The art of transforming lawyers into directors on receptive boards

IN AUGUST, US rental car giant Hertz announced that it is adding two lawyers as board members – a current and a former general counsel of corporations.

This is the latest in an increasing trend where lawyers are welcomed by commercial boards.

For years, companies have resisted (even frowned upon) the appointment of lawyers to boards, with some corporate leaders believing that because their businesses already have an internal chief legal officer or general counsel, appointing a lawyer from the outside would be superfluous. This was the mindset regardless of whether the lawyer hailed from legal practice or was a general counsel in another corporation.