The Art of Working as a Successful General Counsel: Julie Getzels' Advice

Summary

Julie Getzels is a leading expert in the field of corporate law. The experienced attorney has more than 20 years of experience working as a General Counsel for a range of corporations. In this article, Getzels provides insight into the job of a General Counsel and how it is must evolve to meet the current needs of the company.

Getzels emphasizes that General Counsels must now have a broader understanding of their company's operations. This means having a deeper knowledge of the company than ever before. To be successful, Getzels recommends that General Counsel should seek advice and counsel from other departments in the company. This ensures that all legal matters are given due attention.

She also advises that General Counsels should create strategies to meet the needs of their business rather than just reacting to issues. This helps to anticipate potential legal issues and provides the company greater legal protection. In addition, Getzels suggests that General Counsels should have an open mind and be willing to explore new options and strategies.

Getzels also highlights the importance of forming relationships with outside counsels and consultants. This allows General Counsels to take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. Getzels emphasizes that these relationships should be based on mutual respect and understanding of each other's roles.

In conclusion, Getzels believes that a General Counsel should have a comprehensive understanding of their company's operations and legal matters. They should create strategies to prevent potential legal issues, form relationships with outside counsels, and be open to new strategies. With these strategies in place, companies can better protect themselves from legal issues and ensure their business is compliant with state and federal laws.

Julie Getzels, an experienced corporate attorney, shares her insight on the role of a General Counsel in the current business climate. Getzels recommends that General Counsels have a full understanding of their company's operations, create strategies to prevent legal issues, and form relationships with outside counsels. By following Getzels' advice, General Counsels can better protect their companies and ensure their business is compliant with state and federal laws.
 

Legal Expertise of Julie Getzels

Julie Getzels is a highly experienced general counsel who has served a number of leading organizations, including a large NYSE listed company, as well as a $700 million private company. She has over 25 years of legal expertise in the areas of public and private corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions, and insider trading compliance.
 

Julie Getzels' Approach to General Counsel

Julie Getzel's approach to general counsel is one of proactive problem solving. She believes in the importance of being mindful of the company's business objectives, as well as the legal implications, when assessing and addressing complex legal issues. She is committed to leveraging her expertise to find creative solutions to complex legal problems.
 

Julie Getzels' Comprehensive Approach

Julie Getzels' comprehensive approach to providing general counsel services involves identifying potential legal concerns before they become an issue. By staying ahead of the curve, Julie is able to develop solutions that are tailored to each organization's individual needs. She is also able to provide proactive guidance on regulatory compliance, risk management, and corporate governance matters.
 

Julie Getzels' Corporate Counsel Experience

Julie Getzels' experience in providing corporate counsel services extends to a number of areas, including corporate finance, securities law, general corporate law, contract negotiation, and mergers and acquisitions. With her extensive knowledge and experience in these areas, Julie is able to provide corporate counsel services that are timely, cost-effective, and tailored to the needs of her clients.
 

Julie Getzels' Commitment

Julie Getzels is committed to providing the best possible legal advice and counsel to her clients. She recognizes the importance of understanding the unique needs of each organization she serves, and is committed to providing individualized, proactive counsel and problem-solving solutions. With her wealth of experience and knowledge in the areas of corporate and securities law, Julie is well-placed to serve as a general counsel and provide the highest quality legal services.

Ms. Getzels is general counsel for the Art Institute of Chicago. As such, she handles all of the legal work for the institute's museum and school, including art acquisitions, copyright questions, employee issues, nonprofit tax matters and the legalities of the museum's new building project. A 1985 graduate of Harvard Law School, her official title is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. One of the perks of her job is being surrounded by great works of art.

Q: What attracted you to this kind of work?

A: Two things: the variety of the practice and working for a not-for-profit.

Q: What was your background before the Art Institute?

A: After I graduated from law school, I clerked for a federal judge and then worked for a small firm that did plaintiffs' employment discrimination work. After that, I was at the U.S. Attorney's Office as a criminal prosecutor for seven years. After I left the U.S. Attorney's office, I worked in various capacities in the City of Chicago's legal department, and then went from there to a not-for-profit hospital in the University of Chicago hospital system as the general counsel. I've done a lot of different things. This is the first one that involves art or education.

Q: Combining law and art sounds neat. What's it like to combine those two different fields?

A: It's very interesting in that when you're doing legal work, you're also learning about a field that's so different. For example, if I'm working on an acquisition of an art object, I may have to learn things about the artist or the time period in which it was made or other historical issues—for example, the possibility that the object was looted during the Holocaust. Also, my office is attached to the museum, so going back and forth to meetings, you go through these galleries of wonderful art and that's very nice.

Q: Do you have a favorite piece of "law art?"

A: No, though I do get attached to objects in that way. It's funny. When I go to exhibits, I'll think, "Oh, I know that painting. That's the one where we had a really difficult lender." I appreciate them from a very different perspective compared to the curators or visitors.

One of the things that happens at board meetings is the curators will present major new acquisitions. That's a lot of fun because you get to see the works in a very small setting and not in the galleries, so it's more personal. One of my favorite works is something that was presented at my first board meeting. I didn't realize I'd be sitting next to this great piece of art. It was a black stone bird—it sort of looks like the Maltese Falcon—from ancient Egypt. It's beautiful.

Q: What are you working on right now?

A: I'm working on some new art acquisition issues and policies. We're considering changing some of our policies. I'm working on various human resources issues and some issues related to the new building and some faculty issues. Every day, people will call me about something new. Some of them are little tiny things; some of them are great big things. I've gotten calls from people saying, "I have a client who's about to die, he has all this great artwork. He wants to give it to you before he dies for his own tax-planning purposes; will you accept this gift?" I'm the first point of contact, so I have to get information about what the artworks are, and I have to see if the curators want them and get all of that moving.

Q: What advice do you have for students interested in such a career?

A: To be a general counsel, you need to have a fairly rounded background. You need to be familiar with a lot of different areas. When I was hiring an associate general counsel, one of the problems I found in hiring from big firms is that people were very, very specialized, and that's not what I was looking for. They were great at doing one thing, but that's not that helpful when you are working in-house. If you are interested in working in-house or as a general counsel, you have to be able to deal with a varied range of issues and range of legal work.

Another important thing is to get used to dealing with clients. That's a very hard transition to make. When you're in-house, people will just walk in all the time and there isn't the buffer of being in a firm and being outside and they have to make a phone call or they have to go through the partner or whatever. It's you. And if you don't enjoy that, you won't enjoy being in-house.

Q: How do artists and lawyers get along?

A: Mainly very well. Actually, I don't work directly with artists almost ever. We've had a few acquisitions where we're acquiring directly from the artist as opposed to a donor or art dealer or art gallery. And those sometimes can be a little tricky. But as far as dealing with people in the art world, like curators, collectors, or dealers, we each appreciate the skills and knowledge that the other person has. The curators at the museum are very open to getting legal advice. They understand I'm here to help them make sure that when they buy a piece of art, it will stay here as opposed to being later found to be a problematic acquisition.

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