Corporate legal departments face growing expectations from boards, regulators, and executive leadership. Legal teams must manage risk, support business growth, and operate with increasing efficiency.
Legal operations consulting from BarkerGilmore helps General Counsel build high-performing legal organizations that deliver measurable business value.
Advisors provide practical guidance on department structure, process optimization, technology strategy, and outside counsel management.
Modern Legal Departments Require Operational Excellence
The role of the legal department continues to evolve. Legal leaders must manage complex regulatory environments while supporting strategic business initiatives.
Common operational challenges include:
- Inefficient legal processes
- Lack of visibility into legal workload
- Overreliance on outside counsel
- Limited legal technology infrastructure
- Difficulty scaling legal teams during growth
Legal operations consulting provides a structured framework for addressing these challenges.
Legal Department Design and Structure
Effective legal operations begin with thoughtful organizational design. BarkerGilmore advisors help General Counsel structure legal departments to align with business priorities.
Consulting engagements often include evaluation of:
- Legal team roles and reporting structures
- Allocation of work across internal and external resources
- Integration between legal and compliance teams
- Alignment between legal strategy and corporate priorities
The result is a legal organization positioned to support enterprise growth.
Legal Technology and Process Optimization
Legal departments increasingly rely on technology to manage contracts, litigation, and regulatory obligations.
BarkerGilmore advisors help organizations evaluate legal technology platforms and optimize workflows to improve efficiency and transparency.
Operational improvements often include:
- Contract lifecycle management processes
- Legal intake systems
- Outside counsel spend tracking
- Data-driven reporting for executive leadership
Improved legal operations enable General Counsel to provide strategic value beyond legal advice.
Managing Outside Counsel Relationships
Outside counsel remains an essential resource for many organizations. However, uncontrolled spending and unclear expectations often limit value.
Legal operations consulting helps General Counsel develop structured outside counsel management strategies, including:
- Panel selection processes
- Performance evaluation frameworks
- Spend management strategies
- Clear alignment with internal legal priorities
These improvements strengthen relationships with external firms while improving cost discipline.
Connect with BarkerGilmore’s Legal Operations Experts
Former EVP, GC, Chief Ethics Officer & Corporate Secretary
The Chubb Corporation
New York, NY
Former SVP, GC, CCO, CLO & Corporate Secretary
Ashland Global Holdings, Inc.
Cincinnati, OH | Asheville, NC
Invest in your Organization’s Future
Regardless of the size of your legal department or the urgency of your succession needs, BarkerGilmore’s team of distinguished consultants has the requisite experience and first-hand knowledge to advise you on, and guide you through, developing a strategic and effective succession plan.
Build a High-Performing Legal Organization
Speak with a BarkerGilmore advisor about legal operations consulting for your corporate legal department.
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