ADDLESHAW GODDARD CONSULTING

In-house legal teams are increasingly being recognised as key enablers of the business. Not just executing on but also shaping organisational strategy and now often beyond the traditional legal remit. High performing legal teams need to be equipped with the skills, attitudes, mind-sets, and behaviours required for organisational success. We work with clients to co-create approaches to team development that increase connectivity, alignment with business needs, and enact meaningful change.

Building collaborative hybrid teams
For many of our clients, hybrid working is here to stay. This creates lots of opportunity for teams to collaborate in new and innovative ways. Using a highly interactive methodology, we give participants space to explore what is possible and what great looks like.

Recent mandates include helping clients to rebuild teams, reignite groups on projects and refine hybrid working practices to maximise team performance.

Developing sustainable high-performance practices
Organisations are successful when their people thrive. Often our clients need an opportunity to take a strategic pause, to explore personal definitions of success, dethrone busyness and identify what really matters for their careers, relationships and well-being.

We work with in-tact teams, constellations of lawyers, and groups from across organisations to help them develop actionable steps to reach higher levels of performance and achieve greater life satisfaction.

Transitioning to life in-house
A programme designed to help those new to a legal team gain a greater understanding of the business, structure, operations and culture of the organisation. This enables them to move through the 'new starter’ learning curve faster and have more immediate impact.

We help new joiners deepen their understanding, at a practical level, of the skills needed to be an effective in-house lawyer.

Legal leaders must add value, develop and build relationships that matter, and deliver legal excellence aligned to commercial strategy often whilst managing increasing workloads with decreasing resource.

We work with clients in a range of innovative ways that can help develop the leaders of today and form the leaders of tomorrow.

Leadership formation
Leadership formation is designed to help senior legal leaders reach even higher levels of impact with their peers, for their teams and for their business.

With our support, participants explore both the internal and external conditions required for truly exceptional leadership.

We combine insights from neuroscience and psychology to develop self-leadership practices and, in turn, the ability to lead others.

One-to-one coaching and support
We provide one-to-one support to our clients, often during periods of transition, such as starting a new role. We offer tailored coaching to support their unique opportunities and challenges.

We work with an individual on six cornerstone areas that enable them to exceed their standard norms personally and professionally.

Future leaders programme
Our 'Future Leaders' programme is designed for those preparing to step up to GC over 10 in-person and online modules.

The content is backed by extensive research with existing high performing legal leaders, so we know what works… and what doesn’t. That’s what makes this the only programme of its kind in the market, and why it’s so effective in practice.

We explore the breadth of challenges GCs face and equip future GCs with the tools, tactics, and mind-set to succeed.

By adopting better business practices, such as embracing new service delivery models, improved financial management and more streamlined, tech-enabled ways of working, Legal is establishing itself as a proactive, strategic business enabler.

In-house legal teams are exploring new ways to unlock value. 

Legal operations health check
Our Legal Ops Health Check allows us to deliver an assessment and maturity score for 8 core areas of an inhouse legal team’s existing operating model, and identify and prioritise opportunities for improvement.

Clients receive a clear sense of where they are currently, what best practice looks like and bespoke recommendations to enable them to transform the way they work and, in turn, the value they provide to their organisation.

Periodically taking the time to set or review the strategy of Legal is one of the most valuable activities a team can undertake. While the regular onslaught of instructions may mean it’s tempting to postpone the development of a strategy for Legal, setting a clear direction delivers clarity and confidence for stakeholders and colleagues alike that your organisation’s finite resources are focused on the things that matter.

Our work in this area follows three distinct phases. In phase one we conduct a baseline assessment of the “as is” current situation for a legal function. In phase two we work together to articulate a graphic vision of the future. Phase Three is all about implementation and impact. Here we assist the in-house team in their transition from the “as is” to the “to be”, engaging team members in the need for change, identifying and delivering quick wins and enabling success over the long term.

Delivering commercial objectives
We recently advised the GC of a major UK regulated infrastructure organisation on the reconfiguration of their substantial in-house team in response to a company-wide reorganisation.

The revised strategy for the team delivered a simplified structure, a clear business plan for additional headcount, guidance on what work to insource / outsource and the systematic elimination of inefficient process that liberated the in-house lawyers to focus on more important, higher value matters.

Legal function integration
Supporting the GC of a global defence and aerospace company in the development of a vision and strategy for a newly constituted legal team. Outputs included an enhanced understanding of the needs of the internal customer based, a clearer focus on how legal work is prioritised and a strong One Legal culture for the expanded team.

Operating model redesign
Reviewing the legal function at a major UK bank to ensure the focus of the in-house team on providing high value, strategic advice. The comprehensive assessment validated the existing operating model, provided cost savings through the different use of external providers and created a new approach to categorising and triaging work that led to a substantial reduction in the amount of time spent by the in-house team on low value add activity.