Resource Library

Savings is not a strategy. Imagine a CEO opening an earnings call by celebrating the money the company “saved” on deal counsel and due diligence by not moving forward with an otherwise strategically vital acquisition. The stock would crater because leadership would rightly be judged as majoring in the minors.

As a line item, legal spend is a minor consideration. Rather, legal spend is better characterized as a relatively small investment that enables the business to execute on what matters.

Legal spend should be dictated by business needs. Those business needs are only escalating with the explosion in legal complexity. The increasingly law-thick environment in which businesses operate is having a profound impact on corporate top lines, bottom lines, valuations, and strategic opportunities. Trying to save money on legal is myopic—and excruciatingly common.

There are times when you can be right and times when you can get what we want, but achieving both isn’t always a given. The reality is that legal operations professionals can communicate clearly and correctly to their GC, stakeholders, and team members but still not yield the results they aim for. Read this article that shares three persuasive writing tips to inspire action!

How to make a strong positive impact when starting a new job as general counsel? Find practical tips and strategies shared by experienced in-house counsel and condensed by ACC in this toolkit. Nine checklists that distill insight from general counsel, from acing your first 90 days to developing your leadership and business skills and retaining talent on your team.

What issues should companies consider when implementing best practices for utilizing AI in the workplace? This resource outlines issues to consider when developing a corporate AI policy.

Learn strategies for in-house counsel to better negotiate for their own compensation and for their department's budget and compensation.

Just a few decades ago, a private practice lawyer in a law firm who decided to go “in-house” endured constant questioning about why they were taking a step back in their career. Was it because they were tired of the breakneck pace of a law firm? Were they OK making less money? Essentially, these lawyers were viewed as “stepping off the treadmill,” and getting “out of the game.” Not a complimentary description.  Click here to read more.

In today's complex business landscape, collaboration between in-house legal departments and external counsel is crucial. Law firms are an extension of a legal team and provide substantive expertise unavailable on the team and support on high-volume, high-risk matters requiring additional expertise. Read this article for key strategies that can help corporate in-house legal departments develop robust partnerships with their external counsel.

View checklists on building a law department, in the materials from this presentation by in-house counsel.

In the July issue of the ACC Observer, David Cambria shared his unique and broad perspective on legal operations' current trajectory. This column focuses on Cambria's career experience, which makes his insights worth contemplating.

This article with its sample delegation of authority (DOA) form will assist in-house counsel who are struggling with issues related to signing authority, staff approval limits, and information passing.