Powerful approaches to managing the legal department enhance shareholder value by developing an exclusive set of actions that make the “whole” worth more than the sum of its parts. Managing corporate legal management is complex and involves managing people (roles and responsibilities, structure, incentives and culture), workflows (processes, approaches and systems), information, knowledge, legal service providers and other essential resources. Instead, it`s probably best to hire external consultants for activities that are (i) recurring and ongoing administrative functions, (ii) sufficiently profitable not yet warranting internal hiring, and/or (iii) require local expertise in the jurisdiction in which you operate. While most companies ideally want to eliminate G&A`s external expenses, it is unlikely that an internal team will be able to meet the legal requirements that will arise during the life of your business. A second way for organizations to get a legal team is to have a few people under another department that deals specifically with legal matters. For example, in the context of sales or human resources department. Usually, this type of legal team can be considered a department or subdivision rather than a separate department. This is more common in medium or small companies than in large companies. In these circumstances, the legal team may consist of about 3 to 10 people, although it is possible to have fewer or more depending on the needs of the business. Sometimes this “team” may even be composed of a single lawyer. Around the world, the most resourceful corporate legal departments are expanding their career options with a range of other innovations. Here are some examples: In a large multinational company, the legal department can be huge and approach the size of a large law firm.

Lawyers may come from different countries and have different educational backgrounds to ensure that all aspects of the company`s business are covered, from a manufacturing plant in England to a bank in India. Employees can also collaborate on transactions, using their years of experience to review quotes and documents and ensure the company receives the best possible legal representation and advice. Unlike law firms, which function as revenue-generating profit centers, corporate legal departments are cost centers that spend company funds defending lawsuits against the company, negotiating business transactions, and providing a wide range of legal services on behalf of the parent company and its business units. The critical and subordinate tactical decisions of the legal department must be consistent with a high-level legal management plan based on clear objectives. It is imperative that the plan provides direction (and limitations) in the short and long term. Kwon concludes: “The most important thing is to understand the business in depth and never stop learning and never stop re-evaluating where the business needs to be. From there, you`ll make sure you`re making the best team-building decisions. Building a case should be relatively simple, because if you have this understanding, you should be able to tie each attitude to the overall strategic goals of the company. “Even though today`s legal departments are under pressure from a new wave of corporate conflicts, they have skills gaps to fill and must recruit from a pool of young talent who have doubts about working in legal services.

These challenges are not insurmountable, but require a fresh look at the structure and processes of the legal department. Our experience has shown that general counsel can build a next-generation legal department by addressing four imperatives: clarifying purpose and priorities, establishing an evolving legal ecosystem, anticipating and planning litigation, and enabling legal talent to build a career. The resulting next-generation legal department will not only offer on-demand concierge services, but will also have a say in the company`s strategic and tactical decisions. Members of the legal department are usually trained and qualified lawyers, as well as a support team consisting of legal assistants and other lawyers. Ideally, the department focuses only on tasks that require a qualified lawyer; In other words, employees can review a letter from an executive to make sure it doesn`t cause problems in the future, but they won`t write letters for members of the company unless the letters are about legal issues. Just as there are different ways for a company to have a legal team, there are also many different members that a company wants or needs in that legal team. At the very least, a single licensed lawyer is a necessary part of any legal team, regardless of size or structure. However, legal teams are often composed of more than one lawyer. Other team members who could employ legal teams include: The company`s legal counsel is responsible for all legal matters of the business, from advising on the legality of business decisions to contract management and compliance.

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