Ford GC on Teaching His Lawyers To Think Like a Consumer

Ford general counsel Bradley Gayton is a lawyer, but he’s also a consumer and an internet user — and he knows how annoying overlong privacy policies and terms and conditions can be.

Gayton, who’s been with Ford Motor Company since he clerked for the automaker as a law student, became the company’s top lawyer in January, taking over for David Leitch, now general counsel at Bank of America.

Asked how the legal department is going to change under his leadership, Gayton said he’s asked lawyers to do a better job of putting themselves in the shoes of the consumer: “We said to lawyers, ...