1. Legal Department Integration
Presented by
Faculty #1
Title
Company
Faculty #2
Title
Company
Faculty #3
Title
Company

2. What does the organization value?
How does the legal department add value?
How do I add value?

3. Perspectives: Organization, Department and Individual
Value
Integration
COMPANY
Executive Team
Regulators
Customers
Investors
Others
Employees
Legal Department
Soft skills
Relationship Development

4. What does the board and executive team expect from me and the legal department? How can the legal department provide value to the executive team?

5. Legal Leadership Perspective: Executive Leadership
Know Your Customer: Understanding the Board and Executive Leadership
What is the risk profile of executive leadership?
What is the focus of executive meetings?
How does executive leadership prefer to interact with the legal department?
What is the board looking for from the legal department?
What is the most effective way for the legal department to communicate with the board and executive leadership?
Answering these questions can enhance the trusted advisor role of the CLO/General Counsel.

6. Legal Leadership Perspective: Executive Leadership
Legal Department Goal: Manage Legal Affairs of Company Competently and Efficiently
Additional Ways to Add Value:
Smart and savvy in-house attorneys are uniquely positioned to add this value!
Understand the business and its key drivers
Understand the major commercial and legal risks to the business
Help business managers navigate and avoid both kinds of risk

7. Legal Leadership Perspective: Legal Department
Keys to Legal Department Success:
Structure the department to optimize support
Hire ‘Go-To’ lawyers interested in working with business partners to further the organization’s goals
Action Items to Consider:
Evaluate organizational needs and department strengths, weaknesses
Determine how to best support business to achieve goals
Enable attorneys to spend time with their business clients
Ensure attorneys understand key drivers and risks of the business
Provide mentoring, support and opportunities for growth
Encourage work outside of comfort zone to enhance knowledge, experience

8. What leadership attributes do I need to demonstrate to drive value?
How can I set a strategy to increase the legal department’s focus on delivering value?
What leadership attributes do I need to demonstrate to drive value?

9. Developing a Value Focus
Strategic objectives
Company vision and strategy
Business partner plans and expectations
Key company and department initiatives
Cultural imperatives
Evaluate “value”
Team feedback and data on work
Business partner needs and priorities
Input/surveys on what business partners value the most
Implement, test & adjust
Test plan with clear measures of success
Business partner commitment and advocacy
Joint communication plan
Team engagement in change management process
Stakeholder Communication

10. Translating value focus into action
How will you create value?
Create a before and after picture
Vision
Mindset
Delivery
Proactive
Empower
Developer
Leaders not just lawyers
Leverage non-attorneys
Create go-to resources
Nature of your role
Clear performance expectations
Joint ownership
Innovative approach
Value Provider
Create capacity
Modernize access
Technology enabled
Knowledge management focus
Both team and business partners
Self service focus
Playbooks
Defined and supported risk appetite
Drive relationships and interactions
Solution-orientation/strategic input
Future focused viewpoints
Foundational attributes
Courage
Communication
Ownership mindset
Collaboration
Innovation
Change leadership

11. Am I a “go-to” lawyer? What can I do better?

12. Are You a “Go-To” Business Partner?
How does executive leadership perceive me? Do they view me as a “go-to” lawyer?
Whether or not one is regarded positively in this regard often has less to do with title and level of experience, and more to do with style, judgment, and one’s ability to “get the business folks where they need to be.”
A “go-to” lawyer has the ability to assess the risk, (simplistically) explain such risk, and then creatively develop/propose/sell/execute a more ‘workable’ and strategically-sound approach.
Having the reputation of being a “go-to” lawyer is more than good business for the lawyer in his/her personal capacity – it is great business for the company. Attorneys that are sought-out from the beginning, are able to shape business decisions (rather than trying to remedy after-the-fact).

13. Which Attributes Could You Benefit from Developing?
Know when to take a stand and when to back off
Know your company and the players
Demonstrate a “one team” mentality
Commit to objective, candid and frequent communication
Embrace the chaos
Be fun and approachable
Find the balance

14. How will YOU add value to YOUR organization?

15. Appendix: Useful Handouts and Reference Materials

16. Example: Client Support Before and After View
Outdated
Client support
Reactive and tactical
(“Incoming fire”)
Legal “sign-off”
Strong service model
Complex and detailed
Modern
Client Support
Proactive and strategic
Informed, empowered decisions
(Client self-sufficiency)
Strong partnership model
Simplify and streamline

17. Example: Value Strategy in Action
Prepare ourselves and our partners for the future
Proactive partnership and outreach
Drive effectiveness through knowledge mgmt and technology
Implement and promote client self help tools
Modernize access and delivery
Engaged and empowered business partner mindset
Create development opportunities and broaden our bench strength
Create capacity to drive value focus
Key Principles:
Value aligned
Vision
Our broad expertise and exceptional partnership connect law and business to create measurable business value.
Innovative approach
Team development
Key Success Measures
Delivery of enterprise business plans, key priorities and goals
Improved productivity, effectiveness and culture of business partnership and empowerment
Enhanced capacity to execute on strategic initiatives and proactively support business strategy
Development opportunities that increase depth and breadth of legal and business acumen

18. Example: Critical Communication Skills
Communication skills are the key!
Listen as well as you speak and write; hear the client’s needs and concerns
Ask questions when needed to fully understand issues
Establish reasonable expectations for responding to requests
Know when to pick up the phone or meet in person
Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know”
Explain the law and its implications to the client
Look ahead and provide risk analysis and direction
Communicate in a clear and practical manner
Provide straightforward, actionable advice; give answers and get to the point
Avoid communicating like an attorney communicates to another attorney
Clearly differentiate legal from business advice
Tailor messages and level of detail to the audience, the complexity of the situation and the time available
Avoid just saying “No” where possible
Suggest alternative approaches that might achieve the same objective
Where you can, convey your desire to assist clients’ in achieving their business objectives
Don’t be perceived as aloof
Act with Integrity
Test to make sure clients fully understand

19. Example: Critical Soft Skills for You and Your Team
Risk appetite
Support informed, tempered risk taking while ensuring compliance
Provide risk assumptions and articulate the chances of success for a particular strategy
Be innovative, creative and solution-oriented
Partnership focus
Exhibit a positive attitude in difficult situations
Align efforts with business objectives
Drive sustainable client self sufficiency and self service
Proactive approach to value alignment
Elements of success
Strong legal skills alone are not enough
Clients want to work with you and proactively turn to you with confidence
You stand out from other business partners
Not associated with title, years of experience or amount of responsibility; it’s earned
Demonstrate the differentiators: general manager mindset, ownership of outcomes and leadership focus
Willingness to challenge yourself, explore new areas and act outside of your comfort zone
Ability to be culturally savvy
Proven ability to treat people at all levels with respect and courtesy
Business acumen
Know how to think like a business person
Understand how clients’ legal needs align with the company’s strategic issues and objectives (or not)
Keep abreast of what competitors are doing and how it affects the company
Be recognized as a business partner—better yet, a business leader
Judgment
Know the law and know what to do with it, focusing on what’s really important
Make a call based on past experience but with imperfect information
Help clients navigate through the gray issues with helpful suggestions
Drive the business—don’t just be “overhead”
Executive presence
Convey mature confidence (but not arrogance) in your interactions and approach
Collaborate well with peers and clients, knowing when to enter the conversation
Develop the bandwidth to make tough calls and manage unpredictability using facts, data and logic
Say, “No” without alienating the client
Hone your ability to “stand and deliver” to leaders
Be engaged with clients and enthusiastic about their work and objectives
Baseline: Legal Competence