Drive Business Results (not just contract review)

Deep Dive

A lesson on making THE thing, YOUR thing too.

For two years between college and law school, I taught 6th English Language Arts and Social Studies at a middle school in the South Bronx as a Teach for America corps member.

During teacher training, one of the most important messages drilled into us was that teaching the kids to read and write (“literacy”) was everyone’s job. Yes, even the math and science teachers were responsible for making sure our kids could read.

Why? Because reading is an essential life skill and part of any education. And if our students couldn’t read or write clearly, everything else would be harder to learn.

TFA was so serious about our learning this concept that they drilled it into us with a call and repeat chant. The training leader called out “Whose job?” to which every corps member simultaneously shouted in reply “My job!” (Yes, this was a bit extreme. But the whole experience of teacher training was).

From day one of teaching summer school, and later when we entered our classrooms in the fall, we all understood that taking the time to teach reading and writing—even when that was not the subject we were assigned to teach—was a worthwhile investment.

And so, yes, literacy was everyone’s job. It didn’t matter what we were hired to teach; the greater goal demanded we all step up.

Whose job is it to drive the business forward? Everyone’s job.

Just as middle schoolers who can’t read are in trouble, while those who excel at reading and writing will likely excel overall, a business without revenue or growth is in trouble—while one with those things will likely succeed.

You can mitigate legal risk all day. But it means nothing if there’s no revenue.  

And while, at this point, most of us understand that we need to effectively support and partner with the business to be effective, I’d take it a step further. We need to think of business as part of our jobs.

It’s in the company’s best interest (and also yours, as an in-house lawyer who presumably would like to keep your job), to adopt the mindset that driving the business forward is part of your job. This is part of being business-minded, which I’ve talked about before. (Becoming Business-Minded).

How does an in-house lawyer drive the business forward?

To teach literacy in social studies, I incorporated lessons on reading comprehension and how to structure a research paper into my students’ day-to-day work of learning the history curriculum.

Driving business goals as a lawyer requires a similar approach. You still have to do the legal work, but you do it with an eye to moving the business towards its current big picture goals.

Step 1: Know the company’s goals.

Different companies have different goals at different times. Your job is to understand what matters right now.

Is your company focused on:

• Driving top-line revenue or increasing profitability?

• Signing new logos or expanding existing accounts?

• Fundraising within the next 12 months?

• Acquiring companies or preparing to be acquired?

Ideally, leadership communicates these priorities clearly and often. But if you’re unsure, ask. Talk to your manager. Reach out across departments. Don’t wait for a formal strategy doc to land in your inbox. Instead, go get the context you need.

Step 2: Align your legal work to those goals.

Once you know what the business is aiming for, identify how legal can contribute.

• If the goal is faster sales, you can streamline contract processes, keep turnaround times short, and make the company’s paper commercially reasonable.

• If the focus is profitability, look at ways to reduce legal spend, like shifting repeatable work from big law to ALSPs or internal team members.

• If the company is expanding into new markets, identify jurisdictions with favorable regulatory environments and proactively shape the legal foundation for smooth entry.

To be clear, working as part of the business isn’t about doing extra work. It’s about doing your existing work with strategic awareness. That’s how legal becomes a growth lever.

Step 3: Communicate in a way that builds momentum.

Legal insight is only valuable if people understand and use it.

To drive the business forward, you need to share your guidance in a way that helps others make decisions quickly and confidently. That means:

• Leading with the bottom line: What can they do, and under what conditions?

• Avoiding legal jargon: Speak like a business partner, not a memo.

• Offering options when you encounter obstacles: Rather than saying “no,” try to find a similar path to accomplish the same goal, without the risk.

Fast-moving businesses don’t have time for dense emails or over-lawyered documents. Clear, actionable communication builds trust—and accelerates progress.

Step 4: Focus your time where it matters most.

Not all legal work has the same impact. If you want to move the business forward, you have to prioritize. I’ve talked about this before. (A Principle Based Approach to Picking the Work that Matters Most).

Ask yourself:

• What work directly supports this quarter’s strategic goals?

• What work could be delegated, deferred, or dropped entirely?

• What high-risk areas need your senior judgment—and what doesn’t?

This is where being business-minded matters most. You’re proactively deciding where to spend your time to create the most value, rather than exclusively mitigating risk. The best in-house lawyers protect the company and help it grow by choosing wisely what to work on, and what to let go.

The Bottom Line

The most effective in-house lawyers apply their legal skills in service of the goal the company is trying to achieve right now.

You don’t need an MBA or a seat at every strategy meeting to do this well. You just need curiosity, context, and the willingness to align your legal work with the company’s momentum. Plus awareness that doing so matters!

Driving the business forward is part of your job. And when you embrace that mindset, you become more than just a valued business partner—you become part of the business.

3 Quick Ideas for Making the Most of Work Travel

I spent last week at Red Cell’s offices in McLean, Virginia. It was awesome. And exhausting.

I love spending time with my legal team and our colleagues, but I also miss my family and the routines that ground me.

Still, I’m committed to making the most of work travel. Here are three things I do on the road that make the experience better (and have nothing to do with the work itself).

Let me know if any of these inspire you to do the same or look like things you already do.

1. I start every day I’m away with a workout.

   Whether it’s a run, a group fitness class with colleagues, or lifting in the hotel gym, starting the day by taking care of myself sets the tone. It also makes it easier to sit still and stay focused when I’m just the right amount of tired.

2. I bring comfy clothes for the hotel.

   I don’t check a bag unless absolutely necessary, but I always make room in my carry-on for sweats or other cozy clothes. Changing out of work clothes the minute I get back to my room—even if I do a bit more work—helps me wind down fast.

3. Spend time socially with colleagues I don’t work with daily.

   My team is awesome and I’m always excited to spend time with them when we’re in person. But I also go out of my way to connect with colleagues across departments and at different levels. People are interesting, and those casual conversations make work travel more fun, and future collaborations a lot smoother. People who know me feel comfortable reaching out when they need something or think they might have an issue. Win-win.