Out of a sample of 235 US general counsel surveyed this year, 27 percent of them said they spent more time on crisis management in 2006 than in 2005. The press release of the joint surveyors, Corporate Board Magazine and FTI Consulting, obliquely defines a crisis as “a natural or…
A sizeable sample of US general counsel reported they spent more time in 2006 on compliance than in 2005. Some 235 general counsel responded to a recent survey by Corporate Board Magazine and FTI Consulting. A press release announced that 55 percent of those general counsel increased their time on…
Freddie Mac has in its Legal Division approximately 95 lawyers, who must keep quite busy. According to Robert Bostrom, Freddie Mac’s General Counsel, in Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 15, Oct. 2007 at 21, “In 2006, we provided legal support for almost 2,000 single-family and multifamily mortgage transactions, almost 1,200 debt…
<img src="http://www.blawg.com/claimscript.aspx? userid=Rees Morrison&LinksID=1907″> Two authors, writing in Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 15, Oct. 2007 at 18, provide an overview of the global situation regarding this privilege (See my post of Nov. 17, 2006 and three references cited about the privilege and its bearing on law department management.). For example,…
If a General Counsel is so inclined, opportunities abound to speak at conferences (See my posts of May 21, 2007 about the internal risks of publicity for the department; June 11, 2007 on publicity generally and 11 references cited; and Aug. 19, 2007 #3 on conferences.). When you speak at…
Many law departments fancy themselves to be “full-service.” I believe that is the wrong vision. Law departments need to concentrate their expertise in those key areas of legal practice that are crucial to the company’s success. The fortunes of few companies rise and fall their real estate activities; few create…
Do lawyers make a difference? Do they bring value? Yes, and here is an anecdote from MIT Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 48, Summer 2007 at 63, that highlights the point. “In the spring of 2006, Boston Scientific Corp., a medical device manufacturer, acquired its rival Guidant Corp, outbidding Johnson &…
An interview of a law firm partner in the Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 15, July 2007 at 47, goes on and on about mythical general counsel and their expanding – exploding is actually closer – roles. The height of folly was the following quote: “A General Counsel of a major…
Decisions to act set in train all manner of responses and changes that managers often do not foresee (See my posts of Aug. 1, 2006 on second-order consequences and Aug. 28, 2005 on unintended consequences.). One ironic outcome happens when a well-intentioned decision boomerangs. This blog has touched on several…
The pullout section of the N.L.J, Vol. 29, May 28, 2007 at S1, highlights 50 women lawyers “who have had a national impact in their fields and beyond during the last five years.” Ten women who are not partners in law firms made the list. Of that group, two are…