Becoming a True Partner to the Business

Julie Preng, Managing Director, Legal Specialty Practice, Korn, USA

CEOs and directors today demand a general counsel who operates as a partner to the business, as involved in strategy formulation and execution as any member of the company’s senior management team. Long gone is the notion that being a talented technician alone is the ticket to success for budding chief legal officers. “The general counsel, as curious, broad-gauged business partner, must help define, debate and develop business positions on broad company issues,” Ben W. Heineman, Jr. the former general counsel of General Electric Co. has said. They should be “at the table,” according to Heineman, on “key operational initiatives, economic risk assessment and mitigation, major transactions, new strategic directions … important template contracts, resolution of major disputes … and major accounting decisions that have a forensic dimension.”

Julie Anne Preng received her juris doctorate degree from Hofstra University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from New York University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. After a successful career as an attorney practicing in New York and specializing in litigation and corporate/commercial work, embarked upon executive search focusing on the recruitment of senior-level executives in the legal and compliance professions.

Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY), with a presence throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is a premier global provider of talent management solutions. Based in Los Angeles, the firm delivers an array of solutions that help clients to attract, engage, develop and retain their talent.