Every lawyerin a law department , even without reports, is a manager in at least five ways

To be a manager need not only mean that people report to you. Indeed, every in-house lawyer is a manager, even if no one reports to that lawyer.

1. The lawyer must still manage her time (See my post of June 26, 2008: priorities with 6 references.).

2. The lawyer must manage clients, their demands, expectations and styles.

3. The lawyer has to nurture relations with other lawyers or administrative staff, as well as employess who might not be clients, such as those in Human Resources or Information Technology.

4. The lawyer might manage outside counsel.

5. The lawyer ought to use wisely and help decide on investments in law department resources such as databases and meetings, which stewardship is a manifestation of management (See my post of April 30, 2006: definition of management.).