I am about to transition from being a junior partner at a large law firm (my practice has focused on private equity M&A) to Deputy General Counsel at a large-ish Pubco. I am already giving myself a crash course in public securities and corporate governance from my firm’s training materials and my cap markets partners, but I also wanted to poll the audience for other suggestions on how to become as prepared as possible for my new role please. Thanks in advance!

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I spend 5 years at firms and then 20 years in-house before taking a non legal position where I work closely with the in-house department as a client. The biggest areas of adjustment as attorneys go from firm to in-house are (1) recognizing that you will need to give your views on business decisions (you can caveat as much as you want, but ultimately you will be seen as an advisor and not just an issue spotter), (2) you will need to dive into areas outside of your specialty which may require a quick education through google searches or possibly consulting with others (after the specialization in a firm, this can sometimes feel wrong) - not suggesting that you opine where you are not qualified but to start the guidance process you need to know the basics of areas so you can figure out if you need outside counsel, etc., (3) while fewer weekends and evenings are gratuitously ruined by partners or clients, you will work very hard often pivoting from issue to issue which is different from when you bill on matters and (4) since there is no concept of non billable hours, you should lean into that and network within your company, get to know the business/strategy as that will make you a more valuable asset to the company.

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Thanks for all of this advice, this is helpful! Very appreciated.

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Practical law is an awesome resource if you have it to grab templates, drafting notes, and guides on those areas.

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Thanks! Excited for the opportunity. I’ve used PLI occasionally so will brush off my login credentials and poke around.

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ACC stat.

Corporatecounsel.net too.

There's lots of "so you're a new GC" presentations and webinars on ACC.

Thanks! My cap markets partners turned me onto thecorporatecounsel.net so I’ve been grinding through their guides. I’ll also check out ACC.

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