What Makes Mediation So Powerful

This week I got to participate in a mediation. Even though I’m not a litigator, mediation has always been one of my favorite parts of being a lawyer. As a General Counsel, I’ve done countless mediations on behalf of my clients over my 30+ year career — and I can’t think of one that didn’t […]

2025 LA Times Executive Leadership Awards

I am proud to see my partner, Carrie Fogliani, honored as a nominee at the 2025 LA Times Executive Leadership Awards on Monday night! As President of GeneralCounselWest, PC, Carrie’s expertise and “inside counsel” approach are making a real difference for many businesses transforming healthcare. Her dedication and leadership are truly inspiring. Congratulations, Carrie – […]

From ‘Big Law’ to In-House

What does it take to become a world-class General Counsel is usually the question I am asking others on my own podcast Becoming the GC, a show where I try to deconstruct the practices of the best in-house lawyers in the country. This time I got to be the guest and Ali Rafie did a […]

Chat GPT Is Not Wisdom, It’s Information

“Chat GPT is not wisdom, it’s information.” – Words to live by in 2025. First, I’d like to thank Cody H. for having me as a guest on his podcast, The Faces: Entrepreneurs are people! It was such a pleasure to dive into a meaningful conversation. We covered so much ground – everything from personal […]

Don’t Reinvent The Wheel

As a very junior associate at Milbank, I was given an assignment at 6 PM to mark up a 50-page agreement by the next morning. Two problems: I already had a full workload that would keep me up past midnight, and I had never seen that type of agreement before. I tried to ask for […]

“Becoming the GC” Podcast Episode with Stephen Chu

Just in time for your evening (or tomorrow morning) commute… Becoming the GC Podcast episode with Stephen Chu In this episode of Becoming the GC, Stephen Chu, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer at InStride, shares invaluable insights on how to build a robust professional network and grow your influence as a legal leader. From navigating […]

Accelerate Your Development

Weather matters. And so does finding a great mentor. I moved to Los Angeles for a 2L summer job at Milbank and returned to California the following year to study for the bar exam on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto. I was wide-eyed by my surroundings – people actually got to go to college here? It […]

Celebrating 15 Years!

By Carrie Fogliani We are so grateful to be celebrating 15 years of GeneralCounselWest, PC. It has been the most fulfilling and incredible journey alongside Joseph Schohl and Mary Kowenhoven. Without a doubt, our arrival at this milestone is a direct result of our fantastic team and the most amazing clients and friends of GCWest. […]

Tips to Control Overwhelm with Work

Being an in-house lawyer at a healthcare company is hard enough, let’s not make it even harder by failing to arrange our calendars for peak performance. Committing to daily time blocks dedicated to deep work, unexpected urgencies, and processing emails can help you go from feeling exhausted and overwhelmed to controlled and energized in less […]

GCWest’s Own Mary Lang Receives Annual PEACOC Award

We are beaming with GCWest pride as we announce that our very own Mary Lang received Radiology Partners’ coveted Practice Excellence and Commitment in Outside Counsel (PEACOC) annual award. She exemplifies excellence in everything she does and it brought us great joy to see her recognized by such an outstanding organization and one of our […]