Sofia Lind reports on a new book which aims to help female lawyers realise their in-house career ambitions

When Mary Ann Hynes became general counsel of tax and business law publisher CCH in 1979 she was the first woman ever to reach the top legal position in a Fortune 500 company. Since then, the number of female GCs has increased significantly but, with 101 women now holding the title across the largest US corporates, 80% of Fortune 500 GC roles are still held by men.

It's a disparity that has prompted SNR Denton's US-based global head of insurance Kara Baysinger and Allstate Insurance GC Michele Coleman Mayes (pictured, main) to try to find out how women can crack gender bias and advance their careers in-house. They interviewed 50 female GCs at Fortune 500 companies as well as legal recruiters and other industry experts to produce Courageous Counsel – a book that aims to tell women what they need to demonstrate in order to become a leading GC in addition to simply strong technical legal skills.

Baysinger explains: "We tried to find a 'secret sauce'; something that tied these women together, and we got excited for this book to be a mentoring tool."

As the title suggests, the authors found that courage – not shying away from challenges – was a key ingredient to success, with networking also crucial – in particular, the use of mentors. The authors found all their interviewees had access to a mentor either within their own company, for example a manager or a more senior lawyer or business person, or outside the business.

Many of the female lawyers attending the panel discussion held in SNR Denton's City office in April to mark the UK book launch also advocate the use of mentors. Nokia legal chief Louise Pentland (pictured) says: "I joined Nokia as an entry-level lawyer and had both male and female bosses. I had always had mentors inside and outside the company and it really is important to be able to learn from example.

"What I learned within Nokia is that it is what you do that matters, which it should be, but that you also need your network. The days when only ability is counted are over. You need someone who has your back. The advice I give to people entering the profession is to ask: who are my role models? Who can I learn from?"

Amilha Young is senior legal counsel for the private bank at Standard Chartered Bank in Europe and is a mentor herself. Her successes include helping a former secretary through to becoming an in-house lawyer. "For me, what resonates is the drive that is required and the understanding of the business as well as having the courage to keep moving and not just sit back," says Young. "What is also important is having someone who is interested in your success."

Mayes insists women do not need a mentor just like them, saying: "Why would I want to speak to a white man? Well, partly because they will be the person in the job I want. Do not stop networking – that's your brand."

According to Mayes, women also need to ensure they are working in the right place in order to thrive. "Your fundamental question is: do I feel like I belong here? Can I succeed? Do people care about me?" she adds.

As the book highlights, if women want to make it to the top they must get themselves there – but companies also need to do more to increase the prevalence of women in senior roles by ensuring that they are always interviewing from a diverse pool of candidates.

Highlighting the pitfalls, Pentland recalls a situation where she tasked a recruitment agent with finding candidates for a senior in-house role in Nokia's US business. When he put forward three white males with impeccable CVs she asked him to return to the brief and bring her 'the three very best candidates'. When he came back, all the candidates were women.

She says: "I learned that if you don't task your team and drive certain behaviours into the model, recruiters can be quite lazy. They want their commission."

That the number of female GCs within the Fortune 500 is slowly rising is testimony to the fact companies have started to listen to calls for increased diversity, but ultimately more still needs to be done and much of it relies on women pushing themselves forward for the roles.

As Baysinger concludes: "Know yourself: what you are good at and what you are less good at. Know what your weaknesses are and work – aggressively – at shoring those up. Being a GC is not something for slackers. There are no short cuts."

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Top tips for women climbing the general counsel ladder

1 Find role models or mentors

2 Don't shy away from challenges (have courage)

3 Network, network, network

4 Understand the business – where does the money come from?

5 Choose an organisation where the culture fits your values and follow your passion

6 Check that you are in a place where your managers care about developing your career

7 Identify your strengths and weaknesses and work hard at shoring up these weaknesses

8 Always do your best – being a GC is "not for slackers"

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