Elon Law and North Carolina Lawyers Weekly hosted a Feb. 11 forum for attorneys and law students to learn more about the practices of general counsel in national and international businesses.
The Business & Law Breakfast forum at Elon Law provided direct networking and information sharing between corporate general counsel, attorneys, law students and others working in the legal industry.
North Carolina Lawyers Weekly reporter David Donovan moderated the forum.
“For many attorneys, some of the most important relationships are those maintained with a client company’s in-house counsel,” Donovan said. “Maintaining those relationships requires understanding what in-house counsel values and being responsive to those needs.”
Panelists at the forum included:
- Elizabeth Collins, deputy general counsel and senior vice president, United Guaranty Corporation
- Julia Ebert, corporate counsel, Volvo Group
- Kathryn Kyle, vice president & deputy general counsel, Laboratory Corporation of America
- Gerald L. Walden Jr., assistant general counsel, The Fresh Market, Inc.
In a question and answer session, Donovan asked panelists to comment on what traits they valued in attorneys they retain.
“We’re looking for attorneys who can play well in the sandbox,” Kyle said. “There are a lot of lawyers out there who don’t like to work with other firms on a specific matter, but for us that’s critical. We really stress that firms need to work well with each other and work together to make sure that they produce the best work product for us.”
“Knowing the law and being responsive, those are givens,” Walden said. “In addition to that, I’m looking for someone who really wants to know our business. In my role, I’m often providing both legal and business advice, making sure that the legal advice I give is not inconsistent with our business objectives. I appreciate someone who comes in and works to understand our business goals and how our business operates.”
“We’re looking for good attorneys who we can trust,” Ebert said. “First, to gratuitously take the opportunity to mention my favorite football coach, Bill Belichick, he focuses on fundamentals, for instance that his line is doing its job, and so I think there’s that aspect to it. Then there’s another aspect reflected in someone who may be equally or perhaps more wise than Bill Belichick and that would be the mothers out there. They taught us how to treat people in order to be someone who is trustworthy. Keep your word, do a good job and invest in the relationship.”
Among a wide range of questions, Donovan also asked how important diversity and inclusion was in the process by which in-house counsel select private firms for assistance.
“We have a formal vendor policy that applies to law firms regarding diversity and inclusion, and that is good corporate practice,” Collins said. “In addition, our in-house department is very diverse and we come from a perspective that our partnering law firms need to reflect that. We’ve found that some of the law firms that meet those characteristics end up being our best partners.”
Kate McClain, general manager for North Carolina Lawyers Weekly, South Carolina Lawyers Weekly and The Mecklenburg Times, introduced the forum and welcomed attendees, highlighting Elon Law’s partnership and the law school’s distinctions.
“Elon Law is shaping an exciting new future for American legal education,” McClain said. “In the area of business law, Elon is investing and innovating with particular focus.”
Elon Law is one of the few law schools in the nation to house a working court – the North Carolina Business Court – including the chambers of the court’s chief judge. Elon Law’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Clinic has law students assisting business start-ups with their legal needs, helping about 50 clients last year alone.
Melissa Duncan, director of career and student development at Elon Law, delivered remarks highlighting Elon Law’s recently launched programs.
“We are actively creating new opportunities for our students,” Duncan said, highlighting a range of new initiatives at Elon Law, including a new incubator supporting graduates who wish to start their own law practices and an international business law course that enabled students to meet with leaders if international law firms and businesses in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
In addition to sponsoring Business & Law Breakfast forums, Elon Law partners with North Carolina Lawyers Weekly to present the annual Leaders in the Law awards luncheon in the state.