Today’s general counsel needs to move beyond the legal realm to think more strategically and become part of the business, even if it means she has to “speak out and sharpen her elbows,” according to Maureen Brundage, former general counsel of the insurer The Chubb Corp.

Brundage spoke as part of a recent webinar on the evolving role of the GC and the impact of this evolution on compensation for legal department leaders. The session was sponsored by Equilar Inc., the provider of board intelligence services, and BarkerGilmore, the legal and compliance executive search consultants. Brundage is a senior advisor at the latter firm.