251.73 sec. 001 - Being General Counsel (Fall 2025)
Instructor: Seth R Jaffe (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only)
View all teaching evaluations for this course - degree students only
Units: 3
Grading Designation: Graded
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Meeting:
W 10:00 AM - 12:40 PM
Location: Law 113
From August 20, 2025
To November 19, 2025
Course End: November 19, 2025
Class Number: 32379
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 15
Waitlisted: 20
Enroll Limit: 24
As of: 04/30 08:43 PM
This course will take a deep dive into the role of general counsel. We’ll look at what a chief legal officer or general counsel (GC) does every day, who they work with, and what types of issues come across their desks, including an array of social and political issues. Through lectures, readings, and a series of simulations and other experiential learning, students will learn how GCs act as corporate leaders and strategists, to whom the GCs are accountable, and what qualities world-class general counsels share. We will also focus on the human aspects of the role - how GCs deal with individual and organizational issues; how they manage through crisis events, globally and locally, including pandemics and layoffs; how they manage difficult and courageous conversations; what group and individual behaviors and psychological issues they face; how they work with outside counsel; and how the GC can do what’s right, even when it’s unpopular. We also look at the various career paths toward becoming a general counsel.
The course objectives are to:
Understand the role and responsibilities of the modern GC and how it differs from private practice, and critical skill sets for attorneys seeking to become and work with GCs as well as those wishing to be hired and retained by GCs
Map a path toward a future GC position
Experiential learning to deal with the issues, challenges, and nuances of the role
Apply psychological awareness to optimize individual and group relationships, manage difficult conversations with internal teams and outside counsel, and handle the emotional aspects of the role
Review successful and unsuccessful examples of GCs prioritizing work, managing critical issues, and handling crisis events.
Focus on the communication skills necessary to excel in the role of general counsel
Grading
1. Class participation in discussions, exercises, and simulations
2. Written, oral, and video evaluations of scenarios and presentation of alternatives and advice, including self-reflective analysis
Instructor
•Seth Jaffe, Lead Instructor, General Counsel University at Berkeley Law Executive Education; Immediate Past Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Levi Strauss & Co.; former general counsel of William-Sonoma, Inc. and CareThere, Inc.; and former attorney at the McCutchen law firm in San Francisco. JD, University of Michigan Law School; AB, Brown University.
After spending the bulk of my career in-house, including three general counsel positions, I decided to use my enthusiasm for teaching to bring the learning from my experiences to students. I have loved the last five years at Berkeley Law!
Attendance at the first class is mandatory for all currently enrolled and waitlisted students; any currently enrolled or waitlisted students who are not present on the first day of class (without prior permission of the instructor) will be dropped. The instructor will continue to take attendance throughout the add/drop period and anyone who moves off the waitlist into the class must continue to attend or have prior permission of the instructor in order not to be dropped.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (P) Final Paper
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Business Law
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
Simulation Courses
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Readers:
No reader.
Books:
Instructor has indicated that no books will be assigned.