by Mike Anderson, Vivian Leung, and Chris Sanz.
In-house lawyers are sent “misfit issues” that don’t have a natural ‘home.’ Often, these problems are complicated and related to new business activities that the company hasn’t fully thought through yet.
While it’s tempting to take on these issues to show your value as a team player, they can be huge time drains.
Our recommendation:
- Make an assessment of whether the issue is a good issue for the legal team to address, or whether it requires more work from the business team first;
- Recommend the department that should lead (with reasons); and
- Provide helpful business or legal advice for that department to consider and explain the things that need to happen before legal can add value.
Each Inter Alia lawyer has worked both in-house and in private practice. We love solving problems for our clients, and this blog gives some insight into how we do this practically and efficiently. If these tips speak to you, or you think we could help you, please contact darlene@interalia-law.com.