Many professionals view the role of general counsel/chief legal officer as the top legal spot in the in house world. It is a “goal achieved”—through years of hard work and career navigation. And it’s a legal position unique to any other… and is viewed as such by employers. So the market “rules” for GCs can be different compared to lawyers possessing other titles.

This includes judgments and consequences related to tenure in a role or an organization. When it comes to these issues, a GC with short stints at one or multiple employers will be subject to the same scrutiny as other in house lawyers in the market. Raising questions on the departure circumstances and potentially calling into question the quality of the candidacy. However, GCs receive far greater latitude than those of lower rank for a long tenure. Why? Because employers view the GC as a top company executive with no higher legal position to reach. They also see it as a role that entails a flow of evolving responsibilities and challenges. So the position won’t become stagnant, experience won’t get stale, skills will continue grow, contribution will be high…and the GC will remain challenged. In most instances this is true, which is why GC mobility in today’s market is quite low. So staying in the role for 10 … even 15 years won’t raise many, if any eyebrows.