Framework for practicing legal operations

Support your team with targeted professional training Current reality Many In-House Legal Departments do little to onboard new hires, missing an opportunity to activate and engage new team members. And once on-board, these departments typically offer fragmented training opportunities, or worse, rely on their HR teams to cover training and…

Innovate, automate, and solve problems with technology Current reality In-House Legal Departments often rely on manual, time-consuming, and fragmented point solutions. They may lack an overall technology vision and are deploying costly applications that are underused and disconnected from the team’s workflow. Desired state Create a clear technology vision that spans…

Current reality Many In-House Legal Departments are completely short-term and reactive in their planning, guided by the incoming work rather than larger strategic priorities. Desired state Set department mission/vision and develop strategic priorities that serve the needs of your department and the overall business. Bring a long-term, holistic perspective to…

Match the right work to the right resource Current reality In-House Legal Departments often assign work indiscriminately today, sending it to a “default” firm or vendor. This can lead to increased cost and diminished speed and quality. Desired state Create a complementary ecosystem of vendors, tightly connected to each other…

Launch and support special programs and initiatives Current reality Most In-House Legal Departments lack specialized program management skills and experience, making it difficult for them to implement effective initiatives at scale. Desired state Design, implement, and lead department-wide and company-wide initiatives that work. Take on complex special projects without losing…

Free up your legal teams through focused practice operations Current reality In many In-House Legal Departments, lawyers often wear many hats out of necessity and end up handling tasks that don’t require a legal degree. Tasks often aren’t assigned strategically or with expertise in mind. This adds cost and reduces…

Build effective and motivated teams Current reality Often, In-House Legal Departments are assembled without a clear overall vision, meaning they may hire for short-term need rather than overall fit and long-term effectiveness. In many cases, key aspects of the employee experience – such as career planning, skills development, and job…

Tap the knowledge and capability of your entire organization. Current reality Today, In-House Departments often struggle to find and retain knowledge and best practices. Most rely on unstructured “tribal knowledge” that fails to scale as the team grows or changes, forcing costly re-work. Desired state Save team time and improve…

Develop firm and Design information policies that fit your business and minimize riskvendor relationships that deliver value Current reality In many cases, In-House Legal Departments will have little or no structure in their information governance. These departments manage this loosely, if at all, making it difficult to get access to…

Develop firm and vendor relationships that deliver value Current reality Today, firms and vendors are often selected either for tactical reasons or due to personal relationships. Lacking clear alternatives, In-House Legal Departments may default to traditional pricing and staffing models, which can deliver less accountability and value. Desired state Create,…