Michael Sloan, who in June took his first in-house role as general counsel and chief compliance officer for the Greenwich, Connecticut-based venture capital firm C5 Capital, said one way he can influence culture is by bringing with him the client-service mindset he developed during 27 years at law firms.

“The GC’s role can be as big or as small as he or she wants to make it. The more responsive and helpful [you are], the more influential you can be for the company. And that can help in creating a positive company culture,” he said.

Sloan added that GCs are involved in many aspects of what’s happening within the company — from human resources to deals to financing.

“If you can bring your good attitude to all those aspects of what you do, you’re just going to inevitably help the company’s culture,” he added.