Laura Schumacher
Strategic Advisor and Coach
Chicago, IL
Former Vice Chairman, External Affairs & CLO
AbbVie
Role at BarkerGilmore
Laura Schumacher is a Strategic Advisor and Coach at BarkerGilmore, focusing on executive coaching and advising. She provides invaluable guidance to General Counsel and other senior executives and plays a pivotal role in devising and implementing comprehensive strategies to foster professional and business growth. She is an accomplished senior healthcare executive whose expertise includes legal affairs, compliance, corporate governance, communications and business development, and public and non-profit board service.
Board Affiliations and Accolades
Laura holds board positions at General Dynamics and CrowdStrike, where she contributes her invaluable insights as a member of various committees. In addition, she has board experience from several prominent non-profit organizations, including Ronald McDonald House Charities and the AbbVie Foundation.
Laura’s dedication to diversity and commitment to equal justice has earned her prestigious awards and accolades, including the National Association of Women Lawyers’ Leadership Award, Chambers and Partners’ Outstanding Contribution Award, and the American Bar Association’s esteemed Margaret Brent Award.
Education
Laura received her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and her B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Expertise
Leadership Development, Succession Management, Organizational Strategy, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Board Governance
Experience
Laura most recently served as the Vice Chairman of External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of AbbVie, where she guided a staff of more than 700 to fulfill AbbVie’s purpose-driven mission to drive continuous innovation, improve health outcomes and enhance people’s lives. She built and directed numerous high-impact functions, including Legal, Compliance, Business Development, Government Affairs, Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR), Brand & Communications, and Corporate Responsibility.
Before AbbVie, Laura served as the Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary of Abbott Laboratories, where she led a global legal and compliance organization of approximately 500 employees covering multiple operating business units, including pharmaceuticals (proprietary and established), diagnostics, devices, and nutritional products.
Industry Experience
Healthcare & Life Sciences, Non-Profit, Technology, Industrial
Laura's Insights
Balancing legal priorities with corporate communication needs is an essential management discipline, particularly during crises. Establishing clear roles and internal protocol builds mutual trust and closes the gap between [...]
Building Stronger Relationships with Boards Working with a company’s Board of Directors can seem intimidating and challenging. Still, it’s also an opportunity for GCs to leverage their existing skills, [...]
Laura J. Schumacher brings over 18 years of C-suite experience to BarkerGilmore, having served as an executive leader and General Counsel at two Fortune 100 companies. She most recently [...]
