Within the past few months, Laureen Seeger was named general counsel of American Express, Kristin Coleman was named general counsel of Sears Holdings and Stacy Fox was named general counsel of DuPont — just a few of the many contemporary success stories.
Having the qualifications and talent to snag an in-house counsel seat is a must, but lawyers with their sights set on such senior-level roles must know how to properly position themselves.
As part of the Global Women’s Leadership Summit, the panel, “Onward and Upward: Demonstrating Success as a General Counsel and Beyond,” includes a group of five esteemed women in leadership positions who will talk about the best practices for navigating that path forward.
The panel will include Sheila C. Cheston, corporate vice president and general counsel of Northrop Grumman; Mary A. Francis, chief corporate counsel of Chevron Corporation; Karen Linehan, executive vice president and general counsel of Sanofi; Marla S. Persky, president and chief executive of WOMN LLC; and Wendy L. Weinberger, senior vice president ofoperations and general counsel of i4C Innovations, Inc.
Drawing from their own experiences, these speakers will advise on various issues lawyers must consider when working toward advancement in an organization. They will discuss the expectations and responsibilities of being promoted to general counsel; what lawyers must keep in mind when becoming a member of the C-suite; considerations when transitioning to a new industry; how to effectively select and groom a successor; and leveraging talents and accomplishments to achieve future career milestones.
Former American Express general counsel Louise Parent weighed in on some of these topics in the book “Courageous Counsel,” which focuses on women in the law.
“It does not necessarily have to be a promotion to be valuable to your career,” Parent wrote. “If moving laterally or even down gets you the experience or expertise that then helps you in the bigger picture, it is well worth considering.”