Resource Library

This Leading Practices Profile, an update to ACC’s 2010 piece, features law department leading practices for generating and demonstrating value through a number of value levers, as well as best practices for improving the bottom line and enhancing collation across business units. In wake of the economic downturn in the last decade and the increased pressure to “do more with less,” six participating corporations share their best value-sustaining practices in law department staffing, targeted practice areas, outside counsel management, strategic planning and the use of metrics to measure and track best practices.

This overview covers how legal knowledge management supports legal department operations - reducing costs while maintaining quality.

This resource presents the leading practices of legal departments that leverage dedicated legal operations staff to manage the business aspects of Legal. Through profiles of 11 legal departments, it conveys who leads the legal operations function, relationships between general counsel and their legal operations leaders, reasons for the legal operations function, how it functions, its scope and impacts.

In-house lawyers for companies around the world are playing leading roles in providing proactive legal guidance to corporate clients on governance initiatives. This practice profile shares information on practices implemented at the following seven companies: Alvarion Ltd., Ballard Power Systems, General Motors Corporation, SAP AG, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Westpac Banking Corporation, and Woolworths Limited.

Financial reporting and internal control practices are facing increased scrutiny these days, and organizations are taking stock of their existing financial practices, and enhancing and formalizing processes and policies. In-house lawyers have an important role in serving as key legal advisers to their organizations' finance functions. Featured in this Profile, are programs and practices for six organizations, including IKON Office Solutions, Inc., NTMA, TIAA-CREF, TOTAL S.A., and Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

The challenge: do more, do it well, do it quickly, and keep costs down. This is a reality facing law departments today. This practice profile explores how nine companies are stepping up to this challenge. Learn about practices utilizing non-lawyer personnel at companies such as 3M Company, ConocoPhillips, DuPont, FMC Technologies, Inc., McDonald's Corporation, Monsanto Company, Southwest Airlines, and Starbucks Coffee Company.

This Leading Practices Profile, an update to ACC’s 2005 Leading Practices Profile, Leading Practices in Law Departments Adding Value and Moving Beyond the Cost Center Model, features law department leading practices for generating and demonstrating value to the organization, as well as best practices for improving the bottom line and optimizing collaboration with business units. In the wake of the economic downturn and increased pressure to “do more with less,” 10 participating corporations share their best value-generating and value-sustaining practices in law department staffing, targeted practice areas, outside counsel management, strategic planning and the use of metrics to measure and track value practices.

This Leading Practices Profile features the best practices of five ACC law department members for planning and hosting successful legal retreats. In the wake of the economic downturn and increased pressure to do more with less, these participating corporations share their best planning practices to deliver retreats that inspire, teach, and fortify legal teams to continue delivering results to their organizations that will offset meeting costs.

Learn how other in-house counsel and their legal department support corporate governance and compliance and ethics programs. In-house counsel from seven companies share governance practices and examine the alignment of ethics and compliance with the culture and strategic plan of the organization. At the end of the guide, find practical tools and samples, such as a company compliance newsletter, a compliance checklist, a compliance program assessment table and a management attestation questionnaire for legislative compliance.

In this ACC Leading Practices Profile, learn from the corporate social responsibility programs of five organizations. Understand how their approaches integrate social and environmental imperatives into business operations and interactions with stakeholders.