Be the GC! Virtual Discussion with Jeff Levinson, Vice President and General Counsel, NetScout
ACC Northeast Special Event: Being the GC!: A Virtual Discussion with Jeff Levinson and Gemma Dreher Jeff and Gemma willΒ ...
Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Netscout
Search every verified Jeff Levinson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a September 2021 discussion hosted by the ACC Northeast chapter, Jeff Levinson, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at Netscout, spoke about the role of in-house counsel in leading cross-functional initiatives. He cited GDPR compliance and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting as examples where legal teams often need to drive change even when the issues are not strictly legal. Levinson described the need for in-house lawyers to be comfortable with "volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity" and to take initiative by volunteering for new challenges. Levinson discussed his approach to leadership, stating that he aims to empower his team by loading them with responsibility and trusting them to communicate regularly. He noted that good people can be productive working anywhere if trust is earned, and that creating a coherent company culture is a CEO-level decision with input from legal and HR. He also advised his younger self to be more collaborative rather than competitive, saying that collaboration enhances relationships and effectiveness.
“A few years ago GDPR, the European data privacy regs, were being talked about before enforcement, and many companies were not getting ahead of this. It takes a lot of cross-functional collaboration to address those issues, and the legal team often has to lead even if it's not strictly a legal function.”
“ESGβenvironmental, social, and governanceβis an area where customers are asking what our company does around climate change, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety. We were answering these questions through different groups but not in a consolidated or coherent way, so it was important to drive change and lead...”
“In-house counsel must be able to deal with volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Many issues are in gray areas with no clear answers, so you have to be comfortable with that and take initiative by raising your hand and volunteering.”
“When discussing ESG topics at the executive level, I don't explicitly switch hats between attorney and executive. People understand that when I lead these initiatives, I'm acting as an executive, not just as general counsel, except when legal advice is needed.”
“A proactive leader in-house must own their subject matter areas, know a little about many things, apply judgment, be accountable to the board and CEO, and be comfortable with uncertainty and gray areas like GDPR when rules are not fully defined.”
“To empower your team to be proactive, hire the right people who keep an open mind and repeatedly raise their hand to volunteer for new challenges, even if it's outside their previous experience.”
“Balancing not micromanaging while being accountable means loading people with responsibility and seeing how they respond. Trust is earned through good communication and regular updates, so no one is surprised by developments.”
“Good people can be productive working anywhere if they earn trust and confidence. The challenge is to create a coherent company culture and plan that accommodates different needs like elder care or child care, which is ultimately a CEO-level decision with input from legal and HR.”
“Asking 'why' is a powerful question in legal and business contexts. It's important to be comfortable showing vulnerability and curiosity by asking for explanations, especially when raising your hand to be proactive outside your usual lane.”
“One piece of advice I would give my younger self as general counsel is to be more collaborative rather than competitive early on. Collaboration enhances relationships and effectiveness within the profession and organization.”
ACC Northeast Special Event: Being the GC!: A Virtual Discussion with Jeff Levinson and Gemma Dreher Jeff and Gemma willΒ ...
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