Corporate Boards Dislike Lawyers, Starbucks General Counsel Says

The chief legal officer at Starbucks Corp. has candid advice for outside counsel to consider when advising a company’s board: “Boards of directors don’t like lawyers.”

“I have never seen a room become as depressed and deflated as when the general counsel says, ‘I’ve invited my outside counsel to talk to you,’” said Brad Lerman, Starbucks’ general counsel, during a legal conference Thursday.

“The message to the board is, ‘Houston, we have a problem,’” added Lerman, who arrived at Starbucks last year, but was relating his experience as a board member at McKesson Corp. The board receives it as, “‘There’s ...