Managing lawyers who do not speak English as a primary language

Here are some ways that English-speaking general counsel, who do not speak the language of one of their foreign-based lawyers, can more effectively manage that lawyer.

More than you do in the United States, you can rely on clients to monitor the work and performance of the lawyer. You can visit the foreign office more frequently than you might otherwise. You can ask for work product to be sent to you periodically, on a random basis, and review and critique it. You can look to a local law lawyer whose judgment you trust for feedback on your employee lawyer. You can hold periodic conference calls and have that lawyer take part actively, such as by reports. (You might even have their work product translated through Google and see what you think of it.) It’s tough, but there are ways to manage a remote lawyer who does not speak your language natively.