Podcast

Lanesha Minnix on legal department purpose

The changing role of the in-house lawyer

Lanesha Minnix, executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Ecolab Inc., discusses the changing role of the in-house lawyer, informed by her career journey across various industries. She also shares how prioritizing legal department purpose and embracing change can better equip in-house lawyers to be true partners with the business.

Editor’s note: Lanesha Minnix has become the chief legal officer at Walgreens Boots Alliance since this episode was released.

Asking the team to take the journey with you

In this episode, Lanesha shares how her upbringing, an early mentor, and her family have helped shape her career. She also discusses how she motivates members of her legal department to go beyond their comfort zone to develop as business advisors, as well as her perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To be successful as an in-house lawyer, you have to be willing to not only opine on the legal issues, but you also have to be willing to partner on business issues and help solve business problems. And I'd say that is fundamentally the most important skill.

Transcript

Lori Lorenzo: Welcome to Resilient. I'm Lori Lorenzo, Deloitte research and insights director for our Chief Legal Officer Program, and host of the Resilient Chief Legal Officer track.

Curiosity. Patience. Change. In this episode, Lanesha Minnix, executive vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Ecolab Inc., shares how these values have allowed her to build a successful legal career across various industries. Lanesha also discusses how she motivates her team to be business partners; her passion for mentoring young lawyers; and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession.

Lanesha Minnix: To be successful as an in-house lawyer, you have to be willing to not only opine on the legal issues; but you also have to be willing to partner on business issues and help solve business problems. And I'd say that is fundamentally the most important skill.

Lori Lorenzo: I hope you enjoyed this preview. For the full episode, go to your favorite podcast app and search “resilient.” You can listen on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you go to get your podcasts. If you're curious about legal leadership and trends that are impacting today's in-house counsel, I encourage you to visit our Chief Legal Officer Program site on deloitte.com.

Until next time, remain resilient.

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