About

Michelle Pollock has served as general counsel of US LBM Holdings, since March 2016. Pollock trained in Australia before moving to New York and working in other in-house corporate counsel positions at Wynn Resorts and NYSE Euronext. Prior to her in-house career, Pollock worked in private practice at Debevoise & Plimpton in M&A and is a member of the Children’s Services Board for the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. Since 2015 Pollock has served as general counsel of US LBM Holdings, a major investor in the construction materials sector across North America. Pollock is responsible for all aspects of legal, compliance and risk management. Early on in her time as an in-house lawyer, Pollock learned strategically handling a crisis and prioritisation of what is important to get the right advice out to management on a daily basis. She says that ‘the little things are important, the legal function must work and must support and facilitate everyday business. Whether you are a general counsel or not, being an in-house lawyer is a privilege and not a right. You are not guaranteed a seat at the table and must establish yourself as a trusted adviser’. At US LBM she has built a legal department, describing herself as ‘executive chef and dishwasher, putting out fires, setting new policy all the while executing on numerous acquisitions and preparing the company to become public and enter the capital markets’. She recognises the importance of building an infrastructure and training programme where the company’s businesses and operations, sales, finance, and HR can execute on ordinary course matters without extensive legal review by creating a framework to ease the contracting process and manage risk without upsetting the entrepreneurial spirit. Having implemented the company’s first in-house legal department she identifies that her management style is to be proactive highlighting that ‘a good manager resolves the issue, the best manager prevents the issue in the first place’.