March 2025 update:
The shifting legislative and political landscape in the United States has made it necessary to adapt the General Counsel Oath. While the term Diversity, Equity and Inclusion no longer appears, the principles of fairness and opportunity should hopefully still provide General Counsel with a helpful path to building strong, successful and happy teams.
Using the General Counsel Oath for training and development purposes:
The General Counsel Oath can be used individually by current or aspiring General Counsel to plan their efforts and development goals. It can also be used in a group or team setting as a training tool for leadership development and objective setting.
A few words on why this initiative is important:
Many people are familiar with the Hippocratic Oath that doctors may take at the start of their career. The Hippocratic Oath reminds a physician to see the patient – not the illness; to use medical knowledge and skills to avoid harm and injustice; and to recognize the value of medical knowledge in creating a special place in society for doctors, and thus an obligation to treat all patients with care and compassion.
Lawyers and compliance professionals will normally appreciate that their work is underpinned by ideals of fairness, justice and professional responsibility. These behaviours are typically guided by licensing requirements, professional codes, and bodies who oversee bar membership. While these elements provide some consistency to guide professional behaviour, there is disparity in how lawyers and compliance professionals serve clients, work with colleagues, approach adversaries, build teams or hire candidates. This is normal as we are individuals of different backgrounds, life experiences, belief systems, skills, and motivations.
Similarly, when it comes to oaths, aside from oaths taken upon bar membership or admission to practice before courts, there is no universal oath to establish a commitment towards a combination of personal excellence, professional behaviour, and positive societal impact.
Perhaps it is time for in-house lawyers to adopt a different kind of oath – a commitment by General Counsel*, anywhere in the world, to use our collective power, influence and knowledge to: set a standard for personal and professional behaviour; improve access to justice; and support fairness and opportunity within our teams and throughout our organizations.
The ambition is that adherence to the General Counsel Oath will provide General Counsel with a path that leads to positive work experiences, more constructive professional relationships, and a sense of common purpose with other in-house counsel and compliance professionals. The General Counsel Oath also guides the General Counsel in sparking change inside their own organizations and across the wider legal industry, ultimately leading to positive societal impact.
* Note that while we generally use the title “General Counsel,” individuals with similar leadership roles such as Chief Legal Officer, Legal Director, Chief Compliance Officer or Chief Ethics Officer are also invited to take the Oath.