The power of community

Shanti Ariker, Chief Legal Officer of JFrog, Ltd., reflects on the power of community in navigating the unique challenges of senior in-house legal roles.

Now, it should be painfully obvious that someone writing a free newsletter for in-house lawyers values community. But just in case that somehow slipped by you, here’s an entire blog post about it. You’re welcome.

Why is community important, you ask?

Because being a General Counsel, Chief Legal Officer, or any other senior, impressive-sounding legal title is… kind of lonely. Not “eat lunch in the bathroom” lonely, but definitely “who do I talk to about this wild compliance issue without breaking privilege or sounding like I’ve lost it?” lonely.

Once upon a time, I looked up to the GC/CLO at my company like they were some kind of legal wizard – calm, confident, clearly knowing everything. Fast forward to the day I took that seat, and – spoiler alert – it’s a lot more ‘improv jazz’ than ‘orchestra conductor’. It’s not just the tricky law bits. It’s managing confidential info, juggling stakeholders, and making decisions on things you never studied in law school (hello, facilities management?). The job is complex – but more than that, it can be isolating. But it doesn’t have to be.

Enter: Community.

“Community isn’t fluff. It’s a strategic advantage.”

Let’s break down why having a GC/CLO community is a secret superpower:

• Feeling like you’re not in it alone

There’s only so much you can say to your team, or your execs, or even your favourite barista. A lot of the time, you’re sitting on sensitive info – new hire decisions, stealth projects, delicate internal issues. My personal rule? Don’t bring it up unless they do. That’s why I lean hard on my GC communities. I can toss out a question, float a worry, or just vent a little – and someone always gets it. That kind of trusted space is gold. And no, I don’t take it for granted.

• Benchmarking, a.k.a. “Everyone’s favourite buzzword”

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to benchmark a policy, process, or contract clause, I’d have… well, let’s just say, I could fund my own private legal tech startup. Thanks to my community, I can fire off a “Hey, how do you all handle equity refreshes for execs?” and get five answers before my coffee goes cold. Real-world, real-time info from people actually doing the work? That’s beyond valuable – it’s sanity-saving.

• Referrals, but make it global

Sure, I’ve built a solid Rolodex (does anyone still say that?) of helpful lawyers across the globe. But no, I don’t have a go-to litigation attorney in Estonia – yet. That’s where community works magic. Ask, and within hours, someone has a name, a story, and probably a PDF of a case they worked on. It’s like crowdsourced due diligence – faster and less expensive than pinging 10 law firms cold.

• Hot rulings, straight from your peers

I still remember learning about Steve Jobs’ death from Twitter (RIP, both Steve and Twitter as we knew it). Since then, I’ve been amazed how often I hear about new rulings – from Supreme Court decisions to obscure SEC updates – first from my GC networks. Not law firms, not legal alerts. Actual, real-time “did you see this??” moments from people who know why it matters. That’s community in action.

Community isn’t fluff. It’s a strategic advantage. It keeps you sharp, supported, and occasionally – just occasionally – saves your butt.

So, next time someone asks “Why bother with a GC network?” just send them this blog. Or don’t. Just smile smugly knowing your community already has your back.

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