Your legal team guided the company through the extraordinary demands of the pandemic while continuing to support the day-to-day business. They transitioned smoothly from an in-person to virtual to hybrid workplace. Morale is good and the business is growing. But, do you really know what your people are working on?
Are you people aligned with the direction that the business is moving? Do you have lawyers handling matters that match their skills and experience – providing opportunities for professional growth but not so out of reach that they are overwhelmed?
If they are honest, most general counsel have to answer “no” to those questions. Legal teams develop relationships with the business and those relationships tend to drive work. Although well-intentioned, this relationship-driven coverage often results in a mismatch of skills and work. Senior attorneys will do small, simple contracts for their favorite internal clients. Paralegals may handle complex matters for the departments they support. In addition to being inefficient, a haphazard coverage model creates risks for the organization, such as enhanced risk of litigation, contracts that may be disadvantageous to the company, frustration and boredom of team members, and confusion among internal clients.
With post-pandemic business picking up and new opportunities arising, now is an excellent time to refresh and revise your legal coverage model. MLA Transform Advisory Services works with clients to assess their current coverage and to build a coverage model for the future using internal and external resources. Using proven tools and a customized approach, we help our clients understand the nature and complexity of the work each team member is doing. Based on that data, we propose revised coverage models – utilizing internal and external resources – to better align to the needs of the business while also creating interesting internal roles that keep people challenged and engaged.
Leaders are expected to see around corners – to anticipate the needs of the business and address them before they become crises. By reviewing and refreshing the legal coverage model before there is a mistake or unplanned attrition of top performers, you will show leadership and save yourself and your team a lot of unnecessary pain.
