Breakout Session
Getting your message across: The importance of soft skills
Speaking the language of your
business partners
Deborah Rasin - Samsonite Corporation
Nils Breidenstein – Invensys Carolyn Herzog - Symantec Corporation
AGENDA
•  GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT: Lost in Translation,
Building Blocks for Global Legal and Business Partner
Relationships
•  INSIDE-OUT : Challenges in Networking Outside of
Your Company
•  DEFINING AND DEFENDING: Being the “Go To”
Lawyer and Validating “Value Add”
•  LAWYER AS MANAGER: Outreach, Visibility,
Management, Development and the Dotted Line
•  THE NEW OUTSIDE COUNSEL: Selection,
Management, and the New Deal
GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT
•  Global Business and the Multinational Environment
–  The influence of HQ
–  Communicating in writing with internal clients and
customers
–  Internal SPAM – how can we better use eMail as a
communication tool
–  Language barriers
• Cultural Sensitivity and Flexibility
• Lost in Translation
• Yes means maybe
–  Speaking Business vs Legalese
GETTING THE MESSAGE OUT
•  Conflict – an avoider and an instigator walk into a bar ....
–  Using humour, awareness and negotiation to make
conflict a “good” thing
–  Legal as the sales prevention department – how not to
sound like we always say “no”
–  Conflicts of laws – prioritization playing into risk
assumption
•  Breaking down silos
–  The global business and the local business: are our
objectives mutual
–  Changing assumptions and stereotypes
–  Tools of communication to build relationships
SCENARIO
You have outsourced a portion of your technical support to India and your
manufacturing to Poland. A customer in the UK and a customer in the US
complain of poor quality in the packaging and of poor support and seeks
remedies, including a refund of fees paid for the product and damages for
time spent. In addition, a competitor in Germany complains of anticompetitive language in your marketing materials, that also appears on
certain product packaging. Your APJ legal colleague and your US legal
colleague each have their own opinions as to what the law requires and
your clients are screaming about the risk of slowed business, reputational
issues and the need for swift settlement of all of these issues.
What is your role and how can you (a) agree and communicate a shared
legal vision to show legal coordination and unity, (b) focus the business on
the priority objectives, (c) engage outside counsel effectively, and (d)
expedite the process?
INSIDE OUT
•  The Value of Networking
–  With other in house lawyers
–  With outside counsel
–  In business forums
•  Lawyers as Volunteers
- In the Community
- As knowledge sharers
•  Networking on a Budget
- The Company connection; internally and
externally
- Time and travel
Defining and Defending
•  You’ve got to have TRUST
–  Getting in before it’s too late
–  The coveted Trusted Advisor status – what’s your game plan?
–  Business partner with “some legal knowledge”
•  The Team Player
–  The business lawyer - understanding the business objectives
–  Aligning Legal resources when there is never enough to go around
–  Again, Speaking Business – explaining how legal requirements may
not be practical and when they must be followed
–  Not a doormat, not a rubber stamp, not the Department of “no” who ARE we anyhow?
–  Providing legal solutions for the business and not only advice
•  Compliance – is a practice, not just a regulation or law
LAWYER AS MANAGER
•  The Management Team
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–
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Office of the General Counsel
Regional and Functional Leadership
The Global Team
The Lawyer sharing a role as Business Partner
•  Motivating Your Staff
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–
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Integration with the business
Staff Development
Training (Clients and Internal)
New Ideas, Knowledge Retention, Company Know-How
LAWYER AS MANAGER (2)
•  Leading
–  Promoting Individual Thought and Leadership, with a
cohesive Team approach
•  Rewards and Recognition
–  more than an annual bonus (and now more than ever)
•  Delegation – the art of letting go
•  The New Reporting
–  Project Management, Metrics, Benchmarking
THE NEW OUTSIDE COUNSEL
•  Outside Counsel and the Legal /Business Partner
–  Understanding the business
–  Charging for the education
–  Thinking ahead
•  Growth or change of the business (acquisitions, market
changes)
–  Training, newsletters, updates
–  Pro active; offering something done for other clients
What does the “Right” Outside Counsel Look Like?
–  Controlling communications through the Legal Department
–  Business-friendly and forward-thinking advice
–  Budget Planning – fixed fees and fee structures
Thank You!
Contact Information:
Carolyn Herzog, EMEA Legal Counsel, Symantec Corporation:
cherzog@symantec.com, UK +44 (0) 1189 436 210
Nils Breidenstein, Director Legal & Contracts, EURA and MEA,
Invensys:Nils.Breidenstein@ips.invensys.com; +44 (0) 7828 280 850