In-house counsels: the invisible heroes who save companies money. In-house counsels work well when you don't see them

Abstract

In-house counsels are often perceived as a support function, when in fact their work saves companies millions of euros every year. If the contribution of in-house legal departments is not always visible, this is because their main task is to prevent problems, avoiding them turning into litigation, fines or operational blockages. As Richard Susskind, one of the leading scholars in the legal profession, points out, clients want lawyers who are capable not only of solving problems, but also of preventing them (“Clients prefer to have a fence at the top of a cliff rather than an ambulance at the bottom”). In-house counsels work well when they are not visible. Every correctly drafted contract, every safeguard clause inserted in advance, every compliance procedure applied on time generates enormous economic and reputational savings for the company.