Showing the Value of the Legal Department: More Than Just a Cost Center

Author, blogger, and 3x general counsel Sterling Miller takes on the challenge facing legal departments today – how to respond when the business asks the department to show its value. In clear, humorous, and practical style, he takes readers through the evolution of the in-house legal department to show the importance and the value in-house lawyers bring to the business day in and day out. How do you show the value of the legal department and justify the worth of investment to the business? Sterling Miller lays out lessons and advice about showing value learned over the course of his 30+ year legal career; the vast majority spent in-house at four different legal departments. Even if the business is not asking you to show the value of the legal department today, they will tomorrow. This book is your go-to resource to meet that task head-on and successfully. This valuable guide sets out in detail a practical blueprint of the nuts and bolts of showing value, including: The importance of working to maximize value creation and minimize value destruction Technology that generates value Partnering with the business Legal as a profit center The value of letting the business help themselves How to be a strategic in-house lawyer Creating a yearly value-creation to-do list Marketing the legal department to the business How to parlay showing value into getting more resources for the legal department The book includes a KPI (key performance indicators) library, sample client satisfaction survey, low-value contract checklist, practical advice on how to make contracts easier to sign, and much, much more! Do not wait to be asked by the business about value-generation, be proactive in marketing the legal department to the business. This guide will help you show the significant value of the legal department and tout your successes to the business.