When
Minh
Merchant
stepped
into
her
first
general
counsel
role,
she
did
not
just
take
a
seat
at
the
table.
She
grabbed
the
pen.
“One
of
the
first
things
I
did
as
general
counsel
was
to
take
the
pen
on
the
earnings
script,”
she
recalled
in
a
recent
conversation.
“It’s
not
usually
something
that’s
owned
by
legal,
but
it’s
a
forcing
function.
It
requires
you
to
understand
the
commercial
side,
the
financial
side,
the
development
pipeline,
everything
that’s
driving
the
business.”
That
choice
is
a
masterclass
in
how
in-house
counsel
can
embed
themselves
into
the
business
in
ways
that
pay
dividends
far
beyond
the
legal
department.
By
drafting
the
script,
Minh
forced
herself
to
learn
what
really
mattered
to
investors,
how
the
company
positioned
itself
against
competitors,
and
where
the
operational
pain
points
were.
From
Legal
Lens
To
Business
Lens
Minh
is
clear
about
the
mindset
shift
required.
“Before
this
role,
you
might
have
been
looking
at
everything
purely
through
a
legal
lens,”
she
said.
“As
general
counsel,
you
are
first
and
foremost
a
business
partner
and
a
strategist.
You
put
yourself
forward
as
a
business
person
first
and
a
legal
person
second.”
For
many
lawyers,
that
is
a
challenging
transition.
It
means
looking
for
opportunities,
sometimes
unconventional
ones,
to
see
the
business
from
the
inside
out.
Minh
points
to
sales
ride-alongs
as
another
example.
“I
have
always
asked
to
be
on
a
ride-along
with
the
sales
team,”
she
explained.
“It
is
incredibly
insightful
to
hear
how
they
are
selling,
what
resonates
with
customers,
and
what
lands
flat.
You
cannot
get
that
perspective
from
behind
a
desk.”
Why
This
Matters
For
Legal’s
Impact
When
lawyers
see
firsthand
how
products
are
sold,
promises
are
made,
and
customers
react,
they
are
better
equipped
to
shape
policies,
compliance
programs,
and
processes
that
align
with
reality,
not
assumptions.
It
is
one
thing
to
advise
on
a
marketing
claim
from
a
conference
room.
It
is
another
to
sit
in
the
field
and
hear
a
customer
push
back
or
ask
for
something
the
product
does
not
yet
deliver.
Minh
acknowledges
that
there
can
be
a
chilling
effect
when
a
GC
shows
up
on
a
sales
call,
but
says
it
wears
off
quickly.
“I
try
to
be
approachable
and
accessible,”
she
said.
“I
want
people
to
come
to
me
early
and
often,
even
to
‘spam
me’
with
issues,
so
I
can
help
before
something
becomes
a
problem.”
The
Takeaway
For
In-House
Lawyers
The
most
effective
in-house
counsel
do
not
just
respond
to
issues.
They
position
themselves
to
anticipate
them.
That
means
intentionally
stepping
into
projects
and
spaces
where
legal
is
not
traditionally
present.
It
means
volunteering
for
work
that
forces
you
to
learn
the
business
at
a
granular
level.
And
it
means
building
relationships
across
functions
so
that
legal
advice
is
grounded
in
the
operational
and
commercial
realities
of
the
company.
As
Minh
put
it,
“The
more
you
know
about
the
company,
the
better
you
can
do
your
job.”
For
in-house
lawyers
who
want
to
increase
their
impact,
the
lesson
is
simple.
Do
not
just
read
the
earnings
script.
Write
it.
Olga V.
Mack is
the
CEO
of TermScout,
an
AI-powered
contract
certification
platform
that
accelerates
revenue
and
eliminates
friction
by
certifying
contracts
as
fair,
balanced,
and
market-ready.
A
serial
CEO
and
legal
tech
executive,
she
previously
led
a
company
through
a
successful
acquisition
by
LexisNexis. Olga is
also
a Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
the
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
She
is
a
visionary
executive
reshaping
how
we
law—how
legal
systems
are
built,
experienced,
and
trusted. Olga teaches
at
Berkeley
Law,
lectures
widely,
and
advises
companies
of
all
sizes,
as
well
as
boards
and
institutions.
An
award-winning
general
counsel
turned
builder,
she
also
leads
early-stage
ventures
including Virtual
Gabby
(Better
Parenting
Plan), Product
Law
Hub, ESI
Flow,
and Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self,
each
rethinking
the
practice
and
business
of
law
through
technology,
data,
and
human-centered
design.
She
has
authored The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers, Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data, Blockchain
Value,
and Get
on
Board,
with Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers (ABA)
forthcoming. Olga is
a
6x
TEDx
speaker
and
has
been
recognized
as
a
Silicon
Valley
Woman
of
Influence
and
an
ABA
Woman
in
Legal
Tech.
Her
work
reimagines
people’s
relationship
with
law—making
it
more
accessible,
inclusive,
data-driven,
and
aligned
with
how
the
world
actually
works.
She
is
also
the
host
of
the
Notes
to
My
(Legal)
Self
podcast
(streaming
on Spotify, Apple
Podcasts,
and YouTube),
and
her
insights
regularly
appear
in
Forbes,
Bloomberg
Law,
Newsweek,
VentureBeat,
ACC
Docket,
and
Above
the
Law.
She
earned
her
B.A.
and
J.D.
from
UC
Berkeley.
Follow
her
on LinkedIn and
X
@olgavmack.