In-house lawyers play a crucial role in the success of a company, providing legal guidance and protection to ensure that the organisation operates within the bounds of the law. However, in-house lawyers can also add significant value to their firm beyond their core responsibilities. By leveraging their unique skills and perspectives, in-house lawyers can help drive business success and increase the overall value they bring to the organisation. It’s been popular for many growth firms to bring their function in-house to reduce costs and to maximise the strategic advice executives receive. In the high growth region of the London, Oxford, Cambridge golden triangle, it’s been hard for firms to find top legal talent as demand has been fierce. The region is full of fast growth towns and cities like Milton Keynes and Luton.

What value do in-house counsel add though? In-house lawyers have a unique understanding of the inner workings of their company, including the company’s goals, challenges, and opportunities. This knowledge allows them to provide legal guidance that is tailored to the needs of the business and to identify potential legal risks and opportunities. They are well positioned to identify and manage legal risks for the company. They can provide guidance on compliance with relevant laws and regulations, advise on contract negotiations, and help to mitigate risk through the development of internal policies and procedures. As mentioned, many in-house lawyers can provide valuable insight on strategy and into the legal implications of business decisions and help to develop strategies that minimise legal risk while maximizing business opportunity. This can include the development of new business models, negotiating mergers and acquisitions, and providing guidance on intellectual property issues.

Often overlooked, in-house lawyers can identify inefficiencies in the company’s legal processes and work with other departments to improve these processes. This can result in cost savings and improved efficiency, as well as enhanced compliance and risk management. A key part of their role is maintaining relationships with external counsel, government agencies, and other key stakeholders. They can leverage these relationships to benefit the company by staying abreast of legal developments, seeking out new business opportunities, and managing legal disputes.

In summary, in-house lawyers can add significant value to their firm by leveraging their unique skills and perspectives to drive business success and protect the company from legal risk. By working closely with other departments and utilizing their knowledge of the business, in-house lawyers can play a key role in shaping the company's future and contributing to its success. It’s an area where many firms try and skimp on costs, but for fast growth firms it’s a hire you can’t afford to get wrong.