If your legal department is scattered around the world, you might like to know some of the ways you can create a one-department culture. These ten techniques certainly do not exhaust the topic, but they should help you strengthen your efforts. I have listed them roughly in what I perceive to be their declining order of frequency.
- Intranet. If everyone in the department can see the same organization charts, FAQs, learning resources, and policy statements, it helps bring them together (See my post of Nov. 30, 2008: legal department intranet sites with 12 references.).
- Retreats and conferences. Nothing beats shaking hands with a colleague and getting to know them in person (See my post of Feb. 12, 2008: retreats and conferences with 8 references; Oct. 3, 2008: Gucci’s annual legal meeting.) and my article, Sweet Legal Retreats
- Call-ins by all or most lawyers. Telephone conference calls, although they present time-zone challenges, let colleagues hear each other and talk together (See my post of June 17, 2008: Starbucks.).
- Visits and travel. This often means the general counsel flies much of the time, but it can also mean visits every now and then by other lawyers to distant outposts.
- Common standards and technology. If everyone uses the same matter management system or the same document system, they have a common bond. If policies and guidelines apply worldwide, the various locations feel more part of one department.
- COE (See my post of Sept. 10, 2005: COE, center of excellence; Feb. 4, 2008: GE.)
- Secondments (See my post of July 17, 2008: secondment with 12 references; and Jan. 23, 2008.).
- Cross training. If you take the time to teach backups in distant offices, it can help knit together a department (See my post of Oct. 19, 2008: cross-training initiatives.).
- Buddy system. Pair up lawyers away from headquarters with a peer from headquarters (See my post of June 17, 2008: Starbucks.).
- Ex pat assignments. Send people for a tour of duty and they will help over the longer term with integration (See my post of Jan. 12, 2009: ex pat lawyers and their costs, with 7 references.).
- Rotations (See my post of Aug. 28, 2008: rotations for lawyers with 7 references.).