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 served as the Vice Chairman of External Affairs and Chief Legal Officer of AbbVie, from its launch in 2013 until her retirement in March 2023. At AbbVie, 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. While there, she built and directed numerous high-impact functions, including Legal and Compliance, Business Development, Government Affairs, Health Economics Outcomes Research (HEOR), Brand & Communications, and Corporate Responsibility. Laura provides guidance and professional development to General Counsel and other executives, bringing her extensive expertise and accomplishments in the healthcare industry to BarkerGilmore’s Healthcare & Life Sciences practice.
Given your background, what do you believe are the essential qualities and skills that legal leaders in healthcare and related industries should possess in today’s rapidly changing business environment?
The ability to translate complex fact patterns and situations to their essential elements and quickly determine what issues are important and determinative to the outcome of any problem. There is often a lot of “noise” surrounding any given situation, and it is critical to be able to distill the essence of the problem and the potential range of outcomes. Lawyers should never conclude “that is a business problem,” and therefore outside the remit of their involvement. The more involved a lawyer is in understanding both the strategic context and the desired outcome, the better the advice will be.
Your dedication to diversity and equal justice is evident through your awards and accolades. Can you share some initiatives or strategies you’ve championed to promote diversity and inclusion in the organizations you’ve been a part of?
There have been several articles written on this topic, including one by Law360, the American Bar Association, and Thomson Reuters.
After serving as a highly respected General Counsel, and thinking about your peers, what do you think differentiates top GCs from the others?
I had the privilege of serving in the General Counsel role for almost twenty years. As such, there was dramatic change in the scope of that role over that period of time. But the one constant that stands out for me that differentiates top General Counsel from others is their commitment to understanding the business they serve and the importance of their role as both a lawyer and a business leader. The GC sees almost every issue impacting a company and can influence outcomes beyond purely legal issues. It is both an opportunity and a challenge, and the really good General Counsel are immersed in the business and add value to almost every business situation.
To be a top legal leader, what do you see as the most important areas for a GC’s development?
The most important skill for a GC is the ability to be a strategic thinker and to appreciate the complexity of an issue and the various outcomes and consequences. There is no one prescriptive path, but I believe a multi-faceted background in a variety of different legal and business areas helps to develop one’s overall decision-making skills. I began my career as a litigator, but along the way, I acquired a wide variety of experiences in legal, compliance, business development, etc. Each of these different responsibilities enhanced my ability to appreciate the overall context of a given issue.
What are the best “words to live by” that you want to share with other General Counsel?
Issues are seldom black and white. Most of the issues a GC faces will fall in an area of “gray.” The ability to “see gray” and to navigate it with the appropriate flexibility and appreciation for risk/reward is critical.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about paving the way for the next generation of women leaders. I have been fortunate in my career to have benefitted from strong mentors, both female and male, and I believe it is a responsibility to help develop and create opportunity for the next generation. As a mother of two daughters, I want to make the world a little easier for them to navigate and to make even more progress on achieving gender parity.
How have you helped others succeed?
I have created opportunities at every level for my team to challenge their skills and abilities and develop as professionals. I believe it is important to set high standards for performance, but also to help others achieve those standards through coaching and mentoring and providing examples for how to succeed. It is critical to success that we experience failure. If we never fail, we most likely aren’t challenging ourselves in ways that will allow us to grow. But learning from failure and pushing harder the next time is a skill that will pay off immeasurably in the long run.
What do you wish you knew early in your in-house role?
The importance of understanding that it’s not “just about the law.” Any problem exists in a bigger prism of the business in which it operates. Understanding the business and strategic context is critical to arriving at the best conclusion.
As a BarkerGilmore advisor, where do you see yourself adding the biggest value to General Counsel and/or their legal departments?
With almost two decades of experience in the GC role, I have seen almost every situation imaginable. I am well versed in managing crisis situations, mergers and acquisitions, legal and professional development, and overall department management. I have developed strong legal teams and managed my own succession process twice (once when we spun off AbbVie and the second time with my retirement). Both positions were filled with internally developed talent.
Coaching and Advising from Laura Schumacher
If you’re looking for a strategic advisor with extensive experience as a General Counsel in the healthcare and life sciences industry, contact Laura J. Schumacher today.
Connect with a legal recruiting advisor
* indicates required fields
