“Assess the Skills of My People, How They Measure Up and What I’ll Need in the Future”

… pleaded the GC, as he shared the weight of his responsibility for building a strong law department during a chat with the relationship partner from one of his primary law firms who had achieved the level of Trusted Advisor.

But, is this right? How much input can and should a GC or other law department manager seek from outside law firms regarding the careers of the inside counsel that report to him/her?

Outside law firm partners are certainly often in a position to observe the performance and competency, and make judgments about the career potential, of inside lawyers. For sure, outside senior law partners have rubbed elbows with some of the best examples of legal talent and most likely have had a front row seat while watching various inside lawyers do their dance in a number of other corporate law department settings.

By guest author Bruce Heintz