Overview and Mission
The Texas General Counsel Forum has been serving in-house leaders since 1998. The Forum is a community and network of general counsel and senior managing counsel representing more than half of the Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state as well as prominent companies and organizations in each chapter city.
The Forum strives to be the best at discovering, benchmarking and sharing best legal practices, and delivering them to members in a local, peer-to-peer community. No legal department – even the largest and most well-funded – knows it all. In-house innovation comes from diverse sources, and the most direct path to those solutions is from the innovators themselves. This is the power of collaboration: the power of a forum.
To meet our mission objectives, the Forum hosts networking and educational events in chapter cities, in a multitude of venues and program formats. Events include breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings with and without speakers; cocktail parties in prominent GCs' homes; sporting events; awards dinners; conference meetings; and special one-off meetings.
Unlike similar organizations, our mission is advanced by Forum members partnering with valued underwriters and sponsors who share and support our mission. This partnership helps the Forum achieve its mission to improve the professional lives of in-house leadership through the discovery and sharing of best legal practices.
Mission Statement
The Texas General Counsel Forum is a legal community that strives to improve the professional lives of general counsel and managing counsel. The Forum endeavors to be the association of choice serving legal department leaders through meaningful opportunities for peer group interaction and knowledge exchange, mentoring through professional development in best practices, ethics, governance and compliance.
A Vision for the Future
A Different Business Model
Less is More
Leadership
Programming
Leadership Institute (formerly known as FILL)
Unlike similar programs that are designed by academicians and law firm attorneys, FILL was designed “by” general counsel and “for” general counsel and senior managing counsel. True to the Institute’s name, the relatively small classes (no more than 35) focus on the skills and tools needed to lead an in-house legal department through the fiscal, cultural, organizational and management hurdles faced by in-house leaders today.
Students meet in three, two-day sessions in February, March and April, and participate in 46 hours of classroom study, discussion, and small group projects. Each class is led by an SMU professor, most of whom have been with the Institute since its founding. Continuing Legal Educations credits awarded by the Texas State Bar are 20.5 hours of participatory, plus 6.75 hours of ethics.
Many of the companies that participate in the program have for several years. Company participants include AT&T; BP America; PepsiCo; Kimberly Clark Corporation; Celanese Corp.; ConocoPhillips; Flour Corporation; McAfee; 7-Eleven; and Texas Instruments.
The Forum Today
The Forum strives to be the best at discovering, benchmarking and sharing best practices, and delivering them to members in a peer-to-peer community environment. No legal department, even the largest and most well-funded, knows it all. In-house innovation comes from diverse sources, and the most direct path to those solutions is from the innovators themselves.
New CEO
On June 15, 2016, Lynn Switzer Bozalis joined as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Texas General Counsel Forum.
Lynn received her Bachelor of Arts from University of Texas and her Juris Doctorate from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law. She practiced as a trial associate with Baker Botts LLP before turning her focus to non-profit and academic organizations. Over her 25 year career, Lynn has developed lasting relationships throughout the legal community and acquired remarkable experience in programming, leadership, strategic collaboration, fund-raising, and special events. In addition to this background and experience, Lynn brings a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the position and for the Forum's mission.
Building on the Forum's strong foundation, Lynn's unique credentials and proven leadership will ensure the future progress of the Forum.