Boldly Embrace Your Decisions

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Hello Friends and Colleagues,

Transitioning to an in-house role can be difficult for lawyers who lack experience in corporate strategy or confidence in making critical decisions, especially in times of crisis.

“You must stay on top of what’s going on in the company and the industry because your advice impacts the business so directly,” my law firm-turned-in-house lawyer friend explains.?

You’re no longer just writing legal memos, debating other lawyers, or deciphering legalese for individuals you represent in court.

“You’re making bold decisions about a company's future—decisions that can affect the company’s performance, that of its business partners, the well-being of employees and customers, and more,” my friend said.?

But the biggest difference?? “You’re right there alongside everyone seeing the consequences play out firsthand,” she said. ???

Some adapt to the pressure faster than others. But every lawyer can take steps to increase their comfort level and confidence during the transition, including:

Tip 1: Strive to thoroughly understand the company’s inner workings and strategic goals. In addition to monitoring the market, you need to know where the company and its stakeholders want to go, and why, to make decisions that support the strategies to get there.??

Tip 2: Seek mentorship from more experienced colleagues. Other lawyers (inside and outside the organization) can provide valuable guidance and support. Within the company, C-level executives can explain what has and has not worked in the past. Sales, marketing, and BD leaders are great sources of field-level information.?

Tip 3: Develop strong storytelling skills. Communicate legal concepts to non-legal colleagues by telling relatable stories, e.g., the CFO needs to hear a story with economics at its core whereas the stories CIO or the CTO would be more??

Tip 4: Tell clear and compelling stories using direct and concise language and support the most important details with images, charts, graphs, and other design elements to increase understanding.

Tip 5: Most importantly, believe in yourself and give yourself time to navigate the transition and thrive in your new role. And remember to come here and tell us how you’re doing in the comment section!

What challenges have you faced when changing roles?

How did you manage a recent transition?

What advice do you have for a lawyer looking to switch to an in-house role?

Best,

Olga

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Boldness is quiet.

“Boldness doesn’t mean rude, obnoxious, loud, or disrespectful. Being bold is being firm, sure, confident, fearless, daring, strong, resilient, and not easily intimidated. It means you’re willing to go where you’ve never been, willing to try what you’ve never tried, and willing to trust what you’ve never trusted. Boldness is quiet, not noisy.”?

– Mike Yaconelli, writer and theologian

The Latest in Legal: Bold Decisions and New Practices

Become More Comfortable Making Bold Decisions. Our brains strive to reduce uncertainty to escape feelings of discomfort and stress. The Bold Decision Barometer offers steps to increase your comfort in making your next big leap of faith.

How to Elevate Your Legal Career as a Trusted Business Partner. Become a trusted and needed business partner, not just a contract-crunching legal clerk, simply by automating menial daily legal tasks.?

As AI Technology Advances, So Too Must Our Legal System. Boldly allow AI adoption to flourish! Our legal system must evolve to meet the changing nature of technology while erecting guardrails to ensure AI systems are safe and ethical to use.?

What is Decision Making? Executives spend nearly 40% of their time making decisions, though most of that time is poorly used. Learn how to put the ins and outs of smart decision-making to work.?

Visually Speaking: Digital Dark Patterns

A look at how the world of visual communication impacts the law and our lives.

We’ve all seen “digital dark patterns,” i.e., nefarious design elements and ploys that manipulate consumers into making unwanted purchases and giving up personal data. They hide in cookie consent banners, kids’ apps, and “free” offers, among many other places.

If you’ve encountered a digital dark pattern in the wild and thought, “??That doesn’t seem right,” it isn’t. Last fall, the FTC warned companies to avoid using digital dark patterns, examples of which include using design elements that:?

1. Cause false beliefs?

• “Masquer-ads” are ads disguised as news

2. Hide key information?

• Sneak add-on fees, mandatory charges, or “drip pricing” in hard-to-find or hard-to-understand blocks of text.

3. Lead to unauthorized charges

• Trick people into paying for goods or services they don’t want.
• Implement recurring billing without consent.

4. Trick customers into sharing personal information?

• Intentionally steer people to the data-sharing option that gives away the most personal information.

As in-house counsel, keep an eye out for dark patterns in your organization’s sales and marketing materials and in the apps and services offered.

Highlights of Last Month’s Newsletter Comments

Last month, we asked, “Is Ours the Greatest Era EVER? ” and pointed out that lawyers today partner with technologists to deliver more human-centered, useful, and efficient legal services. That earned many great comments, such as:?

Notes to My (Legal) Self Corner: Build a strong legal team

The Power of Trust. Trust is the foundation of supportive colleague relationships. Watch as Karna Nisewaner, GC at Cadence Design Systems, Inc., explains how to create trust to become a great leader.?

Give Away Your Legos. Logan Maley shares how a "team of generalists" in high-growth tech companies can help the legal department meet each maturity phase and retain and engage not-yet-GC-level employees long past late growth stages.

Coaching In-House Legal Leaders. To coach the next generation of lawyers to achieve success, you must share the brutal truths of your story. Aparna Dasai Williams, a 20+ year in-house veteran, reveals her trials, errors, and eventual successes as she learned to coach lawyers to become indespensible leaders.

?? You can always find up-to-date information, insights, and events on the Notes to My (Legal) Self LinkedIn page . Follow the page so you don’t miss a single beat!

? Do you know an in-house leader who would be a great guest for the Notes to my (Legal) Self LinkedIn LIVE/podcast conversation? Let me know .?

Self-nominations are encouraged. In fact, they are a bold act of self-confidence!

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Olga Mack is a Digital Transformation Executive at LexisNexis , and an award-winning general counsel, operations specialist, and tech startup advisor who encourages lawyers to embrace disruptive technologies that make law more functional and accessible.

A three-time TEDx presenter with an exceptional blend of legal, technological, and business expertise, Olga is one of today’s top speakers and thought leaders. Find her latest insights at Above the Law, Forbes, Bloomberg Law, ACC Docket, MIT Computational Law Report, Newsweek, and Venture Beat.

Olga founded the Women Serve on Boards movement, sparking a national conversation on the need for more women on Fortune 500 company boards. She also co-founded SunLaw and WISE , organizations that help female lawyers thrive.?

As a Berkeley Law lecturer, a fellow of CodeX, the Stanford Law Center for Legal Informatics, and a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, Olga is confident the law’s future is secure in the hands of innovators.?

Olga’s numerous awards include the Silicon Valley Women of Influence, ABA Women in Legal Tech, Make Your Mark, Corporate Counsel of the Year, and Women Leaders in Technology Law.?

In examining how disruptive technologies impact laws, society, business, and commerce, Olga authored Blockchain Value: Transforming Business Models, Society, and Communities and co-authored Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security . Her next book, Visual IQ for Lawyers (ABA 2023), shows how lawyers can use practical design and visual elements to make law more understandable to all.