Legal Geek Uncertain Decade Summit 2021: How to Rein in Rogue Contracts & Drive Organizational Alignment

Rogue contracting is when internal business partners negotiate their own terms leaving legal out of the picture because they see legal as a tower of no. The result is if and when something goes wrong, legal is held responsible for fixing a mess with little to no context. The cause for this is partners see their legal teams as an obstacle keeping them from a their need to move fast as a company.  To bridge this gap legal needs to find a way to encourage collaboration with clients to help each party succeed.

Here’s some really important things you should remember:

• Make things frictionless – find out what the client wants, what your objective is and figure the path that achieves both.
• Let them know you are on their side – remember there is a stigma that legal is a blocker, let your client know you are there to help them win!
• Follow up with action – be an advisor, a working partner, with your client.
• Develop a well designed workflow – create a system where constant back and forth communication isn’t necessary.
• Be transparent – let your client know where things are.

Improving relations between your partner and legal can be a challenge, but if you introduce some socializing change the task becomes more than possible.

Focus on maintaining a client centered approach

• Empower your client by providing as much self service as possible. The less they have to question and ask you, the more support they will feel.
• Be enthusiastic and creative when rolling out new processes and ideas.
• Provide visibility to your client so they can see exactly where they are in the process.