It’s common for in-house lawyers to ask me, “Why would you ever want to go to a place such as Tyco?” Given all the negative headlines the company has received in recent years, I can understand their curiosity. But sometimes in life you have to take a chance–and nothing will put a career’s worth of legal experiences to better use than joining a company that needs to work its way out of trauma.

While Tyco isn’t finished with this construction project, many of the steps we have taken thus far provide a nice blueprint for other departments or lawyers who face similar challenges.