Suzanne Folsom: Advice for Female General Counsels

Accomplished general counsel and C-Suite executive Suzanne Folsom understand the often immense challenges facing the General Counsel charged with overseeing the legal, regulatory and compliance function of a Fortune 500 company.  And she is also all too familiar with the additional obstacles that female GCs confront in these roles. 

Most recently the General Counsel, CCO and Senior VP of Government Affairs at U.S. Steel, Folsom knows how much effort is involved in the process of obtaining a strong grasp of such an enterprise’s complex business operations and related legal issues; and she also knows just how vital this process is to the provision of proper and effective high-level management of the company’s legal, regulatory and compliance operation.

To get the process moving in the right direction, Folsom recommends:

• Getting to know the enterprise inside and out. Taking the time to immerse yourself in the inner workings of the company, and really getting to know the underlying business at the granular level, will help to eliminate, or at least blunt, doubt about the capabilities and focus of the General Counsel – including the female GC. 
• Understanding the customer. Another way to gain more acceptance and peel away doubt is to devote time to meeting and getting to know the firm’s important customers; to improve understanding and build relationships with those essential to company success.
• Making your mark. The development of your own signature program, one that improves processes or that mitigates risks, can leave an indelible impression on colleagues for years to come.

Suzanne Folsom is the author of “One size does not fit all when it comes to compliance strategies,” an article appearing in InsideCounsel Magazine in 2014.