Your Client Hired a New General Counsel. What Should Your Firm Do Next?

A new general counsel joins a company your firm has represented for years. The relationship partner sends a welcome email. A few other partners reach out separately. Someone suggests offering a presentation on the firm’s capabilities, while another lawyer mentions knowing the new GC from a previous role.

Each person has a reason to get involved, but their efforts can quickly become disconnected. Before anyone has spoken with the new GC, the firm may have sent several overlapping messages without establishing who knows them, what they’re likely to prioritize or how the existing client team should respond.

A leadership change deserves a coordinated approach. Company intelligence helps lawyers understand the business the new GC is joining. Relationship intelligence helps them identify the people and connections that can support a thoughtful introduction.

Start with what you know about the client

Before researching the new GC, review the firm’s existing relationship with the company. Which practices have handled work? Who maintains the strongest relationships? What feedback has the client provided? Are there outstanding commitments or service issues that deserve attention?

This review can reveal information that sits outside the relationship partner’s immediate view. An employment partner may have worked closely with the head of HR, while a litigation team has regular contact with the deputy general counsel. Those relationships provide context about how the legal department operates and where continuity will matter.

Develop a concise internal briefing that captures the firm’s work, key contacts and current commitments. Keep it factual and useful. The lawyers approaching the new GC should understand the relationship they’re representing.

Look beyond the appointment announcement

The announcement confirms a leadership change, but it provides only part of the context. Review the new GC’s previous roles, relevant industry experience and publicly discussed professional priorities. Then examine what is happening at the company: acquisitions, leadership changes, geographic expansion or other developments that could affect the legal department’s work.

Separate verified information from assumptions. A GC who previously worked at a highly acquisitive company may bring relevant transaction experience, but that doesn’t establish the new employer’s acquisition plans. Similarly, a change in legal leadership doesn’t automatically signal a review of outside counsel.

Use the research to prepare informed questions. Understanding the company’s circumstances helps lawyers ask about priorities without presuming to know the answers.

Find the connections already inside your firm

Before requesting an introduction, establish whether one is needed. A partner may have worked with the new GC at a previous employer. An associate may know them through a professional organization. Another colleague may have a trusted relationship with someone on their leadership team.

Assess the quality of those connections. A recent working relationship carries different weight from a LinkedIn connection with no personal interaction. Ask colleagues how they know the person, when they last spoke and whether they would feel comfortable reaching out.

This is where relationship intelligence can improve the response. Making relevant connections visible gives the client team more options and helps it choose an approach grounded in an actual relationship.

Agree on who should reach out

The relationship partner should coordinate the firm’s response, with input from colleagues who have relevant connections. Decide who will send the initial message, whether an introduction would help and which other lawyers should become involved later.

A welcome message should acknowledge the appointment, briefly explain the existing relationship and offer a conversation at a convenient time. If there is a personal connection, include it naturally. Avoid filling the first email with practice descriptions, attachments and requests from several partners.

Other lawyers can contribute without sending separate messages. They can share background, identify relevant resources and help prepare the person making the introduction. Coordination makes the firm easier to engage with during a busy transition.

Prepare to listen before presenting capabilities

A new GC may be assessing the legal department’s workload, meeting internal stakeholders and learning how the business makes decisions. An introductory conversation should give them room to explain what they want from outside counsel and how they prefer to work.

Prepare a few questions about their priorities, expectations and immediate needs. Ask what has worked well in the company’s existing outside counsel relationships and where they would welcome a different approach. Be ready to explain the firm’s current work clearly, including who handles it and how the team communicates.

Relevant capabilities can follow from that discussion. If the GC identifies a specific concern, the firm can introduce the right colleague or share an appropriate resource. The connection between the client’s needs and the firm’s response should be easy to understand.

Make the follow-through visible

After the conversation, record what the GC actually said, the commitments made and who will handle each next step. Share the relevant information with the client team so future interactions reflect the discussion.

If the GC prefers consolidated updates, establish that process. If they request an introduction, arrange it promptly. If a topic would benefit from a follow-up conversation, agree on the participants and timing. These details give the firm an early opportunity to demonstrate that it listens and follows through.

Continue paying attention to company developments and changes in the relationship. The first meeting provides a starting point; subsequent conversations should build on what the team learns.

Turn the leadership change into a coordinated response

A new GC appointment brings company information, personal connections and client history into the same decision. The firm needs to understand what has changed, who can help and what action would be useful to the client.

Gatsby’s client and relationship intelligence can support that preparation by helping lawyers connect business developments with relevant relationship context. The client team can then use that information to coordinate outreach, prepare for conversations and make informed decisions about follow-up.

The quality of the response will show in the details: a well-chosen introduction, an informed question and a commitment delivered when promised.