|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The pace of geopolitical and technological change outstrips the pace of regulators and courts, and ambiguity first falls on legal teams. Global companies building or implementing technology platforms, AI models, or infrastructure must decide how to move before rules settle. The work demands judgment without checklists, and clarity without certainty. At GlobalLogic, that task sits with Victoria Libin, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, who helps leaders act while the ground shifts.
Victoria’s days unfold across time zones and topics. She reviews proposed AI regulations in Europe, advises on AI red teaming risks, and joins business strategy calls. She also mentors lawyers who guide engineers, sales teams, and executives. GlobalLogic generates circa $2 billion in revenue, works with clients across industries, and operates as part of the Hitachi Group. Legal choices shape every contract, product decision, and expansion plan. Victoria frames that work without drama. “Corporate law lives in the gray,” she observes. “You need to feel comfortable in that space, while giving people practical, actionable advice.”
In 2024, Victoria joined GlobalLogic to lead legal, compliance, and governance across the company. The role reflects the business’s diverse demands. Clients ask GlobalLogic to design and build software and AI systems, so each engagement touches, intellectual property, data security, export controls, and labor law. Since regulators issue guidance that varies by country and shifts with politics, legal leaders like Victoria must see around corners and move with the business rather than respond after decisions harden.
“I look at how regulation, geopolitics, and technology intersect. Then I try to translate that into choices leaders can actually use.” Victoria’s team enters discussions early, before architecture locks and contracts are signed. Lawyers help decide where data sits, how AI models are trained, and how risk is spread across partners. “People only see the legal department as the ‘department of no’ if that’s the attitude you bring. Our job is to help our colleagues reach a ‘yes,’ one that benefits our customers, our company and is grounded in ethics,” Victoria shares.
Built for complexity
At GlobalLogic, legal work ties to scale. It employs engineers in over 30 countries and serves clients with varied requirements. That puts pressure on cross border data transfer, employment law, intellectual property protection, and trade compliance. Victoria stays close to how the Hitachi Group sets priorities and how GlobalLogic aligns with them. Her role includes aligning the parent company’s expectations while shaping a program that fits the business model. Recent efforts include supporting an acquisition in Germany and integrating legal processes without slowing delivery.
Ahead of the curve
Victoria’s comfort with uncertainty traces back to a career spent inside technology shifts. Earlier, as legal leader for Accenture Digital, she supported machine learning (AI in its infancy), blockchain, and the industrial internet of things. As the business doubled in size, legal teams learned alongside engineers. “Back then, everyone said ‘data is the new oil,’ as it was the key component for training large language models and I was a firm believer,” she recalls.
Patterns repeated. Earlier disputes she encountered at Viacom about online videos, fair use, and platform liability foreshadowed fights over AI training data. That perspective shapes Victoria’s choices today. Inside GlobalLogic, she encourages lawyers to use general AI tools from the company’s approved stack and learn through use. At the same time, she avoids locking into niche legal tools while vendors evolve. “I’m excited. But I don’t want us to spend six months reworking our processes for a tool that’s outdated a year later. I’d rather invest that time in teaching people to think and ask better questions. The tools will catch up,” she admits.
Alignment at scale
Adding complexity is aligning with the Hitachi Group. Victoria tracks how the parent company approaches risk and governance and adapts legal operations, accordingly, including reporting, controls, and shared values. This requires attention to geopolitical signals affecting supply chains, clients, and staffing. Victoria’s role connects board conversation, executive planning, and daily delivery.
Victoria manages a legal team of about 45 lawyers who cover regions and specialties. Scaling the team involves more than headcount. Expectations around judgment, communication, and influence set the tone. “Everyone says they want a seat at the table. The real question is: ‘What will you say when you get it?’” Victoria questions.
That focus on influence over formality runs through her leadership. Victoria pushes lawyers to frame advice in business terms and to speak with clarity. Team members are encouraged to practice influencing without authority and to move from issue spotting to options. For her, law serves decisions, not the other way around.
The path to this role was not linear. In her twenties, she pursued a PhD in art history at Harvard. The work involved advocacy within academic systems, but greater impact beckoned. She left the program and enrolled at UC Hastings (now UC Law San Francisco) with an eye toward a career in copyright. Graduation came as the dot-com era surged.
Early roles spanned employment law and in-house general practice. At Homestead Technology, Victoria served as the sole lawyer during its growth and sale to Intuit. Atom Entertainment came next, later acquired by Viacom. Seven years at Viacom brought experience with major litigation, acquisitions, and team building. Additional positions at WideOrbit, Accenture, Bright Machines, and Willow Innovations broadened her perspective. Each move added exposure to new industries, business models, and growth stages. At Willow Innovations, Victoria developed an offensive patent litigation strategy that attracted private equity interest. Bright Machines named her the first General Counsel and Secretary, where she built risk management frameworks from the ground up.
Across these chapters, Victoria focused on how legal teams operate under uncertainty and pressure. Growth brings excitement, but downturns test values. Equipping people before those moments arrive is her priority. Victoria speaks with pride about helping emerging leaders develop confidence and judgment. Diversity of experience and perspectives matters in that effort because decisions improve when viewpoints vary. Progress is measured by how teams handle tradeoffs, not just by wins in isolation.
Advice comes back to skills that law school may not highlight. Technical legal knowledge matters, but it does not carry decisions alone. Victoria urges in-house lawyers to first learn how their industry and business operate, particularly what drives success, then focus on listening, translating legal concepts into business impact, and influencing business decisions. The goal is to build trust over time.
Looking ahead, Victoria continues to refine how legal teams support AI adoption across the business. Regulation will keep shifting. Client expectations will keep evolving. Her task remains steady: bridge gaps and help leaders choose paths that hold up over time. As she sees it, comfort with the gray remains the requirement.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP has approximately 3,100 lawyers across 51 locations in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm’s broad geographic and practice range enables the delivery of innovative and strategic legal services across borders and industries. Recognized as a 2025 BTI “Best of the Best Recommended Law Firm” by general counsel for trust and relationship management, Greenberg Traurig is consistently ranked among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100, NLJ 500, and Law360 400. Greenberg Traurig is also known for its philanthropic giving, culture, innovation, and pro bono work. Web: www.gtlaw.com.
