What's Up With the 'VP of Legal' Title?
Julie Q. Brush, author of The Lawyer Whisperer blog, takes a look at the reporting lines and salary range for the in-house legal title that's something of a 'GC light' position.
January 16, 2019 at 12:45 PM
4 minute read
Q: What is the compensation and reporting structure for a VP of Legal? Is it better to have a broader title like this or something more specific?
A: In earlier Lawyer Whisperer articles, I describe the various attorney profiles that define a private company general counsel. However, one such profile fits more squarely into a role that is not as elevated as a true GC. That role is what I refer to as a “GC Light.” This attorney profile tends to be on the more junior side of the GC seniority spectrum (between 12–15 years), has a strong commercial/tech transactions background and often enters the role without prior GC experience. She has solid law firm and in-house experience often with well-branded employers and served in a high-ranking position within her former legal department (often the No. 2 lawyer). This attorney is tasked with the blocking and tackling of the sales, commercial and other tech agreements, setting up the department infrastructure and handling most general corporate, IP, privacy and other matters that come down the pipe. This isn't a core strategic position and exposure to the board is fleeting.
The title for this type of position does not include the words “general counsel,” but rather is monikered as “Head of Legal” “Head of Legal Affairs,” “Director of Legal Affairs” or VP of Legal. The reporting structure is typically to the company's CFO, but it can also report to other executives like the CAO and COO. It does not report to the CEO, but there are some exceptions.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllBuild It and They Will Come: Tips to Market Your Practice as a Junior Attorney
6 minute readYelp Sues Google for Alleged Antitrust Violations, Citing Previous 'Watershed' Government Ruling
There's Something in the Water: San Diego Is Once Again a Hot Market for National Law Firms
6 minute readWhat Happens When You Go Viral? How a Law Firm Associate Manages Her Social Media Success
5 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Supreme Court Considers Reviving Lawsuit Over Fatal Traffic Stop Shooting
- 2Long Hours and Lack Of Boundaries: Associates In India Are Leaving Their Firms
- 3Goodwin Procter Relocates to Renewable-Powered Office in San Francisco’s Financial District
- 4'Didn't Notice Patient Wasn't Breathing': $13.7M Verdict Against Anesthesiologists
- 5'Astronomical' Interest Rates: $1B Settlement to Resolve Allegations of 'Predatory' Lending Cancels $534M in Small-Business Debts
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250