Yesterday (See my post of Aug. 20, 2009: CPR statement.), I wrote that I suspected that general counsel have available to them to sign a statement in support of pro bono. That is indeed the case. Esther Lardent, the long-time President & CEO of the Pro Bono Institute, promptly wrote…
In the words of Talent mgt., July 2009 at 26, “There are four steps to the performance mapping process. First, develop performance maps. Second, execute real-time evaluation with star performers. Third, document skills tables for key competencies. And finally, talent managers must apply key competencies to their organizations talent management…
Three varieties of “capitals,” as they pertain to legal departments, have appeared on this blog: human capital, social capital and organizational capital. Human capital has the most accumulation. I devote an entire category to Talent Management but there have also been several references on this blog to the specific term…
What influences satisfaction levels among members of a legal department are numerous. To reel off some of them, they include amenities, client appreciation, the culture of the department, diversity, emotional intelligence, facilities, health, leadership, pro bono, quality of work, vacations, values, work-life balance, and workload? For many of these topics…
I read recently that solid thinkers should never ignore the obvious. In that vein, here is an obvious observation about governance in law departments as it is affected by the size of the department. The smaller the law department, the more voice every lawyer has. Conversely, the bigger the department,…
Monsanto’s legal department “involves itself in succession issues for legal teams at their preferred providers,” according to Corp. Counsel, Vol. 16, June 2009 at 65. I have previously written (See my post of Jan. 13, 2008: interventions that go to far.) that it is over-reaching for a general counsel to…
A thoughtful article in MIT Sloan Mgt. Rev., Vol. 50, Summer 2009 at 44, should unnerve newly appointed general counsel. Research shows that “subordinates’ expectations of the boss measured in the first five days of their relationship were strong predictors of subordinate assessments of the quality of their working relationship…
Supporting the prolific IP department of IBM is a corps of nearly 100 retired IBM lawyers who practice as freelancers. This arrangement appears in Corp. Counsel, Vol. 16, June 2009 at 77. That army of former in-housers made me wonder whether IBM treats their costs as external counsel or as…
“Professional development is a fusion of career planning and development – for yourself – and continuing education and training in both the law and your company’s business – for the benefit of your client.” This distinction comes from GC Mid-Atlantic, March 2008 at 14. The article makes clear that every…
Tell me your tale of a general counsel showing admirable leadership! Readers would like to hear about examples of general counsel who demonstrated admirable leadership or management. If you email me or call me [973.568.9110] with an example, I will compile them and comment on them – without any attribution.…