Having thoughtful policies and procedures is an important way to establish baseline expectations for employee behavior and the conduct of business. Policies and procedures can also help a company drive internal branding and differentiate itself from its peers. Documenting and regularly refreshing policies and procedures is therefore both good risk-management, and an effective way to stay connected with employees.

Whether it’s a straightforward nondisclosure agreement or a complex license agreement, staying on top of the contracting process is critical for businesses to ensure precision and reliability in their commercial endeavors. Routine abstracting can help keep the process effective and manageable.

Healthy employer-employee relationships are crucial to the success of every business. To that end, it’s important to design and implement effective tools for ensuring that employees feel respected and supported, while employers feel protected and empowered to harness their employees’ skills and abilities. In respect of this sometimes delicate balance, many companies nurture a close connection between the human resources function and the legal function. 

At small and midsized businesses, the role of corporate secretary is sometimes overlooked. However, particularly for business that are owned and managed by a mix of internal and external stakeholders, corporate secretaries play an important role in documenting and recording key events and processes such as drafting minutes, documenting consents and approvals, and communicating with investors and partners.

Compliance means different things to different businesses. All businesses must observe and comply with applicable laws and regulations. Many businesses must also comply with obligations to stakeholders, lenders, investors, and joint venture partners. Having a dedicated legal or compliance resource is an effective way to ensure that a business identifies, manages, and complies with its obligations to the outside world.

Risk management is the balancing of financial, operational, strategic, and legal risks in service of an enterprise's overall risk equation.

Rare is the successful business that has not embraced a calculated risk. Through our outside general counsel service, we can help you employ optimal tools for staying the course, including working with your operations team and insurance professionals on best practices, insurance procurement, and claims administration. 

Businesses frequently call on the legal team to prepare important communications to others, including stakeholders, capital partners, banks, insurers, government agencies, and even employees. Especially for sensitive communications, this step can help ensure that the message meets the purpose.

When a smaller business becomes involved in a major transaction or complex litigation for which it has retained outside counsel, sometimes there’s just not enough time in the day for the business team to stay on top of every legal detail. Outside general counsel can be a helpful resource in this situation, partnering with retained attorneys to help quarterback the project and ensure the business team stays plugged in.