How often does a General Counsel talk directly to the CEO?

A piece about the newly-appointed general counsel of Marriott International, in the Bisnow on Business E-Letter, May 2007, mentions that Ed Ryan communicates with the chairman Bill Marriott with a “constant stream of written memos and e-mails.” The two of them, additionally, talk directly at least twice a week.

To be sure, not all general counsel report to the CEO. Of those that do, I have not seen data about the typical amount of time they spend with the CEO, either alone, as part of executive committee meetings, or in other meetings. My speculation is that it is not all that much time every week – perhaps an hour alone every fortnight – and that the larger the company the less the CEO face time.