Sergey Brin’s technique to test a candidate for an in-house law position. Ordinary people interview in the traditional mode (See my post of Sept. 3, 2008: techniques for those who interview.). Not Brin, one of Google’s billionaire co-founders. According to the Economist, Nov. 14, 2009 at 103, he “asks a…
My three blog books (outside counsel management, talent management and structure) each compile several hundred posts on their topic, offer additional commentary to the structured layout, offer recommendations, and include many forms of indexes and search tools. Starting today until Thanksgiving, when you buy one you will receive the other…
General counsel compete with their peer executives in a company. Humans being what they are, proud and possessive, it follows that general counsel compete at least some of the time with their peer executives. Notwithstanding the internal exchange of legal services for technical, personnel, financial, and physical support from other…
Ten more embedded metaposts (See my post of Oct. 25, 2009: Part XLI), each bedraped with the number of its back references. CEO and influence on law department (See my post of Oct. 28, 2009: with 27 references.). Corporate policies (See my post of Nov. 2, 2009: corporate policies regarding…
Click on the links to read the full post. No grounds for “moving away from the RFP mentality of too many law departments” (Sept. 9, 2009) Contrary to some views, RFPs are underutilized as a tool to learn from the market. What controlling costs of outside counsel is NOT (Sept.…
The paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould popularized the theory that evolution proceeds from relative dormancy sometimes by leaps and bounds. Punctuated equilibrium, Gould named it, and the idea spread far beyond fossils and Darwin. Punctuated equilibrium may be an apt metaphor for legal departments. For long periods a department sails along,…
Ten more embedded metaposts (See my post of Oct 4, 2009: Part XXXX), each roped to the number of its back references. Appearance, looks (See my post of March 26, 2008: physical appearance with 11 references.). Discounts IV (See my post of Oct. 15, 2009: discounts with 18 references and…
To my earlier post about listening techniques (See my post of Oct. 19, 2008: ten sound suggestions.), three more vibrated at me from a recent article in the ACC Docket, Vol. 27, Oct. 2009 at 40. Ask thoughtful questions. The author suggests, “Don’t frame your question in a way that…
Payments to outside counsel expressed as constant currency. “Constant currency” means to state amounts in a currency expressed in relation to its purchasing power in a specified currency. For example, a legal department might calculate its constant dollar spend by applying an annual exchange rate to local currency results for…
Some readers of this blog might miss posts that I believe are especially stimulating, so I have been compiling each month the ten that hit this criterion (See my post of July 11, 2009: May; July 31, 2009: June; and Sept. 5, 2009: July.). After much deliberation, I selected these…