In-House Counsel

A general counsel goes to bat for his troops and gets a valued exception to company policy

By Rees Morrison

Winner of Corporate Counsel?s Best Legal Department of 2008 award, the law department of Qwest Communications leaves us with a good example of a general counsel who pushed for a benefit to his team. As explained in Corp. Counsel, Vol. 15, June 2008 at 96, Rich Baer lobbied successfully for an exception to the company's policy against in-place promotions and salary increases.

The ability to bestow those promotions and pay bumps, presumably without a change in title, helped him reduce the department?s attrition rate. Others could explore obtaining a similar privilege (See my post of Oct. 6, 2006: GC should visibly promote and defend the department?s lawyers.).

Full post as published by Law Department Management on June 15, 2008 (boomark / email).