From Legal Expert to Business Leader What It Takes to Succeed as a Modern GC

Becoming General Counsel means more than being a great lawyer. In this on-demand webinar, we explore what it actually takes to succeed in the GC seat—from building trust with your CEO to scaling a legal function that delivers real business value. Based on insights from Paragon Legal’s new GC Toolkit—including research finding that 49% of GCs identify the CEO relationship as the single most important factor in their effectiveness—this session goes beyond the job description. You’ll hear candid advice from three experienced legal leaders on how to make the transition from expert lawyer to executive leader, how to build credibility early, and how to grow the kind of influence that gets legal a permanent seat at the table. This webinar features Ron Bell, General Counsel at Collective Health; Paloma Ahmadi, General Counsel at Athena; Jessica Winn; and moderator Jen Attard, Director of Recruiting at Paragon Legal. What you’ll learn: Why legal expertise alone won’t make you an effective GC—and which skills matter most once you’re in the seat How to build trust and credibility with your CEO, executive team, and board from day one What it means to move from risk manager to trusted business advisor—and how to frame legal’s value accordingly How to approach your first 90 days: what to prioritize, what to hold off on, and how to listen before you lead How to resource your legal team strategically, including when to hire full-time versus bring in fractional support How to develop internal champions and build the relationships that carry your function’s work forward Watch this webinar to learn how to lead with influence, build a scalable legal function, and become the kind of GC that executives rely on—not just for legal answers, but for business judgment.