Welcome back to Inside Track!

For in-house counsel, the use of data to drive decisions and show efficiency to the board of directors is becoming more commonplace.

Andrew Baker, a senior director at HBR Consulting, said he is largely seeing legal departments utilize data to get a better handle on spending.

"The challenge is in order to best understand and navigate the data you need more than just a head count. You have to have a better description of the other dimensions in the work you do," Baker said.

Litigation is another area Baker said legal departments are analyzing data to see whether a company should take a matter to trial or if a settlement would be more cost-efficient.

He said legal departments want to gather information on the plaintiff, who is representing them, and the outcomes of similar cases to help determine the most beneficial avenue for the company.

How is your legal department using data to make changes and drive efficiency? Let me know by emailing me at [email protected].

What's Happening

Chickens To Cars

Yusuf Mohamed had been one of two in-house counsel at a Georgia-based chicken processing company when he applied to Tesla "on a lark" after seeing an in-house employment attorney job posting on LinkedIn.

Mohamed has now been working at Tesla for nearly eight years and currently serves as deputy general counsel. He said he doesn't like to contract with specific firms for litigation.

"I like to hire lawyers, not law firms," he said. "I like to hire talent, not law firm brands."

He explained that he likes lawyers who know the local judges and that, sometimes, leads him to hiring small law firms for litigation.

Mohamed also said he is currently building data on legal claims that the company can use to identify "points of inquiry" for potential problems.

The Relocation Roadblock

Getting an attorney to move from a large metropolitan area to a smaller market for an in-house role can prove to be difficult, especially for legal departments looking for diverse hires.

Legal departments may often have to take extra steps to make diverse candidates feel welcome. Ron Jordan, the chairman and founder of Carter-White Shaw, said he's helped place attorneys in more rural areas where the company helped connect them with a familiar community.

"A lot of diverse attorneys, at least the ones I've worked with, want to know there is somebody there for them outside of the office," Jordan said.

There needs to be an assimilation process into the community the attorney will be working in, he said. Many companies do not "have tentacles within those [diverse] communities of where the company is located."

Beyond selling the community, John Gilmore, co-founder and managing partner of BarkerGilmore, said recruiters and in-house counsel looking to hire need to sell the opportunity. People are more likely to move out of their comfort zone if they see where the role can lead to in the future.

"What makes this opportunity attractive? What is the draw? You need to sell the sizzle, not the steak," Gilmore said.

What I've Been Reading

Matt Wood, general counsel of the media reform group Free Press, said it was unwise of a federal judge to approve the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, according to a Forbes report. "The judge is showing a stunning lack of awareness and attention to the facts when he credits the claims of T-Mobile executives that their company will compete just the same as ever, even after swallowing its biggest rival for lower-priced service," Wood said.

Sherry Wiebe did not take the most conventional role to becoming the chief legal officer at Octaform, according to a profile in Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Starting her professional career as an intensive care nurse clinician, she later earned her law degree and became executive director of the Manitoba Association of Registered Nurses. Now she leads a two-person legal team at the building company.

Alana Matthews, general counsel of the Dallas Stars, played on a boys' ice hockey team when she was 7-years-old, according to a story in Profile Magazine. She said she always wanted to work in the sports industry and would build a network through the Sports Lawyers Association.

Don't Miss

Wednesday, Feb. 19 to Friday, Feb. 21 – The International Air Transport Association will be hosting the IATA Legal Symposium at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Speakers will include Louise-Hélène Sénécal, assistant general counsel at Air Canada, Barbara van Koppen, general counsel at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Joan Canny, general counsel at Amerijet International Inc.

Friday, Feb. 21 – The Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law will be hosting the Sixth Annual Fashion Law Symposium. Speakers will include Maryann Lawrence, associate general counsel at Chanel Inc., Shane St. Hill, associate general counsel at Rent the Runway, and Gail Wheeler, general counsel at Hermes of Paris Inc.

Thursday, March 5 – Corporate Counsel Business Journal will be hosting a Legal Operations Executive Forum at the Tarrytown House Estate in Tarrytown, New York. Speakers will include Andrea Colby, former IP counsel at Johnson & Johnson; Darren Guy, AIG global head of legal operations; and Brian Liss, senior vice president and deputy general counsel at Leidos.

On The Move

✦ Michigan State University ✦ Brian Quinn has been named the general counsel of the university. Quinn has served as acting general counsel of the school since February 2019.

✦ United Talent Agency ✦ Michael Sinclair was made general counsel of the company he joined in 2012 and most recently served as associate general counsel.

✦ CITGO ✦ Jack Lynch has been given the additional title of chief compliance and ethics officer for the oil refinery. Lynch started working at CITGO in October 2019 as the vice president of legal and government affairs. He continues to hold that role as well.