You have to wonder about the cost-benefit ratio of CLE programs for in-house lawyers. Research has shown that information and knowledge gained from formal training programs is often not effectively applied. According to Cal. Mgt Rev., Vol. 49, Winter 2007 at 44, “Some researchers have estimated that from the approximately…
Many general counsel have wrestled with the clamoring of their lawyers to gain more clarity about what it takes to be promoted. One department I consulted to developed an elaborate table where each row was one level in the law department and each column had a summary of what was…
“Job descriptions are emblematic of stability and as a result are a poor fit for any built-to-change organization.” This dramatic quote, the Sloan Mgt. Rev., Fall 2006 at 19, casts job descriptions in a new light (actually, a new dark). Why bother with the rigidity of a statement of responsibilities…
Few law departments these days hire new lawyers directly out of law school (See my post of Nov. 8, 2005 on the rarity of hiring from law school.). Even where that happens, those lawyers typically leave the company at some point. Hence, it was astonishing to learn from the Nat’l…
In his book, Theodore Levitt, Thinking about Management (Free Press 1991) at 18, Levitt writes that “really outstanding managers tend to emerge gradually from the pack, and occasionally suddenly in special circumstances, rather than being specifically selected or trained for command.” His observation contradicts the premise underlying the focus on…
There’s almost no way to win for general counsel when it comes to assuring the members of their department satisfying career paths at the pace they desire. If a company is growing rapidly, promotions and additional responsibilities and changes in roles are prevalent, but that is a rare situation. For…
According to Talent Mgt. Magazine, Vol. 3, June 2007, at 20, US corporations “spend about $20 billion a year on employee education in the form of tuition reimbursement.” That may be, but I have never heard of an in-house lawyer taking courses that an employer reimburses. Probably some lawyers pursue…
This wisdom comes from Talent Mgt. Magazine, Vol. 3, June 2007, at 19: “Research shows the No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is because of their immediate boss — not the pay, the president of the organization or the company’s earnings. They leave because of things these managers do…
One step for success that anyone in a law department can apply is to be sensitive to the working style of his or her boss and try to complement or match it. If you observe carefully, you can figure out the person’s preferred style of getting information – orally, in…
A study described in the Harv. Bus. Rev., May 2007 at 64, looked at voluntary and involuntary turnover rates of proxy-level senior management, which often includes the general counsel, when a new CEO was promoted from within compared to hired from without. When there was an internal promotion, involuntary turnover…