When 3D printer company Glowforge hired Megan Lutes as general counsel last summer, she was not expecting to take on additional roles outside the legal department. However, a few months into her new position, the Seattle-based startup’s chief human resources officer left and, all of a sudden, the chief executive officer was asking Lutes if she wanted to serve as chief GC and HR.
“I was feeling like, ‘Gosh, I’m not even done building my legal team. I don’t have our processes in place. That’s a lot to do to take on another organization. Does that make sense?’” she remembers.
Lutes, a former employment lawyer, also questioned whether serving as both GC and HR chief would possibly cause sticky attorney–client privilege issues.
“In-house already has a gray line, because you’re often giving business advice and not legal advice,” Lutes says. “And is that going to be compounded when you’re also the head of a business org that’s not part of legal?”
Are you interested in learning more about the rise of the dual-role GC? Read more in this law.com article.
