Legal Insights with Theresa Chikwendu: A Monthly Digest for In-House Counsel (June 2024)

This series is inspired by Theresa’s weekly LinkedIn posts entitled diary of an In House Legal Counsel and aims to empower African In house lawyers with practical advice and strategic thinking to excel in the corporate legal landscape. Below we summarise Theresa’s weekly posts. To access Theresa’s full weekly Linkedin post please click on the link within each title.

Week Seventeen: Soft Skills: Respect & Collaboration

Soft skills such as respect and collaboration play a crucial role in business for in-house counsel. Recognize that just as you may struggle with technical or commercial language, your role is to work with and support your colleagues, who are your internal clients, to achieve business goals together.

Week Eighteen: Intellectual Property Audit:

An Intellectual Property (IP) audit is important for an organisation. It can protect trademarks, copyrights, and patents by identifying defects, unused rights, potential infringement risks, and opportunities for leverage. This process not only safeguards valuable assets but also showcases the legal department’s value.

Week Nineteen: Legal Hack:

A simple hack can prove to be effective when shortening your contract length and reducing turn-around time in contract negotiations. It reduces negotiation time, and saves valuable resources. Pitch this idea to your senior legal management team for immediate benefits.

Week Twenty: Legal Operations:

Legal Operations are crucial for navigating the current economic climate, and all in-house lawyers, especially legal ops professionals, should be strategizing on adding value to the business by creating efficiencies ALWAYS.