Benefits of legal operations
When a department assembles data analysts, business leaders, and paralegals who approach a company’s challenges in a different way, it opens new avenues and provides solutions to the problems that businesses face today. A legal ops team can also help large or growing legal departments run more smoothly.
A legal ops professional most commonly oversees vendor management and internal processes and introduces new technologies that improve efficiency and reduce cost. For instance, they can manage departmental finances through budgets, e-Billing, forecasting, reporting, and other details that impact the bottom line. Taking these details off the plates of legal staff frees up the legal department to focus on pressing legal issues while ensuring the department runs smoothly. They can also assist general counsel to achieve their vision.
Legal ops best practices
How can legal departments make the best use of legal ops resources? Consider the following best practices.
1. Re-examine workflows
Whether part of a large or small legal department, it’s a struggle to keep track of all work that is being performed. Effective legal project management requires having the ability to view and assess all projects, including those assigned to internal departments and to outside counsel. Doing so allows you to make better-informed decisions, such as prioritizing projects and allocating resources accordingly.
Review workflows to address redundancies and other inefficiencies, and re-examine them at regular intervals to consider changing priorities or introducing new technologies.
2. Leverage technology strategically
Today’s regulatory environment provides the opportunity for in-house counsel to become the driving force in bringing stakeholders, management, and legal counsel together with shared systems and processes. For example, a centralized entity management platform allows for efficient collaboration and communication among department members and prevents compliance gaps.
3. Outsource strategically
Legal process outsourcing (LPO) works well as a complement to existing in-house services, providing the benefits of immediate expertise. Law firms and corporate legal departments have increasingly relied on legal process outsourcing as a cost-effective solution for carrying out repetitive work that requires a high level of accuracy. LPO can also relieve the overflow of work during high-volume seasons.
However, while outsourcing may reduce costs, it’s critical that you choose the right legal services provider — a reputable and responsive company offering high-quality work.
And be sure that the relationship is managed by your enterprise’s legal professionals.
Learn more
Working with the right trusted partner can help you feel confident that you’re doing everything possible to help your company succeed. To learn more about how CT Corporation can help you navigate your compliance needs, contact your CT Corporation Service Representative or call (844) 877-1800.
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