Forget Cost Centre, Legal is a Strategic Powerhouse and Here’s How
Legal departments have suffered from a bad rep for a long time, but this perception can be completely transformed. Here's how.
A conversation with Eugénie Michalopoulos on Flank's podcast, Mind At Work.
If you’re an in-house lawyer, you’ve probably heard it before: legal is a cost centre, a bottleneck, a team that slows things down. But in Episode 2 of Mind At Work, Eugénie Michalopoulos, General Counsel at BlueOptima, flips that narrative on its head.
We talked about how legal teams can ditch the old stereotypes, align with the business, and show up as true strategic partners. Eugenie has walked the walk, and her advice is refreshingly practical.
Unlearning What You Think You Know
Eugenie didn’t pull any punches when we discussed what it takes to keep up with today’s pace of change.
“You need to be willing to unlearn a lot of what you know,” I agreed. “A lot of the growth actually involves knowing what to let go so that you’re also making space for new things and new skills.”
This hit home for me—and probably for a lot of us. Holding onto what we’ve always done can feel safe, but it won’t get us where we need to go.
How to Show Up as a Strategic Partner
Eugenie’s advice for GCs looking to maximize their impact was refreshingly straightforward:
1️⃣ Focus on the business. “Understand what the priorities are for the organisation and make sure you’re matching your focus to those priorities.”
2️⃣ Build relationships that matter. “You need to make sure people are aligned on the same goals and feel supported.”
3️⃣ Make room for innovation. Change can be uncomfortable, but it’s also necessary. Legal teams can’t afford to stay stuck in old ways of working.
Moving Beyond the Bottleneck
This part of our conversation really stood out to me:
“Legal teams can be seen as bottlenecks,” Eugenie admitted, “but we have the potential to be enablers of trust, efficiency, and growth.”
I couldn’t agree more. The way legal teams operate and add value is evolving, and it’s up to us to lead that transformation.
Listen Now
If you’re ready to rethink what’s possible for legal, you won’t want to miss this episode. Eugenie brings a no-nonsense perspective that’s as practical as it is inspiring.
🎧 Prefer to listen to Episode 2 of Mind At Work on the go? Find this episode here.
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