We have discussed how clients want communications with them to be lean and inclusive but not intrusive. Remember the keys to lean communications: Keep it relevant, direct, and concise. Make a relevant point, get directly to it and keep it concise. Write little (brief, only when necessary, key points first) and write small (no hyperbole). But it goes further than that. Below are some suggestions from in-house counsel on the importance of all communications with them, and what it takes to develop a relationship with them.

How Do You Communicate Your Goals to Your Law Firm?

We communicate and work closely with our service providers, on all matters but I'm not comfortable going into detail here. Sometimes, we simply check-in as to process and sometimes, it's more about whether the interpersonal aspects are good, with internal Clients as well as from the perspective of the service providers.  Is everyone being treated with respect? Is anyone being unreasonable? One interesting aspect of our work with external counsel is to make sure that they understand our ethics and guidelines, what we are comfortable with, and what we aren't.  "How", matters, a lot, to us. — Son-U Michael Paik, EVP for Legal, Trade and Risk Management, SeAH Holdings, Korea