How To Improve Your Legal Department And Why It’s Important

The legal department is responsible for representing the firm in business-related lawsuits, advising management on the legality of their actions, and filing government paperwork to stay within all rules and regulations. While many people only think about the legal department when they face litigation, it plays an important role throughout all aspects of its life.

If your company is growing or you feel that your current system just isn’t working anymore, now might be time to make some changes. Here are some tips on how to improve your legal department and why it’s important:

Get ISO Certification

Achieving ISO certification can demonstrate to your customers, employees, and other stakeholders that you have a world-class legal department. This independent verification of your department’s quality management system can give you a competitive edge. When your department starts to gain profits, you will understand why legal ops should require ISO accreditation to help you manage risks and achieve business goals more efficiently. To achieve ISO accreditation, your department will need to follow a quality management system that adheres to the requirements of ISO 9001:2015, the latest version of the standard.

Hire Quality Help

When it comes to the legal field, experience is key. Make sure you are hiring quality help by looking for individuals with the right mix of education and experience. If your department is starting, make sure you have people on staff to learn new things quickly. Make sure to do your research and find qualified attorneys with experience in the most relevant law area to your company. This means finding lawyers with experience and expertise within certain fields. If someone is trustworthy and helps navigate complex situations (without breaking any laws), you’ll be better off.

Develop Standard Operating Procedures

Developing Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs is a great way to improve your legal department. This means that policies and procedures will be written out step-by-step, typically including the names of the people responsible for completing each step. Furthermore, it specifies what actions are needed at each process stage. The goal for companies with strong standard operating procedures is to document every aspect of their work while also covering all possible eventualities so they can function smoothly on autopilot when employees need to follow up on things.

Involve Yourself In The Company’s Corporate Culture

Make sure you are involved in the company’s culture. As the legal department head, it is important to be actively involved in all aspects of your company’s life and its culture. If you can, attend off-site meetings and social events. Please get to know your co-workers personally so that when a legal issue does come up, they will feel more comfortable coming to you for advice. Having an open dialogue between your legal department and top management helps everybody understand how they fit into the company as a whole. Regularly scheduled meetings where members of the legal department are given a chance to update management on current projects, pending litigation, and other issues will help keep everything running smoothly. This also allows top management to provide feedback and guidance when needed.

Use Technology To Your Advantage

Technology can help improve your legal department in several ways. For example, using technology can help you keep track of deadlines, manage client information, store documents securely, and more. Make sure you take advantage of the technology you have to offer and find solutions that work best for your department. Investing in the appropriate technology may save you a lot of time and money for your legal team. A solid case management system, for example, can help you organize and store all of your legal documents in one place, making it simpler for your attorneys to find what they need. This will aid them in keeping track of key deadlines.

Establish Clear Policies And Procedures

A system of policies and procedures will help establish clear guidelines for approving transactions, enforcing contracts, protecting trade secrets, documenting business decisions, etc. You should also have a system in place that allows you to keep track of the company’s assets, including intellectual property. If everyone in your legal department knows what is expected, it will be easier to work together and achieve results. Establish clear policies and procedures for everything from case management to filing paperwork and make sure all employees know them.

Making these changes can be difficult, but they’re well worth it in the long run. Having a properly functioning legal department is important for any company and can save you time, money, and headaches down the road. By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to improving this vital part of your business.