ResourcesBlog
GC Perspectives on Career Growth and Leadership
July 16, 2025
July 16, 2025
Written by Michelle Culligan, this article was originally published in the Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel members LinkedIn group.
Over the course of my legal career—first as a GC and now as a partner at Latitude supporting legal department and law firm leaders across industries—I’ve had countless conversations about what it takes to become a general counsel. And once you’re in the role, what it takes to lead with impact, influence, and longevity.
At this year’s ACC Minnesota In-House Counsel Conference, I had the opportunity to moderate a candid conversation with three highly accomplished legal executives:
What stood out wasn’t just their unique paths to GC—but how they lead once they’re there. Each of them is building legal departments that are strategic, trusted, and built to last. Below are key takeaways from that discussion, along with reflections from my own experience.
There’s No One “Right” Path
Each panelist took a very different route to the GC role—and none had their sights set on the role from the start. Dan stayed within the same industry, building deep subject-matter expertise. Karin made lateral moves and even stepped back during a personal transition—something she now sees as pivotal. Joanna followed curiosity and challenge—not a prescribed career ladder—taking on roles that pushed her outside her comfort zone, including legal leadership positions in Bangkok, Thailand, and London, United Kingdom.
This really resonated with me and is consistent with my own legal career journey. So many attorneys ask me for the “formula” to become a GC. Not surprisingly, there isn’t one. What matters most is aligning with your strengths, saying yes to work that stretches you, and being willing to take smart risks. Sometimes that means making a lateral move to broaden your perspective. Sometimes it means doing the work that matters, even if it’s behind the scenes. Or sometimes it’s asking for a stretch opportunity that will help you grow.
My take is that titles matter less than trajectory. Focus on collecting experiences that broaden your skills, build visibility and credibility, and establish leadership capital.
Build Business Acumen Early
Today, GCs are expected to operate as business leaders who bring legal expertise—not the other way around. As Joanna succinctly put it: “You’re a businessperson first. You provide business solutions. You just happen to have a law degree.”
That mindset should take root well before you reach the GC seat. The panel’s collective advice: Start now. Ask your business stakeholders about their goals and challenges. Learn what drives decisions. Build relationships that advance success. And translate legal guidance into business impact.
Karin shared how she proactively told her boss the skills she wanted to develop so he could help support her growth. “That early investment paid off when I needed to figure things out fast and guide the business beyond just legal questions,” she recalled. Today, her GC role often overlaps with COO responsibilities, and because she developed those broader capabilities early, she’s trusted not only as a legal advisor but as a strategic leader who can navigate complexity across the business.
No matter where you are in your career, embracing a strategic business mindset will position you for success and prepare you for a seat at the C-suite table.
Mentorship as a Leadership Practice
Mentorship came up repeatedly—both in terms of personal growth and leadership responsibility. Each panelist shared how mentoring others and being mentored shaped their development.
Dan recalled actively seeking guidance early in his career: “I was a pretty green lawyer, and I really wanted a mentor who could help me navigate those early challenges.” Today, he encourages legal professionals at every stage to do the same: “Whatever point you’re at in your career, reach out. One of the great things about ACC is the opportunity to connect, meet others, and bounce ideas around. That kind of access is invaluable.”
He also offered this reminder: not all lessons come from ideal role models. “I’ve learned a lot by observing people who weren’t great leaders too. That can be just as instructive.”
Now, at UCare, Dan has made mentorship a deliberate part of the department’s culture—embedding it through both formal programs and informal habits. Colleagues are paired to facilitate relationship building and cross-functional knowledge, while informal mentoring happens organically through regular check-ins and open-door access to senior leadership. It’s part of a broader commitment to professional development and team cohesion.
The best leaders I know make time to support others—and they also make time to ask for help when they need it. That kind of culture doesn’t just happen. It’s modeled, encouraged, and built over time.
So, reach out. Invite someone to coffee. Ask them about their path. And when someone taps you for advice, pay it forward. Mentorship connections can take root and grow from many places: a conversation, a LinkedIn post, a podcast, or a story shared by someone who’s already walked the road ahead. The important part is staying open and staying connected.
Building a Cohesive Legal Team
One of the most consistent messages from the panel was that your ability to lead well and grow into the GC role depends in large part on how you build, support, and work alongside your peers.
Joanna noted that in-house legal departments are often “flat,” which can limit opportunities for internal advancement. That makes it even more important to create clarity around expectations and ownership. She suggested starting by assessing each team member’s skillsets and aligning on shared goals. Then, as she put it, give them “a lot of autonomy and freedom to deliver on the objectives we’ve agreed to.” That combination of alignment and trust creates space for high performers to thrive.
Dan echoed this, sharing that he looks first for culture fit—people who understand and connect with the company’s mission, especially in purpose-driven sectors like healthcare. He also actively looks for skill gaps and opportunities to specialize. At UCare, for instance, he has shifted the legal team from a generalist structure to one with clear focus areas.
Karin, now a solo GC, draws on her experience working in large legal teams to identify creative ways to support and develop your team—and yourself. When a colleague from another team showed interest in her practice area, Karin brought her in and helped her build new skills through hands-on experience and support. The result? Karin got extra support for that work, her colleague developed and refined a new skillset, and Karin honed her leadership skills in the process. That kind of openness and cross-functional development creates lift for the whole organization.
Karin also made a powerful point about recognition: “I praise and thank everyone, not just my team. I’ve found I get invited to more meetings because people recognize I’m there to help.” That spirit of collaboration builds trust and expands influence.
Resource Management Is Strategic Leadership
Budget constraints are real—but as the panelists made clear, working within those constraints is also an opportunity to lead.
Joanna shared how she built credibility with her CEO and CFO by aligning closely with company-wide budget priorities. That trust made it easier to advocate for targeted support when needed—like bringing in a part-time contract attorney through Latitude to handle a complex backlog of IT services contracts.
She also prioritized demonstrating legal’s value in ways the business could understand. “KPIs for legal are always difficult,” Joanna noted. “You can’t compare apples to apples—a contract isn’t a contract.” To overcome that challenge, her team sent out a client satisfaction survey to internal stakeholders, gathering direct feedback on how the legal department was supporting the business. When they later published a “report card” outlining the input they received and the steps they took in response, the CEO took notice—clear evidence that legal was listening, evolving, and delivering measurable impact.
Dan shared that he’s often stepped into departments that are understaffed, and he sees part of his leadership role as building a case for right-sizing the team to support both day-to-day demands and long-term business goals.
He also emphasized the importance of shifting how legal is perceived across the organization. At UCare, he’s been intentional about messaging that legal is not just a cost center, but a function that manages risk and delivers value. He’s led a campaign to help business partners better understand when and how to engage legal, making the department more accessible and strategically aligned.
From my own experience, I’ve seen that GCs who lead well over the long term treat resource planning like any other executive responsibility—with intention, creativity, and a focus on impact. Whether that means tapping flexible talent, streamlining workflows, or finding new ways to measure and demonstrate value, the goal is the same: deliver business-aligned results while reinforcing legal’s strategic role.
Empower Others—and Know When to Step Back
All three panelists emphasized that successful GCs don’t try to do it all themselves. They build strong teams and create room for others to lead.
Dan intentionally restructured his department at UCare to include layers, mentorship, and clear ownership paths. Karin, as a solo GC, looks for stretch opportunities to grow people cross-functionally. Joanna reinforces a positive culture—knowing that how you lead affects performance, retention, and long-term value.
As GC, you’re shaping a culture. And that culture determines how well your team performs, how long people stay, and how much they grow, which in turn strengthens the value of your team to the overall company.
Wearing Many Hats? Communicate Which One
As GCs, we often wear many hats: legal advisor, business strategist, risk manager, etc. The trick is not just managing the balance—but making it clear to others which hat you’re wearing.
Karin noted how essential it is to clarify whether you’re offering legal advice or strategic input. That transparency builds trust and avoids confusion.
Dan shared how internal messaging at UCare helped reposition legal as a strategic partner. Joanna’s “business person first” mindset reinforces that same message—and it’s one I often stress with legal leaders. The more clearly and consistently you operate as a business partner, the more effective and trusted you become.
Of course, there’s a real risk of burnout. The panelists were candid about that. But lasting leadership isn’t about doing more—it’s about doing what matters based on your judgment as a business and legal leader, creating clarity, and empowering others to lead.
What made this panel so meaningful wasn’t just the advice on how to become a GC—it was the focus on what it takes to lead once you’re there, and to do so in a way that aligns with your values, your team, and your long-term goals.
Leadership at this level demands clarity, strategic vision, empathy, and a strong sense of purpose (together with a healthy dose of humility and tenacity). If you’re not intentional—if you don’t put the right systems and habits in place to support yourself and your team—it’s easy to burn out.
But with the right team, business alignment, and organizational trust, the GC role becomes more than a career milestone. It becomes a platform to lead, influence, and thrive at the C-suite table.
And in my experience, that’s exactly the kind of leadership companies are looking for today.
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