The pendulum always seems to swing back. And with it are indications that the long-prevailing view of the general counsel as a strategic partner to management may be losing support in the C-suite. That lawyers are once again being viewed more as “frictional cost” to a transaction and that the general counsel is increasingly being seen as “just another adviser.” So now, as suggested in the recent Corporate Counsel article ”CEO’s Grumble About Lawyers Sparks Dialogue About Being a Good Business Partner,” there are thoughts that focused PR may be necessary to prevent the pendulum from swinging too far in the wrong direction.

In one sense, a bit of internal “PR” makes a lot of sense; as do renewed efforts by lawyers to be perceived as “business enablers, (never roadblocks) … and not just strictly describers of the law” says Boston Globe Media deputy GC Heather Stevenson. There’s value to a little pushback against the historical criticism of the general counsel as “Dr. No” and the office of legal affairs as “the place where great ideas go to die”. But in reality, that response might not be enough.

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