How can an in-house counsel business partner protect the company without becoming the person everyone avoids when a deal needs to close? It’s a familiar challenge for legal teams. Business colleagues want to move quickly, close deals, and launch new products, while legal must identify risks and protect the company. When those priorities collide, lawyers can easily become known as the department that says no.
On Notes to My Legal Self, guest speaker Elizabeth A. Colombo, Associate General Counsel at Vendavo, explained the in-house counsel business partner role. Colombo emphasized that legal leadership requires business judgment, empathy, and understanding the people behind each decision.
Watch the full conversation with Elizabeth A. Colombo here:
Good Legal Advice Starts With Understanding the Business
Colombo’s biggest lesson is that negotiation is rarely just about the contract. It is about people, psychology, competing pressures, and the business outcome behind the redlines.
The strongest negotiators are not necessarily those who identify the most issues. They recognize which issues matter, explain them clearly, and help both sides reach a workable agreement.
Trying to eliminate every possible risk is neither realistic nor good for business. Companies need to operate, make decisions, and sometimes accept uncertainty.
For in-house counsel, the challenge is distinguishing material risks from manageable ones. This doesn’t mean ignoring genuine threats. It means giving proportionate advice that helps decision-makers understand their options and consequences.
Empathy matters, too. Understanding what sales needs to close a deal, finance needs to protect margins, or product hopes to accomplish can reveal solutions a purely legal analysis might miss. Business context makes legal advice more practical.
How an In-House Counsel Business Partner Builds Trust
Colombo believes business teams are more likely to involve legal early when they see lawyers as partners rather than obstacles. Trust develops when counsel understands business goals, distinguishes meaningful risks from unnecessary friction, and offers practical options instead of simply pointing out what could go wrong.
Building that relationship takes more than attending meetings. It means getting curious about colleagues’ goals.
Colombo recalled joining a sales kickoff breakout group and hearing colleagues discuss business priorities. Participating helped her understand the business more deeply and reinforced that legal belonged at the table.
This is also where in-house lawyers can differentiate themselves as legal technology and AI evolve. Tools can analyze information and produce answers, but collaboration still depends on context, judgment, and human relationships.
Lead With Judgment, Empathy, and Human Connection
For legal leaders, the goal is not to become the loudest voice in the room or take ownership of every decision. It is to help people move from disagreement toward informed decisions while preserving trust.
When stakeholders disagree, in-house counsel can shift the conversation from competing positions to underlying interests. Sales and finance may disagree about a discount, but both want a deal that creates sustainable revenue. Recognizing that shared goal can open the door to a solution.
Lawyers can move beyond being referees and become architects of workable decisions. They can help teams evaluate alternatives, understand consequences, and find a path forward without losing sight of legal responsibilities.
The takeaway is simple: great in-house counsel don’t just protect the business from risk. They help it make better decisions. By combining expertise with empathy, sound judgment, and an understanding of business priorities, lawyers can become trusted business partners whose value extends beyond the contract every day.
Watch the full conversation here: Notes to My (Legal) Self: Season 15, Episode 2 (ft. Elizabeth A. Colombo)
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