Image highlights from our event:

The role of the general counsel, especially in multinational corporations, has changed significantly over the past decade. The causes and effects of these changes reverberated throughout DLA Piper's 2016 Global Women's Leadership Summit.

Read for key takeaways from these discussions.

What makes a great leader in an age of rising competition and rapid globalization?

That question drove a lively, illuminating discussion at DLA Piper's fourth Global Women's Leadership Summit in Chicago this week. We heard an array of speakers and panelists share their perspectives on the evolving role of the general counsel and how to effectively lead, innovate and manage risk within their organizations.

Between the volatile markets, evolving consumer habits and disruptive competitors, companies face considerable challenges to making sure they remain relevant and profitable. Then, as always, there is the driving force of technology, where new and emerging tools are transforming the development and delivery of services and products each and every day.

The good news is, company executives have a bevy of assets at their disposal to assess their business strategy and keep driving innovation and leading industry trends. Corporate legal departments have grown steadily in size and influence and GCs are increasingly serving as strategic advisors to the C-suite. Building upon their legacy responsibilities of addressing risk profiles and troubleshooting issues, GCs are now actively charting courses to anticipate customer needs, stay ahead of the competition and identify business opportunities.