IN-HOUSE INSIGHTS
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Karen Caraher Quirk, Eli Lilly SVP & Deputy General Counsel
In this In-House Insights interview, Karen Caraher Quirk (Chicago, 1995-2010) discusses how she has leveraged both the hard and soft skills she developed as a litigator at Winston in her in-house roles. She currently leads Eli Lilly’s legal teams handling global litigation, government and internal investigations, employment, compensation and benefits law, privacy, information security and AI as well as legal operations. She also provides insights on how to balance work and family life.
How did working at Winston prepare you for your current role?
My time at Winston was terrific preparation for my current role. While at Winston, I handled a wide variety of complex litigation matters and government and internal investigations. I did not focus on one industry and, while that can be a disadvantage in some ways, I think that helped me develop strong learning agility to quickly learn different industries and business models. My in-house roles have been in two industries that I did not have extensive experience in when I started at each company. Even so, I was able to leverage my broad experience and confidence navigating complex issues to bring a fresh perspective on strategy and best practices. I also received lots of great mentoring at Winston that helped me feel empowered early in my career to not sit back and wait to be invited to lead, but instead always figure out my highest and best use and maximize it.
What legal issues keep you up at night?
There are so many complex issues we navigate day to day that it really varies from week to week. But the thing that most consistently keeps me up at night is what risks I might not see coming around the corner. I am constantly reading and scanning for developments that could impact our company. I am also spending a lot of time lately thinking about GenAI risks and opportunities, and related governance more generally, as well as its potential to transform specifically how legal work is done.
What is your proudest accomplishment in your professional life?
There are many things I am proud of in terms of individual or team successes along the way, but I am also really proud of the career decisions I made – not just the roles I have taken, but also what I have chosen not to pursue. I am a big believer of following your passion and taking the job that most inspires you and the career progression naturally follows.
What career advice would you give your younger self?
Professionally, I think it would be to focus at a younger age on the softer skills. The more senior you get, the more the key to success is less about technical skills and more about your presence, influence, stakeholder management skills, and decision making. Also, with respect to balancing work and raising a family, I would have given myself a little more grace and not tried to be everything to all people. I have a sign in my office that a friend once gave me that says, “You can do anything, but not everything.” I keep it by my desk as a reminder to myself.
Is there anything else you would like to tell your fellow alums?
I would tell them how much I value the Winston network – I have stayed in contact with many former colleagues who have turned into lifelong friends. For those I have lost touch with, I would love to reconnect!
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