“No.”
It’s
the
word
that
strikes
dread
into
product
teams
when
they
hear
it
from
legal
counsel.
It
signals
roadblocks,
delays,
and
shelved
ideas.
Early
in
my
career,
I
saw
this
play
out
again
and
again.
Saying
“no”
felt
like
the
safest
choice,
but
it
often
killed
momentum
—
and
trust.
Then
I
started
shifting
my
approach.
Instead
of
leading
with
“No,
we
can’t,”
I
began
framing
my
feedback
as
“Yes,
if
we
…”
This
subtle
change
unlocked
collaboration
and
innovation
while
still
keeping
the
company
on
solid
legal
ground.
Here’s
how
this
mindset
has
transformed
how
I
work
with
product
teams
—
and
how
it
can
work
for
you.
Understand
The
‘Why’
Before
You
Respond
Before
shutting
down
an
idea,
ask
why
it’s
on
the
table
in
the
first
place.
What
problem
is
the
team
solving?
What’s
the
goal
behind
the
feature
or
campaign?
Once,
a
team
wanted
to
scrape
publicly
available
data
for
an
AI
project.
Instead
of
saying,
“That’s
too
risky,”
I
asked,
“What’s
the
outcome
we’re
trying
to
achieve?”
Together,
we
explored
alternatives
like
licensing
agreements
or
using
open
datasets.
The
team
still
hit
their
goal,
but
without
the
legal
headaches.
The
takeaway?
Understanding
the
“why”
shifts
the
conversation
from
risk
avoidance
to
goal
achievement.
Frame
Risks
As
Design
Challenges
Every
risk
is
also
a
design
opportunity.
Legal
boundaries,
when
approached
creatively,
can
lead
to
smarter,
more
innovative
solutions.
For
example,
when
a
rewards
program
risked
violating
state
lottery
laws,
I
didn’t
say
no
outright.
Instead,
I
suggested
tweaks
to
the
structure
—
like
skill-based
competitions
—
that
met
legal
exceptions.
The
final
program
was
not
only
compliant
but
also
more
engaging
for
users.
What
I’ve
learned
is
simple:
legal
constraints
don’t
have
to
stifle
creativity.
They
can
inspire
it.
Always
Offer
A
Path
Forward
Teams
need
solutions,
not
just
red
flags.
If
you
spot
a
problem,
pair
it
with
a
way
to
move
forward.
For
instance,
a
startup
team
wanted
to
use
customer
testimonials
in
ads.
Saying
“That’s
risky
—
it
could
be
misleading”
would
have
shut
the
idea
down.
Instead,
I
said,
“Yes,
if
we
verify
the
claims
and
include
disclaimers
to
meet
advertising
laws.”
The
team
got
their
campaign,
and
the
company
stayed
compliant.
A
“Yes,
if
we
…”
approach
builds
momentum
instead
of
stopping
it
cold.
Weigh
The
Risk
Versus
The
Reward
Not
every
risk
is
worth
taking,
but
not
every
risk
is
a
deal-breaker,
either.
Legal
counsel
adds
value
by
helping
teams
evaluate
which
risks
are
worth
it.
When
a
team
wanted
to
launch
a
feature
that
might
invite
regulatory
scrutiny,
I
didn’t
veto
it
outright.
Instead,
we
analyzed
the
potential
rewards
—
customer
loyalty
and
competitive
advantage
—
and
paired
them
with
a
mitigation
plan.
The
result?
A
bold
move
that
paid
off.
Balancing
risk
and
reward
is
key
to
helping
teams
innovate
responsibly.
Break
Big
Risks
Into
Small
Steps
When
a
project
feels
overwhelming,
propose
incremental
progress
instead
of
an
all-or-nothing
approach.
For
example,
a
team
launching
a
complex
subscription
model
faced
tricky
tax
regulations.
Instead
of
delaying
the
entire
rollout,
I
suggested
starting
with
simpler
regions
to
test
and
adapt.
Breaking
it
into
smaller
steps
minimized
risk
and
kept
the
momentum
going.
Small
wins
build
confidence
—
and
trust.
Be
A
Partner,
Not
A
Referee
The
earlier
legal
is
involved,
the
better
the
outcomes.
By
joining
brainstorms
or
design
sessions
early,
you
can
shape
ideas
into
legally
viable
solutions
before
they
become
problems.
When
I
sat
down
with
engineers
to
co-design
a
compliance-heavy
feature,
we
avoided
costly
rewrites
later.
Similarly,
being
part
of
marketing
discussions
helped
guide
bold
campaigns
while
keeping
them
safe
from
legal
pitfalls.
Collaboration
is
how
you
turn
legal
from
a
roadblock
into
a
trusted
ally.
Celebrate
Wins
When
your
guidance
leads
to
a
success,
make
sure
to
celebrate
it.
This
reinforces
your
value
as
a
partner
and
builds
trust
for
future
collaboration.
For
example,
when
our
privacy-first
data
strategy
became
a
customer
favorite,
I
made
sure
the
team
recognized
how
legal
had
contributed.
Wins
like
these
make
teams
eager
to
involve
legal
in
their
next
big
idea.
The
Bottom
Line
Starting
with
“Yes,
if
…”
isn’t
about
ignoring
risks.
It’s
about
showing
your
team
that
you’re
invested
in
making
their
ideas
work.
By
focusing
on
solutions
and
being
a
partner
in
the
process,
you
can
help
teams
innovate
with
confidence
—
and
without
losing
sleep.
For
more
strategies
on
how
to
balance
innovation
and
risk
as
a
product
lawyer,
check
out
my
book,
“Product
Counsel:
Advise,
Innovate,
and
Inspire.”
It’s
filled
with
practical
insights
and
real-world
examples
to
help
you
lead
with
solutions
and
become
a
trusted
partner
to
your
teams.
Have
you
tried
a
“Yes,
if
we
…”
approach?
I’d
love
to
hear
your
experiences
—
let’s
keep
the
conversation
going.
Olga
V.
Mack
is
a
Fellow
at
CodeX,
The
Stanford
Center
for
Legal
Informatics,
and
a
Generative
AI
Editor
at
law.MIT.
Olga
embraces
legal
innovation
and
had
dedicated
her
career
to
improving
and
shaping
the
future
of
law.
She
is
convinced
that
the
legal
profession
will
emerge
even
stronger,
more
resilient,
and
more
inclusive
than
before
by
embracing
technology.
Olga
is
also
an
award-winning
general
counsel,
operations
professional,
startup
advisor,
public
speaker,
adjunct
professor,
and
entrepreneur.
She
authored Get
on
Board:
Earning
Your
Ticket
to
a
Corporate
Board
Seat, Fundamentals
of
Smart
Contract
Security,
and
Blockchain
Value:
Transforming
Business
Models,
Society,
and
Communities. She
is
working
on
three
books:
Visual
IQ
for
Lawyers
(ABA
2024), The
Rise
of
Product
Lawyers:
An
Analytical
Framework
to
Systematically
Advise
Your
Clients
Throughout
the
Product
Lifecycle
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024),
and
Legal
Operations
in
the
Age
of
AI
and
Data
(Globe
Law
and
Business
2024).
You
can
follow
Olga
on
LinkedIn
and
Twitter
@olgavmack.