Business Thinking in Practice for In-House Counsel

Taking Your Seat at the Table

By (author) Catherine McGregor

Publication date:

11 August 2020

Publisher

Globe Law and Business

ISBN-13: 9781787423299

Many of the innovations and ideas that legal teams need to embrace – such as those relating to project management and use of technology – have already evolved within the wider business environment. Despite this, many general counsel and other legal leaders report that they feel unprepared to tackle key business challenges and concepts. Business Thinking in Practice for In-house Counsel: Taking Your Seat at the Table takes a practical look at key concepts from influential business theory and illustrates how these are applicable to managing or working in an in-house legal department. Topics covered include purpose, culture, talent and innovation, all of which intersect to provide the structure and framework for legal teams to create a competitive edge. Each chapter features an interview and case study with a general counsel and/or legal team to demonstrate how business concepts can be used in-house most effectively. The author, Catherine McGregor, has engaged with the in-house legal market for many years as a journalist, consultant and commentator. During this time she has built close relationships with leading general counsel around the world and has observed first hand how the role of general counsel has changed and continues to change. Business Thinking in Practice for In-house Counsel is packed with lots of real-life examples and makes essential reading for any general counsel or senior in-house lawyer seeking to develop their business skills and maximise their team’s success.

Acknowledgements 7 Introduction 11 Part I: Purpose 23 1. Why are we here? Why defining purpose matters 25 2. Bigger than you and me: purpose and values 31 3. Simon Sinek: start with why 37 4. Purpose in practice 45 5. Purpose versus… purpose? The challenge of wearing two hats 55 6. Case study: setting a meaningful and sustainable purpose – The Crown Estate 65 Part II: Culture 83 7. Why culture? 85 8. What creates a good corporate culture? 97 9. A sense of purpose and culture creation 109 10. Case study: the Pearson legal department – from Project Roadmap to Ethos 117 Part III: Leadership 135 11. Leading versus managing 137 12. The need for self- leadership 143 13. Lawyers and leadership 149 14. Servant leadership: lessons from the military 169 15. Leadership case studies 181 Part IV: Talent 201 16. The need for talent 203 17. In-house lawyers and the definition of talent 213 18. Putting talent to work: how lawyers work and how that is changing 221 19. Whose talent is it anyway? Diversifying the workforce 231 20. Futureproofing: redefining talent and redefining expertise 239 21. Future talent: Schlumberger’s marriage of people, process and technology 247 Part V: Creativity 23. Creative cultures: freedom and discipline 269 24. Debunking the myths of creativity – or why anyone can be creative 279 25. Divergent thinking 283 26. A framework for thinking differently: legal design thinking 295 27. Tears in the rain: the lawyer/non-lawyer conundrum 301 28. Case study: playing with your head up – the Royal Bank of Scotland’s outsourcing, technology and IP legal team 305 Part VI: Collaboration 319 29. Working together 321 30. Internal collaboration 331 31. External collaboration 343 Part VII: Innovation 353 32. Innovation: starting with the right question 355 33. Theories of innovation 361 34. Why legal teams need to innovate – and how they can do so 373 35. Innovation strategy 379 36. Case study: DXC Technology – a new blueprint for legal teams 391 Conclusion 405 About the author 411 Index 413 About Globe Law and Business 423

This is a must-read for any in-house counsel who wants to lead their department into the future. Catherine McGregor offers excellent insights and thought-provoking perspective about blending traditional business thinking with best in class in-house counsel practices.This book is an essential guide.