Dr. No #61 – The 5 Laws of Power They Don’t Teach at Law School

Hey Your Honor,

Robert Greene’s The 48 Laws of Power is banned in US federal prisons due to its themes of power and manipulation— and should probably be required reading for boardrooms.

Let’s skip the Machiavellian fluff and focus on 5 laws every GC should master.

1. Food for Thought

Are you playing chess at work… or just moving pieces someone else told you to?

2. 5 Laws of Power (Senior Lawyer Edition)

Law 1: Never Outshine the Master.
Make the CEO look smart. Influence happens behind the curtain.

Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions.
Share plans strategically. Surprise beats permission.

Law 6: Court Attention at All Costs.
If Legal’s invisible, it’s irrelevant. Publicise wins. Publish KPIs. Create a story.

Law 23: Concentrate Your Forces.
Don’t spread Legal across every project. Focus on where risk and value intersect. Don’t play all games.

Law 48: Assume Formlessness.
Rigidity breaks. Flexibility wins. Adapt to business. If the market shifts, Legal must bend faster than the business.

3. Mental Model — First Principles Thinking (Weinberg)

Question every assumption. Don’t fix a broken process — rebuild it from zero.
Example: stop redlining 100 NDAs. Create a self-serve contract generator.

4. AI Booster — Brainfish

Explain complex or legal concepts, internal policies or compliance rules in plain and easy language instantly with AI.
Need to brief your memos or policies on new regulation? Brainfish makes it sound human — not like an annex from hell.

5. Quote to Reflect

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

P.S.
Legal doesn’t need more rules. It needs leverage.

Ambar gives GCs fractional contract counsel for niche consumer work — healthcare, marketing, publicity, regulatory, labelling, sales.

They handle the heavy lifting so your team can focus on power, not paperwork.

Book a call with Ambar.

Stay cool,

Rosa & Manuel