The opportunities for in-house law departments to grow in awareness, to share skills, to learn from others, and to prepare for the future are endless and the rewards are large.
- Outside counsel are enthusiastic about having positive offline access to their client. Invite them to do informal briefings of the in-house team–and other teams–on topics of interest to the in-house departments: rules on hiring foreigners, privacy, legally mandated safety rules for manufacturers, tax obligations on cross border sales and more. Give them plenty of time, cross examine them. In addition to learning, it creates trust and makes communications easier.
- There is often limited internal cross-training among company departments whether formal or informal. Informal communications are often quite effective. It’s an opportunity for in-house legal teams to learn more about operational issues. In-house legal teams can be the catalyst.
- People with a certain skill set can be persuaded to share their skills. For example, people skilled in the technical development of new products can loop in persons from, say, marketing or transportation. This helps people move out of their silo and broadens their view of the business.
- Continuous learning can go beyond immediate needs. Lawyers in law departments can take initiatives not yet considered by the corporation itself. They can be agents of change. For example, whistleblowing systems are used but not broadly for midsized companies. They help protect the entity and there is much information available on how to institute and manage them. In-house counsel can step up and present new options. Sometimes new options need a champion.
- Temporary internal secondment continues to grow. An in-house lawyer can serve for a time in other departments–say, manufacturing, sales, personnel to broaden skills and awareness. The experience will add an important dimension to the legal team.
- There are many teaching programs aimed at in-house counsel to enhance skills—financial analysis, presenting to a group, research skills, new technology, managing contacts and the like.
The opportunities are wide and broad. The larger challenge is often to take the first step outside of a comfort zone.
