Canadian Lawyer InHouse

NOVEMBER 2016 8 INHOUSE News Roundup A roundup of legal department news and trends you work for needs to run more effectively, says Richard Brait, general counsel with Siemens Canada and one of Canadian Law- yer InHouse Innovatio Award winners. One of the best ways for a lawyer to get to know his or her business is to get in the trenches. "The best way to know the business is to embed yourself in it," said Brait, emphasiz- ing that Siemens has an "ownership cul- ture" that encourages employees at all levels to fi nd solutions for business problems. Matthew Snell, general counsel and sec- retary with IBM Canada, said it's important to fi gure out early who the real decision- maker is versus a "bystander." "I think it's important to gather consen- sus early — involve other stakeholders. If you're new to the role or there are others new to their roles, over-communicating is important early on — cc'ing people on an e-mail can be a pain but can help inform and make people feel they are part of the process," he said. He noted that a predecessor at IBM legal once told him "our clients are entitled to top-quality legal advice but not everyone is entitled to the answer they want." It's also important, said Brait, to know what an organization's hot buttons are — what do they get upset about? Also, develop a network of people and make sure the key people know what you're doing — this can be helpful when trying to gain consensus and establish value for the legal department. "We do a lot of large project work — wind farms, urban transit systems, electri- cal grid systems and when we looked at it as a legal department we decided change management should be a strategic item this year. On the theme of behaving like owners, we brought fi nance people in and looked at projects for the last three years and looked at analytics to say 'We can bring in this much more profi t based on past experi- ence,'" he said. Francoise Guenette, former senior vice president and general counsel with Intact Fi- nancial Corporation, said she always read a lot about a company and its competitors before joining its ranks. She says it is critical for in- house leaders new to a company to learn how they can align with their client's strategy. "Know your environment and your com- pany's three-year plan — where the busi- ness wants to go," she said. That also often includes being the moral conscience of the organization. She added that lawyers are increasingly in charge of compliance and she always felt it was her duty to "push the values of the company and to help make the decision that is based on what is right and what is wrong." Snell added that business leaders are of- ten happy to "drag lawyers into areas of business to help." "Because legal has a cross-functional role, we can often be brought in to fi ll the gaps. It is a natural affi nity for the dealmak- er role," he said. "We're also not usually in- centive-based employees, so we have a level of independence and can deliver the best answer for the company. We are less con- cerned about importance of that sale today, or for this quarter and are more focused in the long term." IH Right-sized Thinking ® • 1-800-323-3781 • pallettvalo.com Not too big. Not too small. We are a law firm that combines experience, leadership and teamwork. We align flexibility with pragmatism. We have an innate appreciation for your unique challenges. If this sounds like the right fit for you, you've discovered Right-sized Thinking®. Contact us today. Untitled-2 1 2016-10-04 2:03 PM

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