“How does the legal function
keep pace with the
internationalization of the business?”
“By balancing core obligations with regional needs.”
We’re all familiar with the maxim that the more things change, the more they stay the
same. When I analyze the challenges facing the legal function within a U.S.-based
public company whose footprint has grown internationally, this notion develops
special and important resonance.
The core functions of in-house lawyers at Allergan are to protect the company and
serve its shareholders and business leaders as we seek to advance patient care and
optimize performance for continuous innovation and development. As a U.S.-based
public company, we have a set of duties and functions that cannot be ignored simply
because there are now additional and different cultural and legal values at play
in various regions around the world. Thus, in a very real sense, even though our
internationalization means that we’re a changed company, with regional commercial
needs to support, our core obligations to the company remain the same. Our job is to
thoughtfully balance our core obligations with regional needs.
There are a couple of practical realities at play as well. One is the sheer distance
of some corporate counsel from headquarters. That gap must be bridged, and there
is no better way than continuous communications that sound the legal compliance
theme not only in the context of the rules and regulations in the respective regions,
but also in the context of our obligations as one unified public company. Moreover,
periodic gatherings of all members of the global legal team—telephonic and inperson—allow for sharing of best-practices, discussion of trends, greater mutual
understanding, and peer reinforcement of our obligations as well as positive direction
from the podium.
The second practical reality is that in this day and age of continual legal and
business change around the globe, it is impossible for any attorney to remain expert
Samuel J. Gesten
Executive Vice President
and General Counsel
Allergan, Inc.
Irvine, CA
on the many legal requirements and regimes implicated by the company’s business.
Thus there must be judgments made on when and where to use external resources
to augment our own expertise. And, needless to say, those external forces must
understand and share our compliance and corporate culture.
A world-class business is only as strong as its weakest link, and as lawyers we
have a special duty to communicate and enforce expectations relating to our core
corporate duties.
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