Going In-House: A Firm Lawyer’s Roadmap to the General Counsel Role

Kimberly Simpson, COO | National Association of Corporate Directors

Kimberly Simpson is Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), the nation’s premier organization dedicated to empowering directors and transforming boards. She is responsible for ensuring that NACD’s operations meet its strategic objectives. In addition to the legal function, she has specific oversight responsibility for the team that engages NACD’s 23,000+ members, NACD Directorship Certification®, the NACD Chapter Network in 35 cities, marketing, and external engagement. She also supports two boards of directors (NACD and the NACD Corporate Directors Institute).

• Education & Credentials

Kimberly received her Juris Doctor from the University of California, Berkeley, a Master of Arts in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin, and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, summa cum laude, from The University of Alabama. She is admitted to practice law in California, Virginia (as in-house counsel), and Texas (inactive).

• Recognition & Leadership

Kimberly was a U.S. Marshall Memorial Fellow to Europe in 2005.

• Professional Involvement

Kimberly frequently speaks and writes on governance matters.

• Experience

Prior to joining NACD, Kimberly held a number of executive leadership roles. She served as Executive Vice President at Sanford Health, the largest rural, not-for-profit health care system in the nation with locations in 126 communities in nine states and in countries such as Ghana, Africa. She was the inaugural President of the Edith Sanford Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to advance breast cancer research and treatment. Formerly the Chief Operating Officer for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Kimberly led the network of more than 120 Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates across the United States and had responsibility for the organization’s legal, human resources, information technology, and internal communications functions. She was the secretary to the board of directors and was a board member of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Advocacy Alliance. Prior to joining Komen, Kimberly was Vice President and General Counsel at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, the top pediatric orthopedic hospital in the country.

Jennifer McIver, Director | Walters Kluwer ELM Solutions

Jennifer McIver is an attorney turned legal technologist with extensive experience helping corporate legal departments improve operational efficiency, spend management, and collaboration with outside counsel through the use and adoption of technology. As Director, Legal Operations & Industry Insights at Wolters Kluwer, Jennifer represents ELM Solutions at industry events, develops thought-provoking content, and dives deep with LegalVIEW to surface valuable data insights about rates and other industry trends.

• Education & Credentials

Jennifer graduated from Washington State University and the Seattle University School of Law.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jennifer represents ELM Solutions at industry events and serves as a thought leader on legal operations, spend management, and outside counsel collaboration.

• Professional Involvement

Jennifer develops thought-provoking content and dives deep with LegalVIEW to surface valuable data insights about rates and other industry trends. Her recent publications include the LegalVIEW® Insights 2026-1: The Rate-Pressure Paradox report (May 2026), “Future Ready Lawyer 2026: Building Confidence for Legal Enterprises in an AI Era” (April 2026), and “Future Ready Lawyer: Advancing AI Fluency Through Training” (May 2026).

• Experience

Jennifer has previous legal operations and thought leadership experience with LawVu and Thomson Reuters, where she also held various client relationship positions. Her work focuses on helping corporate legal departments improve operational efficiency, spend management, and collaboration with outside counsel through the use and adoption of technology.

Colin Levy, General Counsel | Malbek

Colin S. Levy is a legal technology author, educator, and General Counsel who works at the forefront of law, AI, and innovation. He brings more than a decade of in-house experience in technology companies and is widely regarded as a leading voice helping legal teams and solution providers turn AI and automation into disciplined, practical workflows. As General Counsel at Malbek, an adjunct professor, and a frequent conference and webinar speaker, Colin translates complex topics such as AI governance, contract lifecycle management, and digital transformation into clear, actionable insights for sophisticated legal and business audiences.

• Education & Credentials

Colin holds a J.D. from Boston College Law School and a B.A., with Honors, from Trinity College, Hartford. He also holds a Certificate in Legal Innovation and Technology from Suffolk University Law School.

• Recognition & Leadership

Colin is a Fastcase 50 2022 Honoree and serves as a judge for the American Legal Technology Awards. He is a Board Member of the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium (CLOC).

• Professional Involvement

Colin is the author of The Legal Tech Ecosystem: Innovation, Advancement & the Future of Law Practice, co-author of CLM for Dummies, and editor of the Handbook of Legal Tech. His forthcoming book on AI and lawyers, expected in fall 2026, will offer a rigorous, real-world guide to governing AI, understanding its limits, and integrating it responsibly into legal practice. His writing and commentary appear regularly in Today’s General Counsel. He also advises startups and invests in emerging legal technology.

• Experience

Colin operates at the center of Contract Lifecycle Management as General Counsel at Malbek, giving him a practitioner’s perspective on how technology reshapes the way legal teams operate day to day. Organizers invite him when they want a candid, hype-free, and forward-looking perspective on how AI and legal technology are reshaping the practice and business of law.

John Gilmore, Managing Partner | BarkerGilmore

John Gilmore is Managing Partner at BarkerGilmore, based in Rochester, NY and Naples, FL. John has devoted the past 20 years to establishing BarkerGilmore as the nation’s highest quality boutique for in-house legal and compliance executive search and coaching. He maintains oversight for executive search, which regularly places Chief Legal Officer/General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Senior Counsel, Chief Compliance Officers, and Chief Risk Officers. Dedicated to the advancement of others and functioning seamlessly across industries, John and his team serve as key advisors to many of the world’s most successful public and private companies, private equity and VC funded portfolio companies, government agencies, and non-profits.

• Education & Credentials

John holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is Hogan Certified.

• Recognition & Leadership

John is considered an authority on succession planning, compensation, and employment trends for legal and compliance. His insights have appeared in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Corporate Board Member Magazine. His team’s performance metrics include a 99% search completion rate, a 91% three-year stick rate, and a 4.9/5.0 client satisfaction score.

• Professional Involvement

John’s monthly articles are read by thousands of the top law firm and in-house lawyers in the country, and he is often quoted in the press on succession planning, compensation, and employment trends for legal and compliance executives.

• Experience

John developed the next-generation CustomFit℠ process, which is employed in every BarkerGilmore engagement and yields rates of candidate placement, diversity, and retention consistently far above industry average. His assessment process reveals the soft skills critical to candidate selection, with reliance on key candidate indicators such as emotional intelligence and the ability to serve as a strategic advisor. John leads search assignments — often on a confidential basis — partnering closely with CEOs, CHROs, Board Members, and General Counsel as they make critical hires across industrial, private equity, energy, financial services, non-profit, healthcare and life sciences, technology, and consumer industries.

SESSION 1 – The Evolving Role of the General Counsel | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

Cover the changing role of the General Counsel, including key trends in the legal market, building and demonstrating value within the organization, navigating the executive search process, and AI’s influence on the legal function.

SESSION 2 – From Lawyer to Business Partner | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Cover how in-house counsel shift from reactive advisor to strategic business partner, including the perception gap, the credibility equation, the KPIs worth tracking, AI literacy as a strategic signal, and three concrete actions for the next 30 days.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 3 – The Pivotal Role of the General Counsel in Driving Board Excellence | 2:10pm – 2:40pm

Examine the General Counsel’s role in driving board excellence, including what boards are saying, leveraging the board as a strategic asset, how process can save your CEO, and technology and AI oversight as the new frontier for boards.

SESSION 4 – Data-Driven Outside Counsel Management | 2:40pm – 3:10pm

Cover data-driven outside counsel management, including rate benchmarking, invoice compliance and billing data as practical management tools, defining value beyond hourly rates, how value definitions shape firm selection and performance evaluation, and how AI is changing outside counsel relationships.