Key Insights

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1. Legal Teams Fail When They Grow Without a Strategy

Paul argues that most legal functions add headcount reactively — when someone screams loud enough.
But sustainable teams require intentional design:

• What skills are missing?
• What work should legal stop doing?
• What should be automated or pushed to business teams?
• Where does the company need legal judgment vs. legal execution?
  Without clarity, teams become overloaded and fragmented.
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2. Great In-House Lawyers Are Operators, Not Technicians

Technical skill is necessary — but insufficient.
Paul says the best in-house hires have:

• strong judgment,
• humility,
• clear communication,
• an ability to prioritize,
• and comfort with ambiguity.
  In-house work is not about knowing every answer… it’s about knowing what matters.
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3. EQ Is More Important Than IQ for Legal Leadership

Paul emphasizes that emotional intelligence is the real differentiator.
Legal leaders must:

• stay calm in difficult moments,
• build trust across departments,
• understand what business partners fear,
• and deliver guidance people can actually act on.
  Without EQ, even brilliant lawyers lose influence.
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4. Processes Should Be Light, Practical, and Built With the Business

Over-engineering is one of legal’s biggest traps.
Paul stresses that processes should:

• remove friction,
• empower business partners,
• reduce escalations,
• and create predictability.
  If a process slows down revenue or adds steps that no one understands, it fails — even if it’s “technically correct.”
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5. Hiring the Right Lawyer Is About Behaviors, Not Resumes

Paul looks for:

• people who make others feel at ease,
• people who explain simply,
• business-first thinkers,
• low-ego collaborators.
  He hires for influence, not academic brilliance.
  The wrong hire can create misalignment that spreads through the entire org.
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6. Executives Want Clear Decisions, Not Long Analyses

Paul’s rule:
Present three options → recommend one → explain the tradeoffs.
Executives value clarity over perfect legal reasoning.
GCs earn credibility by simplifying complexity, not highlighting it.
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7. The Future of Legal Is Hybrid: Generalists + Targeted Specialists

Teams that scale well blend broad generalists with specialist support (internal or external).
Paul predicts that:

• generalists become the connective tissue,
• specialists handle deep-risk areas,
• and fractional roles will grow as companies want flexibility without full-time hiring.
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8. Closing Insight

A GC’s biggest multiplier is their team.
Paul’s approach shows that with intentional structure, clear communication, and the right hiring philosophy, legal can become one of the most trusted and effective teams in the company.