In episode 9 of GC Sidebar, Eunice Buhler, General Counsel at G2, joins host Trista Engel for a thoughtful conversation about technology, resilience, and the human side of building legal.
From the rise of AI in everyday legal work to the pride she takes in leading a best-in-class team, Eunice shares what it looks like to practice law at the intersection of innovation and judgment. She opens up about questioning her own career path, rediscovering joy in the profession, and why she believes the real measure of a GC isn’t the contracts you negotiate but the people you empower.
Prefer reading over watching? Below is the complete transcript from our GC Sidebar interview with Eunice Buhler, General Counsel at G2
Trista Engel:
Hi, I’m Trista Engel, CEO of Paragon Legal, and welcome to GC Sidebar, a short and sharp conversation series with today’s most forward-thinking general counsel.
In just four questions, we cover the legal industry, leadership, careers, and a little fun.
Today I’m joined by Eunice Buhler, General Counsel at G2, the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace.
Eunice began her legal career at Kirkland & Ellis before moving in-house at communications platform Inteliquent, playing a strategic role in the company’s acquisition. She joined G2 in 2022 as Head of Legal and was promoted as the company’s first-ever General Counsel in 2023.
An entrepreneur at heart, Eunice has launched a kids’ newspaper business, founded a global nonprofit, published a book, and is now building a legal function at G2.
Eunice, I’m glad to have you here. Thanks so much for joining me.
Eunice Buhler:
Hi Trista. Thank you so much for having me.
Trista Engel:
Let’s dive in. What’s the one biggest change in the last five to ten years that has impacted the legal department the most?
Eunice Buhler:
One of the biggest changes in the last five to ten years, of course, is the use of technology in our practice. When I started as a junior associate at Kirkland & Ellis, I spent a lot of my time going through commercial contracts and putting together tables indicating the assignment language across the companies we were diligencing.
Now that job can be completely done through AI and other technologies. It’s really critical for lawyers to look at these new tools as opportunities for their practice to go further. This is a time where judgment — really digging into our legal intuition — is more critical than ever, because a lot of the basic tasks of a legal department can and should be completed using technology tools. Now it’s our time to shine as lawyers by applying our judgment and experience to the output of those tools.
Trista Engel:
That’s a great point. And it makes you think about your experience as a junior lawyer versus the experience of tomorrow’s junior lawyers, or even folks you bring onto your team who have come up differently than you did.
What accomplishment are you most proud of in your current role?
Eunice Buhler:
By far, my greatest pride and joy is my legal team. I have a phenomenal legal team of very diverse, brilliant lawyers. I believe it is a best-in-class legal team. We’re a full-service legal department covering everything from commercial agreements, product advisory, litigation, governance matters, intellectual property, labor and employment — everything legal is handled by our department.
I’m honored to work with individuals who each bring a different skill set to the table and work well together. I built my team when I first got to G2 three and a half years ago, and we have had no turnover. Our team has been together the entire time. We’ve spent hundreds of hours in rooms together, rebuilding our contracts from scratch and solving the company’s problems as they arise.
Our team is comprised of a former trial attorney, a lawyer with extensive in-house experience, someone with large transaction and real estate experience, and a part-time attorney with an international M&A background. All of those experiences allow us to honor each other’s viewpoints and contribute our own to solving problems for our company.
Trista Engel:
That’s wonderful. That sounds like something you are clearly very proud of, and should be, because hiring and building a team is the hardest and most important job any leader has. It sounds like you’ve done a great job.
Eunice Buhler:
Thank you. I give all the credit to my amazing team.
Trista Engel:
What’s one career moment that changed your trajectory?
Eunice Buhler:
Like many attorneys, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I was young. When I was a kid, I thought lawyers were social problem solvers, and I liked solving problems between people in school.
As I began my practice early on at a large law firm, there was a point where I wasn’t feeling joy in the practice any longer and really questioned if I even wanted to be a lawyer anymore. I wondered if I had invested all this time, effort, and money into something that wasn’t what I truly wanted.
I knew I needed a change and even thought about leaving the practice of law entirely. I spent a lot of time with family and friends brainstorming ideas — everything from going to business school, to buying a gym, to traveling abroad — but I landed on trying the practice of law in a slightly different way. Maybe it was just that particular law firm practice that wasn’t bringing me joy.
I’m really happy I had the support of loved ones who said, “Eunice, you are a lawyer. You have the skill set, you are made for this job — it just might not be in that one place.” I’m extremely grateful for everyone who encouraged me and reminded me how integral being a lawyer is to who I am. I love what I do now. I’m so happy I’m practicing law at a company that supports innovation and creative thinking.
I get a lot of joy out of my practice every day, and I encourage any lawyers who might be feeling in a rut to stick with it — because it’s an amazing, honorable, fun profession if you find the right fit.
Trista Engel:
I love that. That’s great advice. And I love that you took the time to figure out what makes you happy and find that path, because there are so many different paths you can take as a lawyer. Not all of them will be a fit, but if you love it, it’s worth finding the one that is.
Eunice Buhler:
That’s right.
Trista Engel:
If you weren’t an attorney, what would you be?
Eunice Buhler:
I would be a news anchor, reporting live — maybe from Kabul for CNN, something like that.
Trista Engel:
I love that. I could see it. Maybe that’s a future life.
Eunice Buhler:
Maybe so. Maybe this is my start.
Trista Engel:
Yes. We’ll send this video to CNN.
And the bonus question — who is your favorite fictional lawyer?
Eunice Buhler:
I’m inspired by Elle Woods because she’s true to herself and she practices law in a way that is fun and authentic. I think that’s a great thing.
Trista Engel:
I love that. The authenticity piece is so strong and important, even if they poked fun at it a little bit.
That’s right. Well, this was really fun, Eunice. Thank you so much for being here, for sharing your insights, and for telling us more about your journey.
Eunice Buhler:
Thank you, Trista. Very happy to be with you all.
Trista Engel:
All right, that’s a wrap on today’s episode of GC Sidebar. Catch more great conversations on our website at paragonlegal.com. Thanks for tuning in.
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