In-House Counsel

Possible content of a three-year plan for the legal function

By Rees Morrison

In the briefest of mentions, the general counsel of Belgium-based InBev notes that her company has a three-year business plan and a ?corresponding three-year plan for the legal function.? The huge gulp of Budweiser undoubtedly upended that law department?s plan!

In any event, the item from ACC Docket, Vol. 25, Sept. 2007 at 16, provides an opportunity to speculate on what a large, global law department (InBev has 50 lawyers) might cover in its three-year plan (See my post of June 25, 2008: 10 references to strategic plans).

1. Will our lawyers will have sufficient competency in areas of law that will be needed (See my post of May 23, 2008: core competency and 12 references cited.).

2. Are our lawyers going to be based in the right cities and countries?

3. Will our structure of the department flex with the changes in the company?

4. Will the department need to alter its roster of law firms?

5. Will we need additional tools, technologies, or processes to handle the likely demands of the future?

In sum, can the department efficiently and appropriately scale? A ubiquitous word in the technology world, ?to scale? means to be able to change, remain productive, and serve the client.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on July 26, 2008 (boomark / email).