Samuel H. Israel
Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Lannett Company, Inc.
Fox Rothschild, 1991-2017
- J.D., Rutgers Law School, 1989
- B.S., University of Pennsylvania, 1983
What attracted you to your current position?
In a word: opportunity. The transition into my current role as vice president, chief legal officer and general counsel at Lannett Company, Inc., a major pharmaceutical products manufacturer, felt natural from the get-go. But the decision was never easy. Lannett had been a longtime client of mine at Fox. And when the company nearly doubled in size in 2015, I recommended it consider an in-house general counsel to provide streamlined legal support for its operations. Little did I know that I was creating my own window of opportunity — the CEO asked me to take on the GC role in 2017. This offer coincided with my own transitioning interests, where I felt driven to explore business counseling and strategy as opposed to the trial and litigation work I had done up to that point. In a certain way, it felt like the stars aligned for me professionally. Though leaving my friends and my base of comradery at Fox was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make.
What’s the best nugget of professional advice you ever received?
Be indispensable to your clients and colleagues. Put another way, figure out how to stand out as the go-to guy or gal for what you do. For me, this meant evolving my practice and transitioning my skills into new areas.
When I came to Fox as an associate, I was focused on environmental litigation and counseling. But the industry changed, my practice grew cold and I was forced to adapt. From there, I delved into commercial litigation and was eventually offered an opportunity by Fox’s Bankruptcy Department to be the point person for a range of significant bankruptcy litigation matters. At the time, there were matters spinning out of the firm’s bankruptcy representations, particularly in Delaware Bankruptcy Court — a burgeoning area of work that came to shape the nature of bankruptcy litigation services at Fox. Meanwhile, I continued to develop a relationship with Lannett, initially handling litigation matters and eventually offering day-to-day legal counseling in an “outside” general counsel capacity.
In sum, keep finding ways to grow and respond to opportunities that ring with professional development.
Is there anything you miss about working in “Big Law”?
Hands down, bar none, I miss the people, especially at Fox. I stayed in “Big Law” (specifically with Fox) for 25 years because of the smart, engaging people and issues I worked with on a day-to-day basis. The demands of an AmLaw 100 firm aren’t all rosy, but it’s rewarding to be part of an environment with sophisticated work and a supportive network of high quality professionals. And, although Fox had its fair share of challenging and complex matters, it had a down-to-earth atmosphere and avoided the “stuffy,” hierarchical attitudes of other “Big Law” firms.
Where would we find you on a Saturday morning?
You’d find me on the driving range. I’ve taken up golf more recently as a hobby, finding a lot of enjoyment in its challenges and the way it gets me outside. The sport feels meditative in a way, and I find myself driven to keep building on my growing skills. While there’s plenty of room for improvement, I’m genuinely having fun out on the links.
