Leigh Dance has written, published and spoken extensively on many aspects of global legal services, at major global conferences and in business and legal industry publications worldwide, including The Wall Street Journal. Contact us if you would like to get the list our dozens of published articles-- we can provide PDFs on request.
Dance is author of Bright Ideas: Insights from Legal Luminaries Worldwide, published by Mill City Press and available on Amazon. Bright Ideas is a compilation of 23 original essays by leaders and influencers around the world.
Leigh Dance is Global In-House columnist for:
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RECENT ARTICLES
GENERAL COUNSEL GROW INTO THEIR GOVERMENT AFFAIRS ROLES: BEST PRACTICES, LESSONS LEARNED
It’s no surprise that many General Counsel have gained responsibility for government affairs since 2020.
In-house legal leaders are finding their companies in a unique environment since early 2020. Governments, employees, customers, regulators, and other external stakeholders are looking to private sector CEOs to comment on key issues of the day. “What are you doing about COVID?” “What are you doing about racial injustice?”
By E. Leigh Dance and Ed “Smitty” Smith
Corporate Counsel, February 2, 2022
GLOBAL GENERAL COUNSELS’ VIEWS SHIFT WIDELY POST PANDEMIC
In January 2020, legal leaders in 57 global companies told us that strategic thinking would be the skill demanded most by their bosses in the coming year. How right they were! Since then, General Counsel not only contribute more on business strategy, but are involved in diverse operational issues, interact with far more stakeholders and lead constantly busy legal functions. In January 2020, legal leaders in 57 global companies told us that strategic thinking would be the skill demanded most by their bosses in the coming year.
By E. Leigh Dance
Corporate Counsel, December 6, 2021
GLOBAL IN-HOUSE LEGAL LEADERS SHARE WHAT’S WORKING IN DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The volume and sophistication of outside-counsel DE&I surveys lately proves that driving inclusion and diversity for in-house teams and their providers is a high priority in legal functions. Far more companies are having in-depth conversations with their law firms about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) as they seek to build and streamline a cohesive infrastructure to support internal and external efforts.
By Vanessa Scott and E. Leigh Dance
Corporate Counsel, June 3, 2021
10 WAYS CORPORATE COUNSEL CAN CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR COMPANY’S ESG EFFORTS
2020 saw rapid growth in stakeholders’ engagement with environmental and social issues as well as corporate governance. More in-house Legal leaders and their teams actively support their organization’s ESG efforts today, yet we’re finding that most of you have not yet defined how you can or will contribute.
Legal teams increasingly recognize that ESG is both an opportunity for the legal function and a major new risk.
By E. Leigh Dance & Anna Livia Mazzoni
Corporate Counsel, March 29, 2021
SIX ESSENTIAL ESG LESSONS FOR GENERAL COUNSEL FROM COVID-19
At the start of 2020 when COVID-19 was gaining attention in China, we fielded a benchmark study of corporate legal leaders globally. A surprise finding: Respondents named ESG among three top areas to consume their focus in 2020. ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) followed cybersecurity/data privacy and complex regulation—the first time ESG or similar terms had ever been mentioned in our benchmarks.
By E. Leigh Dance & Anna Livia Mazzoni
Corporate Counsel, December 2, 2020
IN-HOUSE LEADERS PREPARE MIDYEAR TO ADVANCE ON DIGITAL AND OPERATIONAL GOALS
Uncertainty has been felt for a long while now and digital advancements add new competencies and complexity to the leader’s role and mission. Enter the pandemic, which moves both factors in countless directions, creating new roles, opportunities and risks for in-house counsel and their employers.
By E. Leigh Dance & Jon Pedersen
Corporate Counsel, July 9, 2020
GLOBAL GCS SEE NEW DEMANDS AS 2020 PROGRESSES
How will you succeed in contributing value throughout 2020? Let these perspectives from seven global corporate leaders be a springboard for your thinking. Now is the time to prepare yourself and your team to respond to more new challenges.
By E. Leigh Dance
Corporate Counsel, May 1, 2020
Global GCs: New Lessons on COVID-19 Response
Tips from global counsel on guiding their teams through a time of crisis.
By E. Leigh Dance
Corporate Counsel, March 26, 2020
The General Counsel’s Big Opportunity to Protect Reputation: 6 Tips
Business headlines provide ample proof that your company’s actions and perceived ethics today are judged constantly by your clients and stakeholders. This puts great pressure on corporate legal and compliance chiefs tasked with safeguarding and fortifying the corporate reputation. Now forces from multiple sources are connecting to make your job easier.
By E. Leigh Dance & Pamela Cone, Corporate Counsel, December 16, 2019
Six Ways to Earn Your Clients’ Love
Today’s uncertainty reminds us to go back to the basics - but with a current twist. E. Leigh Dance leads legal services consultancy ELD International LLC, with bases in New York and Brussels. Here she explains why refocusing on things that can really make a difference can be the way to reignite the client relationship.
By E. Leigh Dance, Centrum - The Journal of the PSMG, Autumn 2019
Defining Digital for In-house Legal: Views From Near and Far
Whether you are leading the digital transformation of your in-house legal team or participating in it, it helps to be clear about what “digital” actually means for legal professionals. I asked respected global legal leaders in the US and abroad for their definitions. This is part 2 of a 2-part series.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, September 18. 2019
Achieving Real In-house Legal Change:
Is Your Aim High Enough?
Part 1 of a two-part series focusing on leading digital transformation in Legal. Since January I’ve seen striking consistency in my conversations with in-house leaders in larger enterprises across North America and Europe. Everyone is trying to re-think and advance their legal function.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, August 27, 2019
Protecting a Law Firm’s Brand Is Harder Than Ever
Firms must live up to their reputational promise in the eyes of clients and stakeholders. Here are tips on how to do that.
By E. Leigh Dance and Pamela Cone, The American Lawyer, May 3, 2019
Four Business Trends Likely to Affect Your Corporate Legal Team in 2019
Wherever in the world you work, your jobs are more interesting and demanding than ever, and often for different reasons. That trend will continue. It’s more important than ever to keep your attention focused, not only on what your Legal function does but how you do it. Here are four trends likely to affect your job in 2019. Each presents an opportunity for leadership to demonstrate results.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, January 3, 2019
BREXIT is just over 3 months away: What’s Your Worst-Case Scenario?
News reports from London in recent weeks will leave in-house counsel who planned worst-case scenarios feeling relieved, since it often looks like no deal will be made. Most hope for a better outcome, and no Brexit at all is even possible.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, December 13, 2018
7 Areas to Study and Act On This Fall
These seven study areas, from Brexit prep to strengthening your peer network, are geared for legal leaders in global companies. But most also apply to all corporate counsel. Pick a few to learn about and address before year-end.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, September 7, 2018
Wise Ideas to Advance Diversity, Inclusion in Legal
Legal professionals from 10 countries gathered in Atlanta this spring for Working Wiser, a workshop which took a new approach to speeding diversity and inclusion in the legal industry. It was not your normal diversity event.
By E. Leigh Dance & Vanessa Scott, Corporate Counsel, July 27, 2018
A New Kind of General Counsel Innovator
There’s a new innovative trend among global general counsel. It’s not about technology or transformation but also delivers significant value. Legal leaders are taking a fresh approach to advocacy at a time when their companies’ ethics and positions on today’s issues affect performance and reputation. These innovative general counsel are advocating on important themes for their organization’s stakeholders, with a far broader scope than legal.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, July 9, 2018
How to Make Your Case for Legal Operations Support
In companies headquartered outside the US, in-house teams are often smaller. Many executives don’t know much about how legal services are delivered. That makes it harder for the General Counsel to argue for dedicated legal operations resource. I had the good fortune to ask CLOC’s leaders at the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) conference in London how in-house leaders globally can make a winning case for legal operations.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, April 17, 2018
Lead and Sustain Change with a Strategy: 8 Tips
This GLOBAL IN-HOUSE column in Corporate Counsel is the second in a three-part series exploring how in-house leaders can bring change and disruption. It focuses on practical tips to manage change in your legal function through strategy.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, December 7, 2017
A World of Evolving Competencies for General Counsel
Expectations of today’s general counsel have expanded and elevated the job. Many global legal chiefs have reached the summit because they possess many of the nonlegal competencies required today. Midlevel in-house counsel who aspire to a legal chief role must develop these competencies.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, February 16, 2017.
No-Deal Brexit: Where Are Your Contingency Plans? Diverse Approaches and a Helpful Checklist
When we gathered General Counsel from 18 global companies around a table in London to talk Brexit plans a few weeks ago, the group took no time to zone in on their top two interests. Their first goal was to find out …
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, March 6, 2018
Lead and Sustain Change Through Communications: 10 Tips
This GLOBAL IN-HOUSE column is the first of a three-part series exploring how in-house leaders can bring change and disruption. It kicks off with a discussion on Communications, the element that many in-house leaders find crucial to leading sustained positive change.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, November 28, 2017
Lead and Sustain Change by Demonstrating Performance: 8 Tips
This GLOBAL IN-HOUSE column Corporate Counsel is the third of a series, addressing the next step in leading and sustaining change in your legal function. To inspire your team and your stakeholders to embrace change and support new initiatives, you must demonstrate performance. Here’s how to make it happen.
By E. Leigh Dance, Corporate Counsel, January 18, 2018
Improve Your Marketing and BD: Respond to Top Stressors of Global Legal/Compliance Clients
The Global Counsel Leaders Circle 2017 Benchmark involved legal and compliance heads in large global organisations – mostly listed – who wanted to know what other premier companies are doing in various areas of legal / compliance services.
By E. Leigh Dance, PSMG Magazine, September/October 2017