The role of general counsels is evolving. As mentioned by E. Norman Veasey and Christine T. Di Guglielmo, in their paper "General Counsel Buffeted by Compliance Demands and Client Pressures May Face Personal Peril", :



"Not only does the general counsel uniquely straddle the world of business and law in giving advice to the management and directors of her client (the corporation), but also she may find herself personally in the crosshairs of regulators, prosecutors, and litigants" and " But the quintessential general counsel, acting as both persuasive counselor and a leader in setting the corporation’s ethical tone, will do the right thing and thus be prepared to deal with these challenges and tensions".

To read more: http://www.americanbar.org/tools/digitalassetabstract.html/content/dam/aba/publications/business_lawyer/2012_68_1/tbl_2012_v68_n1_02_a_veasey.pdf

You can also read "Du directeur juridique au general counsel", a paper published after a round-table with several general counsels, my colleague Prof. Christophe Jamin from the Law School of Sciences Po', Paris, and myself (Cahiers de Droit de l'Entreprise, nov-dec 2012, p. 9-21) (available on demand)