Another in the newbies series: In the old days, the corporate secretary was an administrative type of person. Back then, it was still a tough job, but it had nowhere near the level of responsibility or substance that corporate secretaries must shoulder today.

That’s way back when the board probably was little more than a rubber stamp and corporate governance was a little-known term. A whole lot has changed over the past 20 years and today most corporate secretaries have a legal background—although that is not a requirement.

However, it is not uncommon for some folks on the team that supports the corporate secretary to not have a law degree. Some on the team might be lawyers, but some will not.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Broc Romanek Broc Romanek

As a strategist for the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice, Broc Romanek has a deep understanding of the regulatory and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) marketplace. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Broc served as editor at TheCorporateCounsel.net, CompensationStandards.com, and DealLawyers.com, where he oversaw…

As a strategist for the firm’s Corporate & Securities practice, Broc Romanek has a deep understanding of the regulatory and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) marketplace. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Broc served as editor at TheCorporateCounsel.net, CompensationStandards.com, and DealLawyers.com, where he oversaw and managed coverage on issues related to ESG, corporate governance, executive pay, deals, and market trends and analysis.

In addition to his nearly two decades of working as a journalist and publisher, Broc served as assistant general counsel at a Fortune 50 company, worked in the Office of Chief Counsel of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance, was a counselor to former SEC Commissioner Laura Unger, and worked in private practice. He also is the author, or co-author, of four legal treatises, and has authored several books focused on the legal industry.