to sharpen their business instincts aside from or in addition to a stint within one or more core business functions.

A Day in the Life of General Counsel: What GC Does

GCs start their day early, usually with a daily update on the latest developments within legal areas of concern to the company. 

For instance, they may:

• Stay on top of progress on planned regulations within the company’s industry
• Review signals from regulatory authorities
• Examine evolving definitions of risk as it concerns the industry
• Have several meetings with international offices, receiving and providing status updates on various actions to ensure the organization presents a unified front against legal risk

According to the State Bar Association of San Francisco, a GC role includes roughly:

• 70% transactional work, including contract review work and negotiations with external parties
• 28% compliance work
• 21% board relations

They stay busy attending to or overseeing legal requests from other departments such as finance, marketing, sales, or HR and dispensing advice as required. As a C-suite member, much of a GC’s day will include engaging with the CEO and executive team to provide a legal perspective to proposed corporate actions. 

She doesn’t simply produce positions of law and procedure devoid of business or organizational context. Instead, the GC wears the hats of lawyer and businessman simultaneously, dispensing legal advice that minimizes legal risk and promotes good organizational outcomes. 

In fact, where business realities demand, the GC might concede that while a legal right exists, the company might benefit most from a soft approach instead of a hardline legalistic stance. This business-focused outlook is what distinguishes a GC from outside counsel. 

While they naturally take point on legal matters concerning the organization, the GC should also be comfortable with stepping back and letting others share the spotlight. For example, during business litigation, capital financing rounds, or complex M&A plays, part of the GC’s duties may include instructing outside counsel for specialty work. They should be able to give other players the floor while watching the company’s interests from the sidelines. 

When Companies Typically Hire a General Counsel

Organizations often reach a point where legal matters become too complex, frequent, or strategically significant to rely solely on outside counsel. Hiring a General Counsel is typically driven by a combination of growth, risk exposure, and the need for faster, more integrated legal decision-making.

Companies commonly consider hiring a General Counsel when:

• Regulatory requirements increase due to expansion into new markets
• Contract volume becomes substantial across customers, vendors, or partners
• The company is preparing for investment, acquisition, or IPO
• Intellectual property becomes central to competitive advantage
• Employment law complexity increases with workforce growth
• Litigation exposure becomes more frequent or higher risk
• Leadership teams require ongoing legal insight to support strategic initiatives
• Reliance on outside counsel becomes inefficient or costly

Rather than reacting to legal challenges after they arise, many organizations view the General Counsel role as a proactive investment in operational stability and long-term growth. Early legal leadership can help prevent disputes, streamline compliance processes, and provide greater confidence when entering complex business transactions.

Companies evaluating whether to engage a General Counsel executive search partner often benefit from understanding how peer organizations structure legal leadership roles.

Key Factors Companies Evaluate Before Hiring In-House Counsel

Organizations often evaluate several operational and financial indicators before deciding to hire in-house legal leadership. While the specific timing varies, common decision factors include:

• Operating within a regulated industry
• Surpassing approximately 100 employees
• Managing complex investor or shareholder relationships
• Negotiating contracts with variable or high-value terms
• Preparing for IPO or acquisition activity
• Developing valuable intellectual property assets
• Experiencing strain on executives handling legal responsibilities
• Incurring significant recurring outside counsel costs

When multiple factors apply simultaneously, companies often benefit from dedicated legal leadership capable of providing consistent guidance aligned with business objectives.

Indicators Your Organization May Need In-House Legal Leadership

As companies scale, legal considerations often intersect with multiple departments, including finance, human resources, product development, and executive leadership.

An experienced General Counsel can help create consistency across legal processes, reduce fragmented risk exposure, and ensure legal strategy aligns with broader business objectives.

General Counsel as a Strategic Business Partner

The modern General Counsel role increasingly extends beyond technical legal interpretation. Many organizations rely on legal leaders to provide guidance that balances risk management with commercial opportunity.

Because General Counsel regularly collaborate with executive leadership, finance teams, and operational stakeholders, the role often contributes to broader strategic planning initiatives such as:

• Evaluating business expansion risks
• Structuring partnerships and joint ventures
• Supporting corporate governance best practices
• Advising leadership on reputational considerations
• Aligning compliance initiatives with operational priorities

As legal considerations become more integrated into corporate strategy, the General Counsel often serves as both advisor and collaborator across the enterprise.

The Personality of General Counsel 

General Counsel positions are highly sought after, and successful candidates in these roles are often those with the right mix of legal expertise and business savvy. A GC is a generalist by nature, as the “general” in the role implies, meaning they will have broad legal competence across several fields of law. 

Successful candidates will also exhibit excellent communication skills because the GC’s job involves a fair amount of communication, both up-the-ladder and horizontally, to heads of other functions. They will be visionary leaders, objective thinkers, fast learners, and honest operators. 

Honesty and tact are particularly critical in the role because the GC will frequently be in positions where they have to share unwanted or unfavorable advice. Communicating honestly and tactfully will enable constructive dialogue and help focus energies on solutions rather than problems or blame-slinging.

Top Legal Executive Recruiters in all 50 States

Identifying legal leaders who can operate effectively within complex corporate environments requires a search process that evaluates not only technical legal expertise, but also business judgment, executive presence, and the ability to collaborate across leadership teams.

Cowen Partners Executive Search works with private companies, public corporations, private equity-backed businesses, and emerging growth organizations to recruit General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, and senior legal executives who can support operational stability and strategic decision-making.

Our legal executive recruiters understand the evolving expectations placed on modern legal leaders and maintain access to a nationwide network of candidates with experience advising boards, managing enterprise risk, and supporting complex corporate initiatives.

If your organization is evaluating the need for in-house legal leadership or preparing to hire a General Counsel, contact Cowen Partners Executive Search to discuss your executive search objectives and identify candidates aligned with your company’s industry, structure, and long-term priorities.