General counsels at technology companies are increasingly having to wear multiple hats—from helping startups avoid growing too fast to supporting the development of generative artificial intelligence solutions that account for existing and future regulations.

Eric Topel is no stranger to this jack-of-all-trades experience. This month, he became the first general counsel for Patsnap, a company that uses AI to help innovators, intellectual property analysts and lawyers sort through global patents. Originally founded in 2007, Patsnap became a unicorn in 2021 after raising $300 million.