LEGAL
A month dedicated to leadership
The June issue of Corporate Counsel Connect is dedicated to a topic that we can all relate to – leadership. Leadership takes shape in many arenas: in your department, your business, and in the community. Read about "Law 3.0" and top leadership challenges facing by in-house professionals. Additionally, are you leading and being more than a legal advisor? If so, are you promoting those achievements? How do you take theoretical traits of leadership and place them into practice in the legal department? Finally, hear from four leading general counsel on what makes them top leaders. Also be sure to check out the Westlaw® Corporate Twitter® feed, the Corporate Counsel News & Views Section on legalsolutions.com, and the Legal Solutions Corporate Counsel blog for more in-depth articles and information on being the best leader you can be.
Law 3.0: The challenges facing legal leadership
When the suggested focus of this issue of Corporate Counsel Connect's articles came out (requesting pieces on leadership in legal departments), I knew exactly what I wanted to write on but had no idea how to express it. Leadership is something that is inherently good in most every situation, but really difficult to define – you often "know it when you see it," but can't reduce the concept into an easy description that's helpful in situations requiring it or for those who want to cultivate it.
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Be your own cheerleader
People expect most lawyers to be Type A personalities. The assumption is that the lawyer will be the loudest person in the room, the person not afraid to speak up when necessary, and most importantly, the person who looks for the spotlight on every occasion. However, the reality is often very different than the expectation. Many are hesitant to take credit for their own achievements and the achievements of their legal team. In-house counsel need to learn to be their own cheerleaders.
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Ten things by Sterling Miller: Running an effective staff meeting
Whether you run a small team of seven or you are in charge of a sprawling internationally based 200+ legal department, you will need to have regular staff meetings. Unfortunately, staff meetings have an inherent tension. On one hand, people in the legal department want to know what's going on. On the other hand, people want another meeting about as much as they want a root canal. The tricky part is balancing these opposing views and running a staff meeting that is both informative and interesting.
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Be more than a legal advisor
In-house lawyers add value in many ways, such as protecting the company from undue contractual risk, ensuring the company adheres to the law and internal policies, and effectively handling litigation. The best in-house lawyers take value to another level by becoming trusted business advisors.
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Knowledge of the business is an essential trait for effective law department leadership
Attorneys who run corporate legal departments of any significant size have become fairly proficient at basic management skills. Many general counsel have come to realize that good management alone is not enough. They must have leaders who can identify and drive strategies for long-term success, who can spot opportunities and take advantage of them, and who can develop and inspire others to help guide where the department and the company as a whole need to go.
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Words to lead by: A discussion with top general counsel
One of the very best ways to learn about leadership is from those who are exemplary leaders themselves. We connected with a few experienced general counsel to hear their stories and to learn about their leadership styles, favorite advice received, and how they worked to transform their legal departments. We spoke with several legal department leaders, including Susan Hackett, Sterling Miller, Tanya Avila, and Ed Friedland.
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Leading change in your legal department
While the legal industry may be slower to adopt change than other industries, change has come to it nonetheless. Many of the requirements of successfully leading a legal department through changes stay the same regardless of the type of transition taking place. Whether it's implementing billing guidelines with your firm, bringing more work in-house, managing the convergence of law firms, or implementing new software systems, the following items will help you guide your department through transformations.
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NLRB analysis of common employment policies; Impeding whistleblowers; Consumer product warranties
Read about the recent U.S. District Court decision that emphasizes the importance of taking precautions at the outset of an internal investigation to preserve attorney-client privilege. Plus recent developments that have been fostering the expansion of public company shareholder proxy access rights, and the Department of Labor's final ruling redefining "spouse" in terms of eligibility for FMLA leave.
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Top ten things I know now that I wish I knew then
When I was the hiring partner at my law firm, we established a robust on-boarding program to introduce our summer associates and first year attorneys to the private practice of law. Law school was great for teaching basic legal skills—research, writing, identifying issues—but it failed to teach practical lawyering skills beneficial to the new law firm associate. To overcome this shortcoming, the firm implemented a "Bridge the Gap" program that occurred throughout the summer and into the fall. But what about those who are new to the in-house practice? How do they bridge this new gap into a corporate legal department?
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