Who is afraid of the General Counsel?

A perspective on how the role of General Counsel has evolved in Romania from Gabriela Popescu, Corporate, External and Legal Affairs Lead, Central Europe at Microsoft.

Back in time, when I was a student at Law School, inherited from the communism period, being a General Counsel was not something “posh”. A Legal Counsel was neither bad nor good, not really relevant, but also not to ignore, neither sparkling nor significative; more of a worthless commodity.

When colleagues would hear me say that “I want to be a lawyer for a big company, like I see in movies” their sight was rather skeptical; for sure not admirative or encouraging.

Fast forward 30 something years, by the wish of the Universe and all other Planets, I am living the dream I had as a student; I started working straight forward as a legal counsel, for one of the most important and known companies in the world, and over all these years (while I am still 30 years old….), I have learned, I have built, I have thrived and suffered, I have moved more than a needle sometimes, but mostly, I have loved each side and face of this job.

It was not always easy, especially at the beginning when, as I have already said, the concept and understanding of this role was under construction; it was not easy to be accepted at the same table with the other leaders in the company, to have your voice heard, to have your expertise considered needed and with impact in the big picture. For me, as well as for the others who were creating this role in the Romanian market.

This first step – leaving our individual fingerprints – was essential, but not enough. It then took the village to make the real change – and this we could not do it alone. When Legal 500 included Romania in their evaluation, something magic happened – a community was created. A community of professionals with same dreams and similar challenges, a safe space where colleagues could thrive – or be vulnerable, could ask for support – or could share from their experiences, could share concerns – or offer experiences.

Having a group where individuals relate to the same topics and face the same challenges is something very powerful and makes a difference in so many ways. And in Romania we are so lucky to have now this safe space, where challenges are accepted, colleagues become friends, help can be asked.

During this time, not only that we have created this community, but, connected, and in an organic way, our profession has grown. The role of the General Counsel has got gravity and more companies have understood how important it is to have such a position in their teams – with joy and pride, we see our world growing and becoming more visible and appreciated.

Our work has become visible not only on the local market, but the Romanian community is highly recognised in the region, Romanian colleagues being often prominent speakers in regional events.

Have we completed our journey? For sure, no – and it is great that we are growing, learning, networking, transforming. But, with pride, and lots of work, we have built our place and we are making a change every day.