7 Signs You're More Than "Just" the Lawyer in the Room

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Deep Dive

Being Busy ≠ Making an Impact

A few weeks ago, I was catching up with a friend who’s a GC at a fast-growing tech startup.

At one point she laughed and said, “Some days I feel like I’m working nonstop… but I honestly don’t know if I’m actually driving impact.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

If you’re in-house, you probably do too. The work never stops. Your calendar is packed, your inbox is relentless, and you’re constantly shifting between being strategic and putting out fires.

It’s easy to feel productive—but hard to know if what you’re doing is really moving the business forward. Because being busy isn’t the same as being impactful.

On top of being responsive and efficient, the in-house lawyers who drive the most business value are also intentional. Their work ladders up to business goals, shapes strategy, and earns them a seat at the table early (and often).

So how do you know if that’s you?

Here are 7 signs you’re driving real business impact, rather than just staying busy.

1. You’re aligned: Your Goals → Legal Team Goals → Company Goals.

Business-minded in-house lawyers understand that to maximize effect, their work needs to drive the business forward — not just protect against risk. That starts with clarity.

The legal team sets its goals based on what the company is trying to achieve. And individual team members align their own goals with those legal team priorities. When this cascade works, everyone’s efforts, yours included, roll up into meaningful business impact.

You go beyond closing deals and reviewing policies to intentionally and strategically helping the company hit revenue targets, enter new markets, or scale sustainably. Your day-to-day tasks map directly to team-wide objectives, which in turn support core business strategies.

That’s what impact looks like. Not just doing good legal work. Doing the right legal work, in the right direction.

2. You know the metrics and use them to make data-driven decisions.

There are times when you lean heavily on your instincts, as you should. But when it comes to how your team is performing, you aren’t guessing.

Instead, you know which metrics matter to the business and to the legal team. You track them. You use them. And you let them guide how you prioritize your time and focus your team’s energy.

That might mean tracking contract cycle times and adjusting processes to reduce friction for Sales. Or analyzing which types of requests eat up the most team hours and finding ways to streamline or automate. It might mean identifying trends in regulatory risk or compliance gaps and proactively addressing them before they escalate.

Whatever the specifics, you’re not just flying by feel. You’re making smarter decisions because you’re working from real data.

And when an exec asks what legal’s impact has been, you don’t just talk in anecdotes; you’ve got the numbers to back it up.

3. The advice you give goes beyond risk reduction; it includes ways to maximize business opportunity.

You’re not the person who leads with, “Here’s what we can’t do.”

Instead, you’re the one who says, “Here’s how we can do it—and make it even better.”

High-impact in-house lawyers don’t just flag risks and tighten guardrails. They help unlock upside. That might mean suggesting a more flexible contract structure that accelerates deal flow. Or advising on a product launch in a way that enables broader market reach, not just baseline compliance.

You understand the business model, the strategy, the competitive landscape, and you shape your legal advice accordingly. You know that aiming for zero risk is rarely worth the business cost. Instead, you help the business take smart, well-informed risks that actually move the needle.

And when you weigh in, business leaders appreciate not just your “legal approval” but also the strategic partnership you bring.

4. Colleagues bring you in early, and sometimes just want to bounce ideas off of you.

You’re not just looped in when something’s already on fire.

You’re part of the conversation from the start. Product wants your take on a new idea. Sales checks in before pitching a novel deal structure. A business lead pings you—not because there’s a legal issue, but because they value your perspective.

That’s a sign of trust. It means people see you as more than a legal checkpoint. You’re a thought partner. Someone who can help pressure-test ideas, spot opportunities, and flag risks before they become costly.

This early access also gives you more influence. You can shape strategy, not just react to it. You have the context to offer better, more tailored advice. And you get to be part of building things—not just policing them.

If colleagues come to you before they “need” you, you’re doing something right.

5. You communicate in a way that moves decisions forward.

You write for and speak to business leaders who are short on time and long on decisions to make. You know that this is different than communicating with an audience of other lawyers and you adjust accordingly.

Your emails, memos, and updates explain the law, but they go a step further and clarify the path forward. They’re tailored to the audience, focused on what matters, and framed in terms of business impact.

You don’t just say, “Here’s the issue.” You say, “Here’s what we recommend, and here’s why.” You anticipate follow-up questions. You make it easy to say yes, ask for more, or pivot fast.

When you communicate this way, you don’t just protect the company—you help it move faster, smarter, and with more confidence.

And your colleagues notice. Because in a world of long-winded emails and vague guidance, clarity is a competitive advantage.

6. You identify and solve problems the business hasn’t flagged yet.

Solving problems is one of the key roles of an in-house lawyer. Most of these problems are things that someone brings to you. But you do better than that.

While others are heads down in their lanes, you’re spotting patterns, connecting dots, and raising issues before they turn into roadblocks. You notice that three different teams are struggling with the same contract clause. You flag that a product tweak might trigger new regulatory considerations. You catch a misalignment in incentive structures that could drive the wrong behavior.

And you don’t stop at identifying the problem. You offer solutions.

This kind of foresight earns trust. It shows you understand not just your corner of the business, but the whole playing field. And it positions you as someone who helps the company avoid unforced errors and seize opportunities before the competition does.

7. You’ve built relationships across the business.

When people across the company actually know you beyond your title, you can get more done.

They loop you in early, they take your calls, and they give your advice real weight. Not because they have to, but because they trust you.

You’ve invested in getting to know your counterparts in Product, Marketing, HR, Finance, and beyond. You understand their goals, pressures, and priorities. And they know you’re not here to block progress—you’re here to help them succeed.

Strong relationships don’t just make your day-to-day easier (though they absolutely do). They make your legal advice more relevant, your influence more durable, and your work more impactful.

If your colleagues see you as a trusted partner, not just “Legal,” you’re making a difference.

You’re More Than An Internal Service Provider

This is the throughline behind every sign on this list.

You’re not standing on the sidelines, offering legal commentary after the fact. You’re embedded in the work that drives the company forward. You understand how the business makes money, where it wants to go, and what it needs to get there.

And you use your legal expertise not just to protect—but to accelerate, amplify, and enable.

That’s real impact. And if you’re seeing these signs in your day-to-day work? You’re already making it.