What are the four faces of the Chief Legal Officer?

Asked by: Shaun O'Kon  |  Last update: July 23, 2023
Score: 4.2/5 (40 votes)

The role of today's chief legal officer (CLO) is complex, demanding much more than legal operations expertise. To be successful, a CLO must master and strike the right balance between “four faces”: Strategist, catalyst, guardian, and operator.

What is Chief Legal Officer structure?

A CLO is the highest-ranking legal executive in an organization, reporting directly to the CEO or COO. Each CLO is responsible for overseeing all aspects of legal affairs, including: Compliance and risk management. Corporate governance.

Is CLO higher than General Counsel?

While the Chief Legal Officer oversees legal strategies on a higher level, General Counsel offers more hands-on management, making decisions in the moment for legal matters like compliance regulations, contract review and negotiation, asset protection, and litigation.

Who reports to Chief Legal Officer?

A general counsel may need to represent the company in court and during private legal matters. This role typically reports to the chief legal officer and people in this role may be promoted to chief legal officer. A CLO is more of a senior-level role.

What are other names for Chief Legal Officer?

A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.

The Chief Legal Officer’s Role in Transition Back to the Workplace

21 related questions found

Who is the highest ranking legal officer?

The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States.

Who is the highest legal officer?

Attorney General is the highest law officer in India. Article 76 of the Indian Constitution under its Part-V deals with the position of Attorney General of India. He is the chief legal advisor to the government of India and advises the union government on all legal matters.

What is the difference between a chief legal officer and a chief compliance officer?

Legal counsel is primarily in charge of contract drafting, negotiation, and review; compliance handles violations of the Code of Conduct, policies and procedures, or other wrongdoing by those employed or engaged by the organization.

What is the purpose of a chief legal officer?

The chief legal officer (CLO) is an expert and leader who helps the company minimize its legal risks by advising the company's other officers and board members on any major legal and regulatory issues the company confronts, such as litigation risks.

What is the difference between CEO and CLO?

The successful CEO must create an environment that maximizes synergy across the members of the leadership team and establishes each member as a true thinking partner. However, the CLO role is unique in that it can provide a degree of alignment with the CEO that is not generally present with other C-suite executives.

What is the difference between legal officer and legal counsel?

However generally speaking, General Counsels tend to focus on legal and compliance matters, whereas Chief Legal Officers typically have a broader range of responsibilities including legal, strategic and executive functions.

Who is the director of the CLO?

Central Legal Office is headed up by Norma Shippin, who is experienced in advising clients at the most senior levels. As Director, Norma's role also includes acting as the senior professional lead for all solicitors in CLO.

Can a company have two general counsels?

At many other companies, go one level down, and you may see additional “GCs.” This is because if a company has operating subsidiaries, it may designate the top legal officer for each of those operating subsidiaries as a General Counsel. It may also grant the GC title to legal heads of lines of businesses.

What cabinet is Chief Legal Officer?

The Attorney General is the head of the DOJ and chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters, advises the President and the heads of the executive departments of the government, and occasionally appears in person before the Supreme Court.

What is the highest position in chief?

Typically, the CEO is the highest-ranked position in an organization. This executive professional is responsible for the company's overall success.

What makes a good chief compliance officer?

CCOs are responsible for establishing standards and implementing policies and procedures that prevent non-compliance. To be effective in your role, it is essential to communicate clearly and have the respect of other employees in the company.

What does a chief legal and risk officer do?

Chief Legal Officer (CLO) is mandated to ensure that legal risks of the company are minimized. He or she does this by giving legal advice to board members and company officers, especially on litigation risks. CLO takes care of all the company's legal matters, and he or she reports to the Chief Executive Officer.

What is the highest title in law?

Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)

A Doctor of Juridical Science degree is considered the highest level of a law degree and is designed for professionals who are looking to gain an advanced legal education after earning their JD and LLM.

What is the highest hierarchy of law?

Of the three sources of law, constitutional law is considered the highest and should not be supplanted by either of the other two sources of law. Pursuant to principles of federal supremacy, the federal or US Constitution is the most preeminent source of law, and state constitutions cannot supersede it.

What is the highest duty of any attorney?

“A fiduciary relationship exists as a matter of law between an attorney and client, and the attorney owes the highest duty of fidelity and good faith to the client.” In re Larson, 103 Wn.

What is the highest salary for a lawyer?

Lawyers made a median salary of $127,990 in 2021. The best-paid 25% made $194,580 that year, while the lowest-paid 25% made $81,620.

What type of law is least stressful?

Real estate law, estate planning law, and intellectual property law are commonly cited as the least stressful types of law to practice.

What is higher than a legal secretary?

A legal assistant helps lawyers with court documentation and research while a legal secretary focuses on clerical and administrative office tasks. A legal assistant is generally higher up than a legal secretary and typically earns more.

What does a VP of legal do?

This attorney is tasked with the blocking and tackling of the sales, commercial and other tech agreements, setting up the department infrastructure and handling most general corporate, IP, privacy and other matters that come down the pipe. This isn't a core strategic position and exposure to the board is fleeting.

Can general counsel also be the CEO?

General counsel as a business leader

A business-focused GC who understands the company's strategy and effectively partners with senior management to drive that strategy is a powerful member of the executive team — and, perhaps one day, a CEO.