Legal Executive Leadership, LLC

Susan’s creativity and energy, together with her extensive people network and knowledge of the key challenges facing the in-house profession garnered over her many years at ACC, are a potent combination. Someone who can bring solutions and value to almost any dilemma.

Susan’s incredible creativity and energy combined with her ability to identify and reason through all perspectives on an issue made her an extraordinary advocate for ACC. If you add to this equation Susan’s persistence and commitment to a cause, there is little doubt that she positively influenced the effectiveness of in-house counsel, as well as the way legal services are delivered in this country.

I’ve worked with Susan for more than 20 years, and I can truly say she’s been key to moving forward some of the most important developments in professional practice for corporate lawyers: I’m constantly impressed with her passion and creative approaches to driving new ways of thinking about how lawyers can improve. It’s not easy for corporate lawyers to change the way that they work, but Susan helps busy professionals and an often change-resistant legal profession turn abstract theories into practical realities that allow us to drive client successes. Susan reminds us all that it is these opportunities to do better that make our practice satisfying, worthwhile, and develop our careers in ways that substantive practice achievements cannot replace.

Susan distinguishes herself as a visionary, an innovator and implementer. What makes Susan so effective is that she combines these qualities with an ability to communicate her thoughts in an easily understood manner.

Susan Hackett is a genuine thought leader in an age in which that term is overused. She has changed the conversation about legal services in fundamental ways with her incisive intelligence, her creative energy, and her deep understanding of the corporate world. On top of all this, she has a gift for communicating complex concepts in terms accessible to a wide range of audiences. Susan is a vital player in any serious discussion about the direction of law practice in a time of tremendous turbulence and challenge.

Susan’s tireless commitment to bettering the relationship between outside counsel and their in-house clients has truly changed the way both parties approach the attorney/client relationship. Susan has helped lawyers see “value” as a two way street furthered by open and honest communication and a recognition that both sides play a role in ensuring the other’s success, both substantively and financially. When people look back fifty years from now, they will note that the years 2005-2011 marked a sea change in the way legal services are delivered. Susan Hackett will not be a footnote in the story as to how that changed took place. There will be an entire chapter devoted to the work that she accomplished over the course of her professional career.

Susan is a human social network that connects people, issues, and organizations on issues of importance to the in-house bar. She’s engaged ACC members on many fronts, but was particularly successful in transforming their ideas into advocacy goals for the organization.

Susan has used her skill, strength of will, and insight to literally transform the legal industry. She is one of those people who listens carefully and intently to those around her; thinks hard about the issues they face; and then sets off to help create a solution that benefits all sides. As a result, our industry is in a very different place than it was when Susan started the ACC Value Challenge. Her next adventure will be an exciting one for us all.

Susan is perhaps one of the most creative people and innovative people that I’ve ever worked with. She has a remarkable ability to put her finger on emerging trends.

Susan Hackett is not only a top authority on how the value proposition in the legal profession has changed. She is also a visionary who will put thoughts into action to lead us in building a future thriving profession. With Susan’s unique combination of spunk, passion and power, she inspires all of those around her to develop innovative solutions that benefit all the constituents involved and the bottom line.