Key Insights

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1. Legal Ops as the Departmental Foundation.

Meghan highlights that for most General Counsel, Legal Operations should be the first hire. By building the "engine room" first—optimizing processes, workflows, and technology like CLMs—the legal team frees up senior talent to focus on high-impact strategic guidance.

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2. The "No-Hiding" Policy in Boardrooms.

Successful GCs must act as business executives first and lawyers second. Meghan emphasizes that GCs shouldn't wait for a "legal issue" to speak up in board meetings; they must engage in product strategy, marketing, and revenue discussions to earn strategic deference.

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3. Humanizing the "Legal Sucks" Hurdle.

Transitioning from a "lawyer as blocker" perception requires intentional "internal marketing". This includes hosting office hours, simplifying contract language to speak the "business language," and modeling vulnerability when mistakes occur.

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4. Embrace the Opportunity to Fail.

Brenda and Meghan foster a culture of "psychological safety" where team members are encouraged to try new processes and own their errors. This iterative approach allows the legal department to adapt as quickly as the engineering and product teams.

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5. Build Your "Mosaic" of Experience.

Meghan encourages young attorneys to look beyond linear career paths. Sideways steps into operations or strategy often yield the most valuable skills for future General Counsel roles.

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6. Closing Insight

Success as a General Counsel is not determined by how well you know the law, but by how well you lead people and architect business outcomes. By prioritizing operations and executive presence, you transition from being the company's lawyer to its primary strategic navigator.