“ How do you leverage the resources
“ How do you leverage the resources
of a small law department
?
”
“ Draw on other personnel
and outside counsel.”
Hexagon is a world leader in measurement technology. We have 8,000 employees and operate in more than 35 countries. With our law department consisting only of myself and two other lawyers, we have had to learn how to leverage our resources as efficiently as possible.
Here are some approaches that work for us:
First, we hire “A” players in the law department. It’s just a lot easier to delegate to first-rate people and it is a more satisfying professional experience for the attorneys to be able to operate as independently as possible.
Second, we regularly extend the resources of the law department by drawing upon personnel in other corporate functions. For example, our country controllers are very experienced in local legal matters and are an excellent resource in identifying, reporting and solving a wide variety of issues, as well as assisting with compliance matters.
Third, we partner with outside counsel. Although we have a limited number of inside lawyers, we don’t have a limited number of legal projects. By developing trusting relationships with outside counsel who understand our business and our unique characteristics as a company, we are able to avoid micromanaging projects that have been entrusted to our law firms.
Fourth, we try to avoid being a bottleneck on legal projects by always having a
“Plan B” – often involving other company personnel or outside counsel – to step in when needed to help manage a project. It is not unusual to have multiple, critical projects going on at the same time on opposite sides of the globe. One thing we always try to avoid is slowing a process down because of the unavailability of a legal resource.
Finally, we adopt a preventative approach as well. Through building relationships with business personnel, in-country visits and training exercises, we seek to minimize the number of legal situations that become legal problems.
Every company is different. But at Hexagon, these five points help us to leverage our legal resources as efficiently as possible.
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Frederick W. London
General Counsel
Hexagon AB
London, United Kingdom
