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CCCA_V7No1_Dept-ContractMgmt-FIN_CCCA_V6No4 2/12/13 4:26 PM Page 19 Contract Management now give access to certain legal docu- Anne-Laure Broeks has worked as legal with Legal Suite Canada, a company provid- ments (such as contracts) to operational counsel in France, the United States and ing legal management software to help in-house employees, they centralize and keep track Canada, where she gained extensive experience counsel manage day-to-day activities, including of the requests they receive, and they com- in contract negotiation and contract manage- contract and litigation management. For more municate on their productivity and cur- ment. She currently works as a legal consultant information, please visit www.legal-suite.ca rent projects through regular activity reports. These steps contribute to a better understanding of how the legal depart- ment works, streamlines the communica- tion between corporate counsel and their internal clients, and, ultimately, helps achieve an efficient internal contract man- agement process. Remember the business angle Always bear in mind that your legal deci- sions have an impact on the business.You are corporate counsel, by definition work- ing for a company’s best interests,and your legal decisions should always be made in contemplation of business perspectives. Although legal counsel’s role is to mitigate the company’s risks, business is speculative by nature, and you must balance the ben- efits of the contract with the risks the CONGRATULATIONS TO CCCA company should reasonably take to enter financial and/or legal risk;you will unnec-excellence into that relationship. Do not be overzeal- ous or insist on stopping negotiations over issues that are genuinely trivial in terms of essarily delay negotiations and upset the 25 YEARS IN-HOUSE sales department.Your time is precious, so spend it wisely: you will be rewarded. Finally, and perhaps most importantly: Trust your business people; it triggers the success of the other steps listed above. They know their job and the context in which they do it, so do not hesitate to give them a sense of responsibility. They should take care of contract renewals or contract terminations.Once again,rely on the “training” you give them to ensure Affleck Greene McMurtry LLP that they will contact you if they believe 365 Bay Street, Suite 200, Toronto, Canada M5H 2V1 a legal issue lurks underneath a particular T 416.360.2800 F 416.360.5960 business decision. >}>ÜÞiÀðVÊUÊÌiÌ}>ÌÀ°V> In short,communication is the key.From my perspective, it’s one of the most impor- tant tools for any in-house counsel. Excellence in Litigation and Competition Law PRINTEMPS 2013 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 19