How to Be an Influential In-House Counsel: Lessons in Leadership Without Authority

In-house legal professionals often find themselves in an unusual position. Unlike external counsel who are retained for specific tasks and usually have a clear client-attorney dynamic, in-house counsel live and breathe the business, working cross-functionally with product, marketing, engineering, and leadership. Yet, despite being deeply embedded, legal teams rarely have formal authority over their business partners. 

I recently wrote a LinkedIn post about influence as in-house legal and it struck a chord with over 700 legal professionals who struggle with this issue. You can read my post here. 

So how do you drive influence and become a trusted advisor when you’re not the boss?

One of my favorite leadership books recommended by my fantastic executive coach Dr. Renee St Jacques is Keith Ferrazzi’s Leading Without Authority. The book offers a framework for this kind of leadership. His central premise is: leadership today is no longer about hierarchy—it's about co-elevation. That is, working in partnership with others to elevate not only your own performance but also theirs. As an in-house counsel, embracing this approach can shift how you build influence.

Here are three key tactics I’ve used that may help you lead more effectively even when you don’t formally own the decision:

1. Communicate for Connection, Not Control

Legal guidance is often seen as a blocker: a well-meaning “no,” cloaked in legal jargon. But in-house legal counsel who want to lead without authority know that the way you deliver a message is just as important as the message itself.

One of Ferrazzi’s core message is the importance of relational competence—being able to engage in a way that uplifts rather than intimidates. This is especially relevant for in-house lawyers, who must influence without alienating. 

I admit I’m always learning how to build this competence as sometimes I forget being legal may be intimidating in itself to a non-legal or junior colleague and I can wrongly assume I have shared goals with my non-legal colleagues. 

Here’s how to put this into action:

• Frame your advice as a shared goal. Instead of saying “We can’t do that because it violates xyz law,” try “Here’s how we can get to a solution that protects the business and achieves your goal of driving growth and it’s a better customer experience than our competitors.” Also add, “What do you think?” You’re still delivering the legal guidance but in a way that leads with solutions and invites collaboration.

• Ask before advising. Understand what matters to your non-legal colleagues. What are their KPIs? What are they worried about? When you show that you get their world, your legal advice will land more effectively—and won’t feel like an imposition.

• Use storytelling. Sometimes the fastest way to influence is through stories. “Here’s how a similar approach helped another company in our industry navigate this challenge…” or “Let me tell you about a time a similar risk played out at a previous employer” can be far more persuasive than citing a regulatory requirement.

  
  

By focusing on communication that’s a win for the other person you earn their trust and often their buy-in. And trust, not title, is the currency of influence. My LinkedIn post with a personal story shared above is a great example. 

2. Celebrate the Wins of Others

Back at Lexion I was a power user of our thank you Slack channel. It might seem counterintuitive to focus on someone else’s success when your goal is to increase your own influence. But in Ferrazzi’s world of co-elevation, this is exactly the point.

When you recognize the achievements of others you show that you’re not just there to enforce rules, but to champion the people around you.

Celebrating wins isn't just good team culture. It's a smart move.

How to put this into action:

• Be specific. Don’t just say “nice job.” Say, “The way you handled that difficult contract negotiation of the limitation of liability clause was impressive given their stubbornness on unlimited cap on liability for data breaches.” Specific praise is more memorable and feels more authentic.

• Praise publicly. Give credit where credit is due. A quick shoutout in a meeting, a thank you Slack message, or a note to someone’s manager highlighting their contribution can make a lasting impression. It signals that you see the people behind the projects.

• Connect it to your shared mission. “Your work on the product launch helped us avoid a major risk of non-compliance of the EU AI Act and will also us develop trust with our customers and differentiate — thanks for looping legal in early!” Use the words “we,” “us,” and “our” in your language. This shows the win was a team effort and reinforces the value of collaboration with legal.

  
  

Celebrating others builds connection. And people are more likely to listen to, trust, and support those who recognize their contributions. Influence is earned, and one of the best ways to earn it is to lift others up.

3. Lead With Empathy: Show Vulnerability and Humility

Vulnerability is not a liability—it’s a leadership superpower. That might sound odd coming from the legal world, where the appearance of strength and competence are often the name of the game (I see you Harvey Specter in Suits). But to build true influence, you have to let go of perfection and lean into empathy.

This means being willing to say, “I made a mistake here by doing xyz: I’m sorry.” Focus on the action, not person. It means being able to say, “I don’t know the answer but I’ll find out and get back to you.” 

I’ll start with a vulnerable and humbling experience: I haven’t always hit it out of the park when sharing my constructive feedback with non-legal or junior colleagues even if my intent is good because of delivery as people receive these inputs differently and desire certain types of feedback (it’s not always constructive; sometimes they just want acknowledgment). One type of delivery doesn’t fit all and intent does not equal impact. These experiences drove me to seek feedback from trusted colleagues and engage an executive coach to learn and grow. 

In a world where so much of business is built on trust, vulnerability is the fast track to credibility.

How to put this into action:

• Own your mistakes. When something goes sideways such as a delayed contract, acknowledge it. Then share what you’ve learned and how you’ll improve. It’s not weakness; it’s leadership.

• Ask for feedback. Invite your colleagues or stakeholders to tell you what’s working and what’s not. A simple “What could legal do differently to better support you?” can open up invaluable conversations.

• Be human. Share your own challenges when appropriate. “I struggled with that too when I started working with sales or product teams…” helps normalize learning curves and builds deeper relationships.

  
  

Empathy goes both ways. When someone else makes a mistake, resist the urge to say “That could’ve been avoided if you’d looped legal in earlier.” Instead, offer support and help them recover. Influence is about being helpful, not right.

Conclusion

Being an influential in-house counsel is about creating alignment, building trust, and helping others shine. Ferrazzi’s model of co-elevation reminds us that true leadership comes from partnership, not power.

And the good news? As in-house counsel, you’re already perfectly placed to lead without authority because your success is already tied to everyone else’s.

If you’d like to learn more about this topic and additional ways to elevate your skills, check out the In-House podcast hosted by yours truly. The podcast is available where you listen to your podcasts (Apple, Spotify). How to Be an Influential In-House Counsel: Lessons in Leadership Without Authority

Jessica Nguyen

Deputy General Counsel, AI Innovation & Trust, Docusign

Advisory Board Member, Ready Set GC