For the past three years, BarkerGilmore has had its advisers work with in-house counsel on how to better interact with the C-suite and board of directors. Now, the firm has launched the GC Advantage community to help legal leaders connect with one another to help find solutions to business issues.
Robert Barker, a managing partner at BarkerGilmore, said Monday that many of the firm’s clients wanted to find new ways to interact with the advisers. He said based on client feedback and on research he and the firm’s in-house advisers crafted a different way to deliver these solutions to their in-house clients.
“There will be an executive roundtable of general counsel that participate along with a senior adviser who puts together a topic and facilitates that discussion,” Barker said.
It is important for legal leaders to be able to collaborate on these issues, he added. “GC Advantage members find it extremely valuable to have ready access to trusted peers and senior advisers who can act as sounding boards on sensitive issues, such as board-level matters.”
The program can be done remotely, which will allow those legal leaders involved to avoid making travel arrangements.
There is an application process to be a part of the forum. Barker said initially invitations went out to general counsel and chief legal officers. He said in the future, the firm expects to begin inviting other key individuals in legal departments who report to the general counsel.
The advisers who helped create the program include Michelle Banks, former general counsel of Gap Inc.; Cornell Boggs, former general counsel of Toys R Us; and Helen Pudlin, former general counsel of the PNC Financial Services Group Inc.
According to its website, members of the GC Advantage community include legal leaders at Foot Locker Inc., The Hershey Co. and Tenneco Inc.
Connect with a legal recruiting advisor
* indicates required fields
