Lessons Learned – an Interview with General Counsel Standout Suzanne Rich Folsom

Do the hard work. Be a good mentor. Know when to speak up and advocate for your viewpoint or career. Folsom-isms all. Suzanne Rich Folsom’s decades-long legal career has taken her down in the trenches and around the world, fighting the good fight, in the service of right.

Suzanne Rich Folsom shared some lessons-learned wisdom in a discussion titled “Women Leading the Law” to a room full of aspiring female GCs.

• On career, friendship and loyalty: “One female GC definitely stands out – Stasia Kelly (former Vice Chair and General Counsel at AIG), who has been a ‘mentor’ and a ‘sponsor’ for me. A mentor gives you advice; a sponsor goes the extra mile. Or more. She creates opportunities for you. And Stasia has been a great friend too!”
• On roadblocks: “The trailblazers who preceded me helped push aside a number of gender-related obstacles; then my peers and I have tackled the next-round of gender-based challenges in both the legal and corporate world. For me and many other successful women lawyers, the key to unlocking the future hasn’t been glamorous – just grueling work.  And there is still more work to be done.”
• On leadership: “The best leaders, irrespective of gender or generation, have the self-confidence to move past slights and bad behavior.”
• On competition: “A company that doesn’t value employees are destined to fall behind.”

Visit https://www.academi.com/news_room/articles to check out more articles shared by her.