Key Insights

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1. Corporate Habits Harden Without In-House Legal.

Marin was the first lawyer at Barstool Sports, a company that had operated for nearly 15 years without internal counsel. He warns that entering such an environment means facing significant resistance to change, as established habits often conflict with necessary legal compliance and process.

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2. M&A Fails Without Employee Buy-In.

Reflecting on acquisitions at Wink, Marin notes that the biggest challenge isn't technical integration, but cultural alignment. When Flextronics and later IAM+ acquired Wink, the lack of strategic alignment and 0% employee buy-in turned the deals into "self-fulfilling prophecies" of failure.

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3. The GC Cannot "Hide in the Shadows" at High-Profile Brands.

Many GCs enter high-profile companies thinking they can remain behind-the-scenes advisors. Marin’s experience at Barstool—where he was named personally by critics on social media—demonstrates that legal leaders must be prepared to be in the "line of fire" during public controversies.

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4. Bankruptcy is a Networking "Silver Lining".

While professionally devastating, a mass layoff or bankruptcy results in hundreds of colleagues dispersing to new startups. If a lawyer builds strong relationships during the "dark days," those former colleagues become the primary source of future roles and deal flow.

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5. Preparation for "Doomsday" is a Requirement.

GCs must mentally and operationally prepare for worst-case scenarios—be it personal public attacks or sudden financial insolvency. Marin stresses that staying in the profession long enough means these moments are inevitable; the key is having a support system of peers who have navigated similar crises.

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6. Closing Insight

A General Counsel's value is tested not during the IPO, but during the Chapter 11 filing and the social media firestorm. By acknowledging that you cannot always dictate the direction of your career, you gain the flexibility to "relax into the journey" and treat every sideways step as a masterclass in professional endurance.