The Startup General Counsel: A Primer For Success By Sterling Miller

Sterling Miller knows in-house life, from leading the legal team for Sabre Holdings’successful IPO back during the original internet boom to three stints as General Counsel of dynamic, nimble companies to his current role as CEO and Senior Counsel of Hilgers Graben. We asked him to share his hard-won experience and thoughts on what it’s really like to sit in the big chair, to inform the next generation of first time PCs. Here’s what he has to say.

There is little more exciting than your first general counsel job, especially when the company is small or a start-up. Finally, you get to be in charge and do things the way you have always wanted to do them. And there is also possibility of a large financial payout if the company is successful.

Still, there are challenges. To start, the entire legal “team”is likely comprised of just you. Meaning, mixed with that shiver of excitement is a very real twinge of fear; as in, what happens now, and can i handle it? The answer to the latter is almost certainly, “Of course you can!”The answer to the former can be a bit more complex, depending somewhat on your comfort level with the “Lone Ranger”role, the rocket-like pace, sometimes unlimited resources, and the challenge of being the only lawyer at the company.

If this sounds like something you might like to try, then read on – here is a primer on how to succeed as a start-up general counsel and how to hit the ground running.