Canadian Lawyer InHouse

21 CANADIANLAWYERMAG.COM/INHOUSE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 "firefighters" constantly putting out the proverbial fire. At times, an issue may not be purely a legal issue, but our "wisdom" instills a sense of comfort. As such, I real - ized that this leaves little room to develop the actual department. In response, we reg- ularly think of ways to proactively deal with issues as they arise and processes to better manage them. Ultimately, I believe people want to be part of something and in our company the opportunity to do so is ripe. Rather than micro-manage, I aim to give the team more and more responsibilities to both feel part of the bigger picture and take work off my plate so I can add value on a higher level. The first step in doing this is understanding the business from A to Z. For that reason, all new hires will spend time in business unit meetings as a passive participant and follow up with any questions to the team lead. Further down the line, we will have a lunch and learn presentation to departments on various topics (intellectual property: copyrights) for an open discussion. At the end of the day, if you only see things from a legal point of view, you won't add much value when it comes time to find - ing solutions or even advising. The more our team understands our business and is- sues other departments face, the better they can advise and be part of the larger goal. Lastly, our recent growth has meant more hires; but before doing so, we ask our - selves whether a new hire will take up more of our time or free it up. 5. HOW DO YOU APPROACH MANAGING THE WORK YOU DO WITH EXTERNAL COUNSEL? In Canada, we have worked with the same large national law firm for virtually all matters for close to 10 years. This is not by accident. We worked with four Canadian firms before them for short periods. At the end of the day, the service, response time and how well they know your business is critical to the relationship. In reaching out to our external counsel, I am completely confident in their proposals being straightforward, cost-effective and on point. Outside of Canada is a bit trickier. We recently created a subsidiary company, Valsoft Corporation, that acquires verti - cal market software companies in North America. Unlike Valnet, we have a decen- tralized approach and currently have four subsidiary offices we acquired. This means mandating and working with outside coun- sel in various states and Europe. I am very transparent in both my budget proposals and expectations. The deals are too small and scattered to really think get into RFP; however, fee arrangements are becoming the norm. Our company has enough of a reputation for firms to understand the size our company will become. Those looking for a long-term partnership know it is a unique opportunity to work with a growing player and possible leader in various verti - cals. This has worked out very well and we have cemented fantastic relationships with firms in Florida and New Hampshire. IH BROUGHT TO YOU BY Canada's leading in-house counsel discuss their top priorities and challenges for 2018 TUNE IN http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse/videos/ VIEW 2018 Untitled-2 1 2017-12-14 10:57 AM

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