Use of company cars, prompt responsiveness from outside counsel, prestige, not to mention compensation—these are just a few of the perks of being a general counsel (GC). But with perks, as they say, come great responsibility. A GC is much like the captain of a ship, with all the responsibilities of seeing it to safety through uncertain and sometimes treacherous waters, most of all avoiding the icebergs that could lead to disasters of Titanic proportions.

It’s not always possible to know in advance when the ship (your company) is approaching an iceberg, but a good captain (GC) prepares and knows how to steer the ship around them by anticipating legal problems and dealing with them before the company takes on water. In today’s climate, the three biggest icebergs that haunt companies and keep GCs up at night are: sexual harassment, employee misclassification and cybersecurity attacks.