Jack Welch, GE’s legendary CEO, died last weekend. Lengthy obits about his business career followed. But few know of the vital role Jack played in the inside counsel revolution.

Ironically, Welch had no idea of that role when he, almost accidentally, hired me in May 1987. I met him at GE’s then-headquarters on Lexington Avenue in New York, having never laid eyes on him before or done even one hour of work for GE as a DC appellate lawyer. After a 30-minute interview, he offered me the GE GC job. “But …” I sputtered, “I am not a corporate lawyer!” He laughed: “You’ll figure it out. I’m not sure what I want—all I know is that we need to turn the law department upside down.”