Page 35 - CCCA 247020 Magazine Spring 2016

{ sTraTegIC ManageMenT }

The in-house practice of solos is part
legal workhorse (typically in subject mat-
ters they practiced before going in-house)
and part legal traffc control (hiring exter-
nal counsel and acting as the go-between).
Some admit doing very little “real” legal
work and others boast that they have vet-
ted every legal document personally. Solos
from each camp will advocate for why it’s
better to “lawyer” or not. Regardless of
where you fall in the spectrum of doing
it all and doing none at all, the key lesson your co-workers and external counsel un- jurisdictional provider or several boutique
for solos is to be crystal clear about what derstand your role, you enjoy the beneft of frms. Solos face all of these challenges of
types of matters stay in-house, and how being a solo: you get to defne the terms. larger legal departments with the added pe-
matters referred to external frms are han- Defning the terms of retaining exter- culiarity of being the only liaison between
dled along with the reporting lines. nal counsel, however, is the number one the entire company and external counsel.
As a solo, I recommend developing an challenge faced by all legal departments. Viewed generously, solos are the le-
internal protocol for engaging external Countless in-house conference hours have gal quarterback and every play must go
counsel and negotiating detailed retainer been spent discussing best practices for us- through them. On the other hand, solos
letters with select external frms for their ing external counsel. Many articles explain can also be seen unkindly as the glorifed
services. A beneft of being the solo is that how to negotiate panel rates and measure telephone operator gatekeeping for job
you can change the protocol at any time; key performance indicators. Some recom- security, perpetuating the perception of
however, correspondingly, the protocol mend developing good relationships with in-house counsel as an unnecessary cost
must be clearly communicated to the best-in-class practitioners in specialized centre. To promote the former perspec-
company’s business units at each and ev- practice areas, and others debate the econ- tive, solos should identify appropriate
ery engagement of external counsel. Once omies of scale between hiring one multi- fles or assignments that can be carefully

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