In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Cameasha Turner discusses the traits she seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with her and more.
Texas Lawbook: What advice would you give younger lawyers thinking about going in-house?
Cam Turner: The advice I would give to younger lawyers thinking about going in-house is to never ignore that feeling if you have it. If it is there, it is there for a reason. Trust yourself. Trust your judgment.
Someone told me something early in my career that really stayed with me: Do not make career decisions based on a fear of disappointing your mentors, your loved ones or the people around you. There may be moments where others want you to go down a certain path, but you know in your heart that your passion is pulling you somewhere else. The people who truly love you and are meant to support you will support you either way. At the end of the day, when you lay your head down at night, you are the one who has to live with the decisions you make.
That said, I would absolutely caveat this by saying that firm experience can be incredibly valuable. For me, going to a firm felt like a necessary sacrifice early in my career. The training, the discipline and the exposure you get are invaluable. If that opportunity presents itself, there is real value in making that sacrifice early and then reassessing as you grow.
And that leads to my core advice. First, reassess your career often. Even people who become partners reassess their careers every year. Second, trust yourself and trust your judgment. It is your career, and you are the one who has to carve out a path that brings you fulfillment. Third, if you find yourself on a path that does not fit perfectly in the moment, trust that, too. Careers are not linear. Many of those experiences that feel imperfect or misaligned at the time end up being essential to where you ultimately want to go.
You have to build a career that makes sense for you, because at the end of the day, you are the one who has to wake up and live it.
Lawbook: What has been the biggest transition going from a law firm to being an in-house counsel?
Turner: The biggest transition for me moving from a law firm to an in-house role was truly having to rewire how I think. At a firm, you are trained to think in terms of multiple clients, layers of review and time. You spend a lot of effort perfecting work product because it is going to a managing associate or partner, and the resources are built for that — assistants, paralegals, secretaries and time to polish.
In-house, that mindset does not work. You have one client, and that client is the business. You do your best with the resources you have, which are often limited. There is no safety net of support staff, and there is far less emphasis on perfection for perfection’s sake. What matters most is understanding what the business actually needs, what its risk tolerance is and getting the work done efficiently so the business can move forward.
That does not mean being careless. You still have to be diligent, read carefully and pay close attention to detail. But the pace is different. Culturally, it can feel slower, but from a business standpoint, things move fast. The focus is on enabling the business — giving a thoughtful “yes” when possible, paired with clear risk analysis — rather than taking extended time to make something pristine, billable or overly complicated.
Another major transition was rethinking who I work with and who I work for. In a firm, your clients are often other attorneys. Everyone speaks the same language, follows similar training and understands the hierarchy. In-house, that structure disappears. I am responsible for managing my own workflow and supporting a business team that is not made up of lawyers.
That required learning an entirely new way of communicating. I had to learn their language, how they operate, and what resonates with them. Being overly lawyerly or using legal jargon was not helpful. What they wanted was clarity. They needed issues explained in a way they could understand, digest and use to make real business decisions.
Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring outside counsel?
Turner: What I look for first is trust. I want to work with someone I trust, someone I like, someone who listens and someone who is focused on my needs, my purpose and my goals, not just on what they believe the solution should be. I want to be part of the process, not talked at or around.
Communication matters a lot to me. I value outside counsel who keep me updated, communicate clearly and do not require constant follow-ups. I want someone who understands what I am trying to accomplish and helps me get there, rather than overcomplicating the issue or solving a problem I am not asking them to solve.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about working with you?
Turner: I am very mindful that outside counsel has a life outside of work and other clients to serve. Because I have worked at a firm, I understand competing priorities. I am not going to give you something last-minute unless it is truly unavoidable, and I do my best to give enough time for thoughtful work and proper prioritization.
I do not approach relationships with the mindset that I need to be your only or most important client. I expect professionalism and responsiveness, but I also understand that it is possible to juggle multiple priorities well. I am not going to follow up daily or create artificial urgency. That approach is not how I work.
I also want outside counsel to know that I am human. Talk to me like a person. We are trying to solve a problem together. I do not need to be spoken to like an attorney. I want issues explained simply, clearly and practically, in a way that I could explain to a fifth grader and they would understand the issue, the risk and the solution.
I want a real working relationship. I want us to like each other, trust each other and work as teammates. If I am spending my company’s dollars with you, it is because I trust you and value your judgment. Take off the legal armor and let’s work together as friends and/or teammates to solve the problem.
Lawbook: What are your pet peeves with outside counsel?
Turner: My pet peeves are essentially the opposite of everything above. I do not enjoy working with outside counsel who are overly formal, overly political or overly rigid. There is always a baseline level of professionalism, but I do not want a relationship that feels stiff, guarded or transactional.
I do not want counsel who are afraid to be direct or afraid to tell me how it really is. I want honesty, clarity and real communication, whether that is by call, text or email. I value accessibility and openness, not unnecessary formality.
Another major pet peeve is not listening. If I clearly say that I do not want a certain amount of time spent on something, or that I am not looking for a deep dive down a particular rabbit hole, I mean that. I will tell you what our company needs and what we do not need. Ignoring that guidance and doing the opposite is frustrating and inefficient. At the end of the day, I want outside counsel who see me as a partner, not just a client, and who approach my legal issues with practicality, respect for boundaries and an understanding of the business goals driving the work.
Lawbook: What are pro bono or public service efforts that you would like us to highlight?
Turner: While I engage in several different pro bono efforts, the work I am most passionate about is handling expungements and nondisclosures through DVAP — the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. This is an area where I have consistently devoted significant time, both during my years at a law firm and since joining Brinker. I tend to take on as many cases as I reasonably can, and over time, I have accumulated a substantial number of hours in this space.
The work itself involves helping clients clear their criminal records through expungements or, where expungement is not available, obtaining nondisclosure orders. In practical terms, this work helps people move forward with their lives, particularly when a past, low-level offense is standing in the way of employment, housing or basic stability.
While this is not clemency work or Innocence Project litigation, it is the closest thing to it for me. What I have seen time and time again is how difficult it is for people with records — even minor ones — to find meaningful employment. Being able to give my time, free of charge, to individuals who want nothing more than the chance to work, contribute and move forward has been incredibly meaningful. Hearing directly from clients after their records are cleared, hearing the relief, the gratitude and the tangible impact, is something I do not take lightly.
During my first year at Brinker, I was recognized internally for the volume of expungement cases I had taken on and successfully completed, which I was very proud of. But more than recognition, the fulfillment comes from knowing the impact is real and lasting.
I also make a point to encourage other attorneys to consider this work. These cases are fulfilling in a way that is energizing rather than emotionally draining. DVAP does an excellent job supporting volunteer attorneys. They provide clear checklists, detailed guidance and hands-on support throughout the process. Even my very first expungement, I never felt alone. There were always attorneys, paralegals and staff available to answer questions and walk me through the steps.
The collaboration extends to the prosecutors as well. While not every expungement is granted, the DA’s office understands that many volunteers are new to this work. If something needs to be corrected, they are often willing to explain what is needed and allow attorneys to fix and resubmit. It is truly a collaborative process.
Lawbook: What has been your best day so far at Brinker?
Turner: My best day at Brinker so far is honestly hard to pick, because there are so many. We are in the restaurant industry, and we truly come together as a company often. There are holiday events, seasonal events and moments where we bring our partners and families together. We celebrate wins — big and small — and that sense of community is real.
But by far my favorite day is at the end of the fiscal year, when we come together to review how the company performed across Q1, Q2, Q3 and ultimately Q4. That moment is special. We reflect on how the company performed at the restaurant level, what went well, what could be better and what that performance means overall. Of course, bonuses are discussed, and bonuses are always an indicator of how well the company did.
It is not about the money for me. It is about the moment. It is the one time where you can physically feel that all of the hard work truly paid off. You see it on the screen. You hear it in the numbers. And more importantly, you feel it in the way the company celebrates.
We do not make it about bonuses. We make it about recognition. We recognize restaurant managers. We recognize individual restaurant locations. We recognize teams across the organization. We go department by department and talk through accomplishments and contributions. Everyone is acknowledged for the role they played in moving the company forward.
That day always stands out to me because it reflects who Brinker really is. We take a moment to pause, celebrate and toast to the year we had, whether it was great, challenging or somewhere in between. It is a chance to kick our feet back, be proud of the work we did together and genuinely pat ourselves on the back as a company.
Lawbook: What question am I not asking that I should be asking?
Turner: The question one should be asking is, “Who is Cam, truly?” Outside of my role as an attorney, Cam is a person who values family and friendships, who loves sports, and who has a genuine passion for helping people. I care deeply about being a voice for the voiceless and about serving as an example for those who grew up in circumstances like mine. I come from a poor community here in Dallas. My life started with the odds stacked against me. Ten or 15 years ago, if you told people that someone from my background would make it out and accomplish the things I have so far, many would have laughed. That is exactly what I want to change.
I do not want kids from my community to be dismissed or underestimated. I want them to be supported. I want them to be given the same opportunities other children receive, because once that happens, the sky truly is the limit. When you grow up facing food insecurity, instability and limited resources, and you still find a way forward, there is very little in life that can stop you. There is no challenge bigger than waking up uncertain about your next meal, growing up without a father present or being raised by a single mother without access to the same opportunities others take for granted. Beating those odds is what defines me.
While I am incredibly proud of my career and grateful to be an attorney, that is not who I am, it is simply what I do. I do not define myself by my title. When people meet me, I want them to see someone who is deeply grateful for her village, who praises God for walking with her every step of the way, who is family-oriented and who does not see herself as better than anyone because she holds a law degree. I am a happy person, someone who smiles easily, approaches life with gratitude and looks for ways to do things differently. I believe there is no single path that fits everyone.
Most importantly, I show up as my authentic self, in all spaces, without apology. And if someone believes that authenticity is not what a “good attorney” looks like, then I am comfortable with that. I will continue to show up every day as myself.
My brand — more than my resume or my role — is about being an inspiration, practicing servant leadership and standing up for those whose voices often go unheard. I want people who come from where I come from, who look like me, to know that anything is possible. When challenges arise, you meet them, you greet them and you beat them. That is who Cam is.
Click here to read the Lawbook profile of Cam Turner.