Our society continues to shift closer to one that values relationships, respect, and responsibility between companies, consumers, and legal counsel. It is no longer enough to simply deliver a service or a product; a reliable connection must be made and nurtured as well. Below, I will talk about how those in leadership positions and modern lawyers must modify their approaches and engage in relationship building and social responsibility actions if they want continued success in the field.
Respectful Approaches
This alteration of approaches regarding different areas of the law is the backbone of the conversation with Robin Meyer, CIPP/US, CIPP/E, and general counsel for TokenEx, a company that protects sensitive data through tokenization. She talks about how today’s lawyers must explore the evolving approaches to tech contracts and covers how to make those changes. There is a need to forge a different path forward to obtain success. Meyer believes that a fundamental aspect of this process is gaining and keeping the customer’s trust, especially in the tech industry. She discusses examples of customers feeling held hostage by the words in privacy statements or similar documents, which can potentially damage the relationship. Avoiding these damages is paramount to successful and respectful customer-provider relationships.
Team And Relationship Building
Modern lawyers need to do more than digging their heels in and grinding toward their goals alone. In today’s world, there is a strong focus on teams and building relationships. That is precisely what Sangeetha Raghunathan — a member of the executive team and general counsel, CCO, and head of government relations for Earnin, a financial services app — talks to us about in this important conversation. She explains how to go about building your legal teams, providing tips on building trustworthy relationships with colleagues. Among her most significant advice is to make sure you value your employees, especially since recruitment is difficult for all companies right now, as well as to focus on exactly what you want your legal department to look like.
Social Responsibility
Our world is undergoing a massive transformation as more companies make public commitments to sustainability goals, including attaining net-zero carbon emissions. In this conversation with Christine Uri, chief sustainability and legal officer at ENGIE Impact, we talk about the role of in-house legal departments and their importance in helping companies chart their sustainability initiatives. At a time when social responsibility is not just a buzzword but a necessity for a thriving business, she allows us to see new opportunities for the modern lawyer to make a difference. She also talks to us about the importance of balance and self-care, stressing that we must make time to do the things needed for our well-being outside of our careers by focusing on mental, physical, and emotional health.
Humans crave connection, and that truth is evident in the movement toward relationship-focused interactions between those in the law field, their clients, and the public or customers their clients serve. By focusing on these experts’ thoughts described above, you can either begin moving in this direction or strengthen your existing connections as a modern lawyer.
Olga V. Mack is the CEO of Parley Pro, a next-generation contract management company that has pioneered online negotiation technology. Olga embraces legal innovation and had dedicated her career to improving and shaping the future of law. She is convinced that the legal profession will emerge even stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive than before by embracing technology. Olga is also an award-winning general counsel, operations professional, startup advisor, public speaker, adjunct professor, and entrepreneur. She founded the Women Serve on Boards movement that advocates for women to participate on corporate boards of Fortune 500 companies. She authored Get on Board: Earning Your Ticket to a Corporate Board Seat and Fundamentals of Smart Contract Security. You can follow Olga on Twitter @olgavmack.
