Last week, the major banks kicked off the 1Q earnings season with economic outlooks so bleak as to vanquish any hope that this recession won’t be a humdinger. With no snapback in sight, legal departments have to hunker down to steer their companies through a prolonged period of uncertainty and stress.

Here are ten lessons that I learned at General Electric during the financial crisis and other periods of angst about how general counsel and their teams can help their companies navigate the coronavirus pandemic.