Much More Than Law: From General Counsel to Business Visionary

In the early stages of Chris Ghazarian’s education, a pre-law course at the University of Southern California offered by Professor Charles Whitebread changed his life trajectory. Professor Whitebread noted Chris’s knack for jumping to conclusions outside the class’s legal scope. Chris wrestled with this feedback at first, assuming it was criticism. In his words, “it was difficult to reach legal conclusions and then stop thinking ahead”; he wanted to apply them to “bigger, grander ideas.” Before long, Professor Whitebread would comment on Chris’s potential to achieve “much more than law” for the same reason.

Chris later discovered this to be a passion – taking stable legal principles and weaving them into visionary ideas that drive business forward and shape the world. This passion intersects with his professional journey, as general counsel at DreamHost, and now leading all operations, creating synergy between business strategy, core compliance teams, and the legal sphere.

GC Magazine: Can you elaborate on how your role at DreamHost has changed since you began? Do you see the role evolving even more?  

Chris Ghazarian (CG): Embracing change and growth whenever I felt too comfortable or predictive was one of my biggest growth-oriented decisions early in my career. I had to feed my desire to grow and achieve higher goals, and I am fortunate to have a CEO and board of directors who have trusted me and provided multiple opportunities throughout my ten years at the company.

Today, I lead all operations at DreamHost, and my new role includes leading a new M&A team, a growth and partnerships team, the IT team, a local operations team, and an international initiative. My time is also spent architecting the company’s strategy, gearing up for the next three to five years of innovation and change.

My goal now surpasses merely managing these teams successfully; it is about inspiring innovation within them to impact DreamHost’s trajectory and propel us forward. The tech industry is at an inflection point, with automation and AI revolutionizing consumer products. This transformation also involves websites and domain names, and I will drive this innovation and change alongside our CEO and board of directors. Together, we are preparing our 27-year-old company for a new era of success.

GC Magazine: As you have taken up broader responsibilities at DreamHost, do you see that intersection between business and legal happening when it comes to other general counsel?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): I once said “Lawyers are blockers; leaders are closers.” Any general counsel worth their salt will inevitably discover and influence the crossover between law and business. To lead and grow, an attorney must step out of their comfort zone and act on the legal conclusions they reach. This is challenging for attorneys because, unfortunately, we are taught to spend most of our precious time analysing the law. However, we are rarely taught to take a conclusion and apply it to real-world decisions that shape a company’s growth path.

It is at this crucial point where GCs can find success in their careers: mastering the art of looking beyond “legal” and, instead, making decisions that inspire customers to buy products, partners to join efforts, and team members to innovate.

GC Magazine: There are many styles of ‘lawyering’, especially in an in-house role, how would you describe your approach to supporting DreamHost?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): Simplicity and Vision.

Those two words overwhelmingly define my approach to law and business, and they are infinitely more powerful than legal acumen alone. My teams will laugh when they read this, but I say “zoom out” or “big picture” a few dozen times during weekly meetings. Most attorneys spend hours bogged down in complex, multi-angle situations with too much research and analysis without ever coming back up for air. They might give the CEO a 15-page memo providing endless analyses of a single issue without a concrete path forward.

The CEO does not have time for that. They need one concise, clear answer supported by solid reasoning, and to know that the GC will stand behind the decision 100%, without question, every single time.

Think of it as a form of art: can you find the simplest, sexiest solution to a massively complex problem?

Simplicity is also the key. I always ask, “What does our customer expect?” Better yet, “What do I expect as a user?” Why introduce complexity when you can guide customers through a seamless, enjoyable process? Many attorneys fail by trying to cover every possible base, turning law into a chore and overcompensating with myriad legal disclaimers that all say the same thing. That is why you encounter 44-page “terms of service” agreements before playing Call of Duty or ordering pizza from the Domino’s app (Note: I’ll hire you on the spot if you’ve ever read one of those from start to finish).

Finally, I have never believed in offloading legal work to outside counsel. Since I joined DreamHost in 2013, our legal billables have fallen by almost 90%. Why? Because I internalize and learn from every legal situation, embedding those insights within our team. This way, we do not need outside counsel for repeat issues; we already have the playbook and can execute it ourselves. This approach has been key to my growth at DreamHost, transforming outside counsel into an occasional mentorship tool and empowering us to be more self-reliant and innovative.

GC Magazine: Can you share one of your proudest accomplishments as an in-house lawyer recently?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): Seeing my team transcend traditional legal roles and take ownership of key strategic relationships as businesspeople first makes me smile. They’ve learned to push projects across the finish line – not just in legal matters, but in areas like technology, products, and technical support. My team members have grown into leaders, driving crucial business initiatives from start to finish while seamlessly integrating their legal expertise along the way. It is moments like these that highlight the true potential of an innovative, forward-thinking legal team, and the reason I will never stop pushing for creativity to be at the forefront of every hire’s mind.

One recent win, for example, was the kick-off of our international compliance strategy that saved the company just over $2m in potential regulatory costs and fees. We understood the regulatory landscape and mitigated the risks, and it paid off quite a bit in a short amount of time.

GC Magazine: Lawyers admit it is challenging to sell the value of legal departments to companies. What do you do to prove your value?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): Even a non-business-oriented lawyer can demonstrate value in traditional categories: cutting outside counsel billables and reducing regulatory exposure.

But, a business-first lawyer can achieve so much more. We create value, close deals that bring revenue, and drive M&A strategies that strengthen the company in less competitive areas.

A business-savvy lawyer transforms marketing issues into customer growth opportunities. We leverage analytical skills to tackle not just legal and regulatory challenges, but also to navigate financial pitfalls, refine product pricing, and penetrate foreign markets.

I integrate all these aspects, providing my CEO and board of directors with comprehensive viewpoints and actionable decisions that I own from start to finish. My team and I often solve complex regulatory issues, address customer pain points, and manage data privacy concerns in the same sitting, ensuring our discussions are both strategic and actionable.

I often hear leaders excel at one or the other: planning and architecting vs. executing the plan. I have never believed these to be mutually exclusive. A leader should do both: plan from start to finish, and then own the process to deliver the result. I cannot rest easy unless I see a decision through to success.

GC Magazine: Are there any trends that you anticipate for the next generation of lawyers based on your teaching experience with younger lawyers?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): Absolutely. I see a significant shift incoming; one where future lawyers spend far less time typing contracts and redlining documents. Instead, both in-house counsel and law firm attorneys will dedicate more time to engaging directly with products, fostering creativity, and generating ideas that drive business growth.

The legal profession is evolving rapidly, and technology is already making mundane the art of combing through documents, linking case law, and analyzing thousands of data points to reach a single conclusion. Automating these routine tasks will free lawyers to focus more on strategic activities – something I believe companies will begin to increasingly demand. After all, what is the point of hiring in-house counsel if new legal technology can provide your basic legal needs for a tenth of the price?

GC Magazine: How do you see the current technological landscape, with AI and other emerging technology, impacting general counsel roles and their teams?

Chris Ghazarian (CG): The general counsel’s role is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Where it once took years for general counsel to transition from being in-house lawyers to key executive members, they can now scale quickly and accomplish massive amounts of work within their teams — even small ones.

Companies are also demanding that GCs have more interdisciplinary skills. Beyond business and product knowledge, a deep understanding of technology, products, and customer needs, particularly as influenced by AI, will be crucial. The world is shifting at a staggering pace, and customers now expect full-service solutions to complex problems—”just do it for me” will soon be the norm. This means general counsel must keep up with an evolving environment more than ever.

This technological shift also means the GC’s role will become more dynamic and integrated into core business functions. If the next generation of lawyers can recognize this and pivot their skills accordingly, they will play an important—no, a crucial—role in shaping the future of their organizations.

Editorial:
Melissa Yebisi, Editor GC Portfolio (USA)