Title simplification, yes; but “Corporate Secretary” still needed by law

I have long advocated simplifying and reducing the number of titles in law departments. Doing so reduces jockeying for titles, makes easier the decisions on promotion and transfer, and enables more broad-banding of compensation.

Thus, I was surprised to learn that under the laws of at least one state, a lawyer who signs or certifies certain corporate documents, perhaps minutes of the board of directors or corporate resolutions, must bear the title “Corporate Secretary” or a recognizable variation on it. Strange, that is, to find a statutory bar to one aspect of title simplification.