Advice To My Younger Self
Alumna Maureen Ryan decided to move in-house with Houston-based utilities company AEI*. Having served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for ten years, she reflects on her dual role as legal counsel and business adviser.
I grew up in Ireland, in an educational system that does not have undergraduate schools. Instead, we were expected to select our graduate studies right after high school. Being so young, it was some time before my decision to study law took shape as a career path. But after a few years in private practice, I knew I wanted to be a commercial lawyer and a business person.
This combination of roles is exactly what attracted me to working in-house. I wanted to be integrated into the company and play a role in commercial decisions. I liked the international aspect of AEI – learning about a global business and traveling to places I wouldn’t typically go to on holiday. And I’m very glad to have been given opportunities in my private practice to work across several corporate disciplines, including M&A, private equity, securities, banking/finance and insurance. It was excellent preparation for in-house life because the spectrum of my daily work was extraordinarily broad.
