Jacqueline Keller walks up Park Avenue each morning after her Metro-North train arrives at Grand Central Terminal. The rhythm of New York City, with the hum of yellow taxis, the hurried steps of thousands of commuters, and the towering glass facades, helps her reset for the day.
By the time she turns the corner at 53rd and Madison, she is fully in the high-stakes mindset her role demands. As General Counsel and Vice President of Crédit Industriel et Commercial (CIC), New York Branch, Jacqueline does more than manage legal risk; she builds the legal function from the ground up for a premier Paris-based financial institution.
She joined CIC in August 2025 as its first-ever General Counsel in New York. The mandate requires more than a deep knowledge of the law; it demands structure, sharp judgment, and a seamless partnership with the bank’s business side. It is a career peak that reflects a path Jacqueline shaped through intentional study, calculated risk, and professional grit.
In-house architecture
Jacqueline’s professional story began in the trenches of litigation rather than a corporate boardroom. She spent her early years at various law firms on the defense side, representing companies and institutions in complex disputes. The early roles taught her the art of assessment: weighing a settlement against the uncertainty of a trial and translating dense legal arguments into actionable business terms. She learned early on that executives do not want a recitation of the law; they want a path forward.
However, a parallel interest always hummed in the background. “When I graduated from law school, I started and enjoy reading a lot of finance books. It was one of my fun activities,” she explains. Instead of spending weekends away from legal texts, Jacqueline managed her own investment portfolio and read financial news voraciously. She realized that to excel in the sector she admired, she needed to understand how the products she would one day defend actually worked. Jacqueline saw the law not as an isolated discipline, but as a framework that brings order to global markets.
She enrolled in intensive courses on derivatives and hedge funds at NYU to bridge the gap between legal theory and financial reality. “I always had a growth mindset,” she explains. The proactive education led her to Morgan Stanley’s prime brokerage division in 2007. She stepped into the role just as the global financial system began to tremble.
Eye of the storm
At Morgan Stanley, Jacqueline negotiated derivatives contracts and prime brokerage documents with hedge fund counterparties. The work was exhilarating, but the timing was perilous. As the 2008 financial crisis took hold, the landscape shifted beneath her feet.
The instability pushed her to temporarily return to law firm practice, yet the experience cemented her desire to work within the heartbeat of the banking industry. She saw the system at its most vulnerable, and that perspective gave her a unique advantage in risk mitigation.
Jacqueline eventually moved back in-house, holding senior roles at several leading financial institutions and most recently at Maybank. At Maybank, she led Legal and HR, later adding industrial relations to her responsibilities. Each stop added a new layer to her expertise, preparing her for the “department of one” challenge she would eventually take on at CIC. She learned to balance the rigid requirements of regulatory compliance with the evolving needs of human capital management.
Building the foundation
At CIC, Jacqueline operates as a true corporate generalist, drafting and reviewing complex agreements, managing business disputes, and advising on regulatory hurdles.
As the first person to hold this title in the New York branch, she is building the processes that will define the legal function for years to come, creating a lasting structure. “I use all the skills I gained through the years as a corporate generalist. I do a little of everything,” she explains.
Her philosophy on in-house counsel is simple: you must enable the business, not block it. She rejects the “Department of No” stereotype that often follows legal teams. “You’re not going to succeed in-house if you’re a ‘no’ lawyer”. Instead, she looks for creative ways to manage risk while helping the business pursue its transactional goals. Jacqueline positions herself as a partner to traders and executives, guiding them through the complex web of US and European regulations.
Self-awareness is critical to leading a legal department. Jacqueline keeps her style collaborative and often acts as a teacher for the business teams. She’s refreshingly transparent about the limits of her own knowledge. “I am very comfortable saying I don’t know,” she admits. “No one knows everything.” When an issue falls outside her purview, she brings in specialists. She believes this honesty builds more trust with the business than pretending to know everything.
Heritage and the American ethos
Jacqueline’s drive is inextricably linked to her family history. She is the first lawyer in her family and a first-generation American being the daughter of a Germany born father and Spanish born mother. “As immigrants, my parents really appreciated the opportunities you have in the US,” she recalls. “Hard work was my parents’ ethos.”
Jacqueline’s background informs her approach to mentorship, particularly through the Legal Mentor Network. When she speaks to law students or foreign lawyers seeking to break into the American market, she draws on her lived experience. She understands the weight of student loans and the journey of a job search. She reminds them that the path is rarely linear.
“Be open to all opportunities that you come across”, she encourages mentees. Jacqueline often points out that the “golden” path to a high-paying job right after graduation is available to only a small percentage of people. For everyone else, it’s about getting a foot in the door and building a story through persistence.
Defining success
As Jacqueline has moved into more senior roles, her definition of success has undergone a radical transformation. In her twenties, the metrics were traditional: title, money, and firm prestige. Today, she views success through the lens of equilibrium and long-term performance.
“The short answer is yes,” she replies when asked if her perspective has changed. “Money is always within reach, but over time, I’ve realized it’s not everything. In a city like New York, where success is often measured in these terms, I’ve come to understand that true fulfilment is also about having the time to enjoy life, to be present with the people who matter most – family and friends.”
Outside the office, Jacqueline’s curiosity remains constant. A devoted student of personal growth, she draws inspiration from biographies of people who overcame great odds, such as Colin Powell, those who rose through merit and character.
In her spare time, she enjoys visiting museums and discovering new bakeries across the city, always seeking fresh experiences to expand her perspective. Her hobbies are just as varied as her work. She practices Zumba, plays piano to unwind, and spends time hiking and gardening at her home in Scarsdale.
Forward and onwards
As she looks toward the next five years, Jacqueline’s focus remains on the bank’s growth and the strengthening of its legal foundation. She plans to eventually take French lessons to better communicate with her colleagues in Paris, further bridging the gap between the New York branch and its headquarters.
For Jacqueline, the journey to General Counsel is not just about professional achievement. It’s about building a well-rounded life while embracing the complexities of today’s legal world.
“Right now,” she concludes, looking out at the Midtown skyline, “it’s pretty good.”
Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 650 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’s core areas of practice include real estate, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. Katten is proud of the close working relationship we have forged with CIC and Jacqueline Keller over many years.
