Perhaps a reader can tell me the originator of the metrics below. Regardless of their source, these observations and percentages ring true. Managers of law departments would do better if they followed the advice suggested. • 10 percent of people who hear a good idea will do something about it…
When faced with a discovery or investigation request, some law departments can turn to specialists within the company’s IT group. At one company, a group of specialists are known as the “computer incidence response team” (CIRT) and they handle tech troubles such as virus attacks, violations of company policy, illegal…
According to IP Law & Bus., Vol. 6, Sept. 2008 at 42, one of the practices at 3M Co. is to have its patent lawyers “not only attend meetings of the management teams and operating committee, but even keep regular office hours in the business units’ labs.” Circuit riding means…
Amidst the geysers of work you face as an in-house lawyer, how can you turn the tap a bit and deal with the most important tasks and problems? Here are some ideas culled from various sources. 1) Think in terms of your cost to your company per hour and the…
Large lawsuits have lots of moving parts. They seem to be ripe for the skills of project managers, people who are trained in how to get the right resources at the right time to the correct activity. As mentioned in Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 16, June 2008 at 44, a…
Earlier I pulled together my extant metaposts that relate to litigation management (See my post of Oct. 2, 2008: 12 metaposts.) Here I add 10 other techniques available to general counsel that enhance their oversight and direction of litigation. 1. Staff your department with a litigation specialist and perhaps a…
How best to handle lawsuits brought against a company has stimulated from this blogger large amounts of commentary. Ideas about how best to hire a qualified and cost-effective litigation firm fall under my category, Outside Counsel Management (See my post of May 19, 2006: evaluation of litigation firms; Aug. 3,…
Publicly-traded companies periodically ask their Directors to complete a questionnaire about their independence. One use for the information is to maintain Directors & Officers insurance coverage. Some companies perform the check up more than once a year. For this post, the question is whether the general counsel should be responsible…
Originally developed by the economist George Stigler, the “economics of information” perspective looks at search and storage costs related to information needed by decision makers, according to Richard B. McKenzie, Why Popcorn Costs so Much at the Movies (Copernicus Books 2008) at 73 and 108. An unheralded fact of law…
It would drive me crazy to have other people schedule me for phone calls and meetings, yet that is what routinely happens for some general counsel. To be master of my calendar matters to me, an independent consultant, but once you reach a certain level of heavy time commitments, with…