Washington Lawyer - March/April 2021 - 39

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Simon Zinger

Brings Positivity to the Corporate Space
By Jeremy Conrad

magine the general counsel at a multinational corporation. Most likely
the picture that comes to mind doesn't match the image of Simon
Zinger, general counsel for Entain, Plc, a UK-based sports betting and
gaming company. He has a gentle, friendly smile, and his lightly
accented speech has an unrushed, soothing quality. Zinger's demeanor
jibes with his efforts to encourage attorneys serving in leadership roles
to help organizations develop a more equitable and just society.

" Working in the capacity of a GC has given
me the opportunity to understand and learn
how to manage a team, how to motivate, work
with, [and] support people, " says Zinger, who
spent 18 years as general counsel for Dentsu,
a Japanese advertising and public relations firm.
His experience has impressed upon him the
potential, and ultimately the responsibility, for
attorneys in leadership positions to make a difference within their organizations and in society
at large.
" General counsel have a unique role where
what we do not only impacts what a legal team
does, but also has a wider impact on an organization, " Zinger says. " We can interact with and
influence matters that go beyond just legal
considerations. " Instead of simply steering their
clients away from decisions that can carry
negative consequences, lawyers can spotlight
decisions and considerations that will drive the
company toward positive ones. The General
Counsel Oath calls upon attorneys to consider
the larger community impacts of their representation.

As the past year's events increasingly exposed
the depth and breadth of social injustice,
Zinger launched generalcounseloath.com, a
website that promotes the adoption of an oath
for general counsel, legal directors, chief legal
officers, chief compliance officers, and other
attorneys. The promise is to focus on nurturing
and supporting their teams, to demand and
safeguard a fair and socially responsible work
environment, and to adhere to an ethical code
that goes beyond the oaths and requirements
typically associated with the practice of law.

The General Counsel Oath is a few pages of
statements of principles divided into sections
relating to professional responsibility and
ethics; leadership, diversity, and inclusion; social
impact and pro bono; internal clients; external
parties; and personal behavior. Of course, oaths
and ethical obligations already exist within the
legal profession, but those covenants typically
relate to interactions between attorneys, with
the court, and with clients. Zinger's oath takes a
more holistic view, looking at general counsel's
impact on corporate culture.

In many ways the oath does not introduce new
obligations, but rather explicitly formalizes considerations that even those ambivalent about
social progress issues can recognize as having
significant business impacts. Ethical rules do
not typically address the need for diversity,
but nondiverse and noninclusive workplaces
can create legal risk for a company, damage
its reputation both internally and externally,
and reduce employee motivation and loyalty.
General counsel are positioned to convey
the risks and benefits up the command chain.
" There are so many pressure points where the
GC is uniquely positioned to perceive problems
and address them, " Zinger says.
Zinger also sees an enormous possibility of
significant change through the adoption of
common principles by general counsel collectively. He's been invited to speak in panel discussions and with the legal departments of
other corporations. Even where the oath isn't
continued on page 41

MARCH/APRIL 2021

WASHINGTON LAWYER 39

http://www.generalcounseloath.com

Washington Lawyer - March/April 2021

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