In this episode of GC Sidebar, Paragon Legal CEO Trista Engel sits down with Rich Foehr, General Counsel of Electrification Software at GE Vernova, for a candid conversation on tech, leadership, and career-defining moments.
Rich shares practical insight into how AI is finally making an impact in legal, why simplifying legal advice is a strategic advantage, and how one bold decision reshaped his path.
From legal tech realities to stretch roles, Rich offers sharp takes and grounded wisdom for today’s evolving in-house legal world—plus his pick for favorite fictional lawyer. Watch now.
Prefer reading over watching? Below is the complete transcript from our GC Sidebar interview with Rich Foehr, GC Electrification Software at GE Vernova
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 Rich Foehr, General Counsel for GE Vernova’s Electrification Software business, managing assets that generate 30% of the world’s electricity and supporting the electrification and decarbonization of the planet.
Rich began his legal career in private practice at Shepherd Mullen and Bronson, Bronson & McKinnon. He then moved in-house to Autodesk, where he spent 14 years before taking on his first Chief Legal Officer role at Sitecore in 2014. He then moved to a General Counsel role at GE Digital and currently serves as GC at GE Vernova.
Rich, I am so excited to have you here. You have been a longtime friend of Paragon, going back at least to your Autodesk days through Sitecore and now GE Vernova, and you were actually one of the first Paragon clients I met when I joined the company 7 years ago. So you are definitely a fan favorite over here. Thank you so much for joining me.
Rich Foehr:
Well, it’s great to be here, Trista, and thank you for inviting me to this. I, too, am a fan favorite of Paragon. You’ve done an amazing job of helping me in my management of team and issues across various companies. So it’s been a great journey that we’ve been on together.
Trista Engel:
I’m so happy to hear that. Let’s jump in.
What is the one biggest change in the last 5 to 10 years that has impacted the legal department the most?
Rich Foehr:
The biggest change that I’ve seen, and I’ve been doing this a long time, is the promise of technology and its change on how we work in-house is actually coming to fruition today.
I remember in the early 2000s, people would come into the office and promise this contract lifecycle management tool that would be able to read contracts, edit, redline, and do all kinds of things that would make a difference in our day-to-day work. Ultimately, what I found was my teams and I discovered it was more work to use the technology.
What I see happening today with the advent of AI and some of the more practical applications of technology to the legal profession is that the technology is actually making a difference in our day-to-day world.
It’s allowing lawyers, both in-house and those we rely on for outside advice, to be more strategic. The hope is that this technology continues to improve and allow us to leverage more of our strategic muscle and take advantage of outside resources, both from Paragon and from other law firms, to help us give the best advice we can.
It lets us worry less about administrative tasks, negotiating, and back-and-forth redlining, and allows us to become more strategic advisors to the business. Technology is a real launching pad for the legal profession becoming more strategic than it ever has been inside a company.
Trista Engel:
That is great to hear. The hope, then, is that instead of technology being something we fear, hesitate to adopt, or wait to implement, if legal departments are really seeing change now, there should be a great acceleration, not only toward more strategic legal work but also toward general acceptance and a willingness to let technology make us our best selves.
Rich Foehr:
Exactly. Technology doesn’t replace, it enhances. In my practice today, I can get through a lot more work because I can lean more heavily on an AI tool to help me. Whether it’s drafting a response, at least the first draft, or highlighting issues I need to look at in a board presentation or a contract, technology is showing up in the day-to-day environment of in-house counsel more than ever.
I’ve seen the most progress in the last 5 to 10 years compared to all the years before.
Trista Engel:
It starts at the top, too. So it’s great that you’re doing it, and that will empower your team to do it as well.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned as a GC?
Rich Foehr:
Over the years, it’s taken time for me to understand how to communicate. The concept of keeping it simple makes you much more influential. Learning how to distill down advice into its simplest terms is critical.
Different people have different philosophies. In law school, I externed for a judge who had what he called the “Rule of 13”, if any sentence had more than 13 words, it was too complicated.
Another way to look at it is not using words that feel too intimidating for clients. Clients want answers. If you can simplify communication, you become more reliable as a trusted partner.
It takes a while to get comfortable with that because sometimes simple is hard.
In law school, we’re taught the IRAC framework, Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion. We get praised for spotting issues and doing deep analysis, but little praise for the actual conclusion.
The opposite is true in-house. As a GC, people want to know what the conclusion is. You have to be comfortable giving it. So for me, simplicity, knowing your audience, and messaging clearly has been the most valuable lesson.
Trista Engel:
That is a fantastic lesson. And you’re right, the audience changes whether you’re in a law firm, in law school, in-house, or in the GC seat.
What’s one career moment that changed your trajectory?
Rich Foehr:
When I stepped forward to take on a litigation matter filed against us by a competitor, it changed my trajectory. I was young and in-house, and I got exposure to the CEO, the boardroom, and a broader understanding of the business.
I was afraid to raise my hand. It wasn’t what I was hired to do at Autodesk. But taking it on helped me make a mark, get known, learn more about myself and the company.
My advice? Don’t be afraid of being afraid. Try things that scare you, those may be the moments that change everything.
Trista Engel:
I love that. Seize the opportunity. Get uncomfortable. That’s where the learning happens.
If you weren’t an attorney, what would you be?
Rich Foehr:
Honestly, an architect. I wanted to be a designer early on but got talked out of it. In law school, I loved land use and real property law, it scratched the itch a little.
Then I ended up in-house at a computer-aided design company, which also scratched that itch.
I like design. I think it complements what we do in the legal profession. We design our way through and around issues. If I had to do something else, it would be architecture. I still may do it someday.
Trista Engel:
It’s not too late.
Bonus question, who’s your favorite fictional lawyer?
Rich Foehr:
Mike Daley. He’s the protagonist in a series of novels by Sheldon Siegel, a former colleague of mine at Shepherd Mullen.
Sheldon wrote his first novel on the ferry into San Francisco. It was successful, and Mike Daley became a public defender in the city. I know where some of the characters came from—it’s fun to read with that personal connection. Sheldon’s written 12 or 13 novels since. He’s been very successful.
Trista Engel:
That’s very cool. You’ll have to tell us which character is based on you.
Rich Foehr:
That I will not share.
Trista Engel:
Smart. Rich, thank you so much for your thoughtful answers and for sharing your journey.
Rich Foehr:
Thank you, Trista. I really enjoyed this conversation. I’m a huge advocate of you and the Paragon team. Thanks for all you do for us as general counsels.
Trista Engel:
That means a lot. Thank you again.
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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