Wills, divorces, consumer credit problems, landlord disputes and traffic violations all have two things in common. One, handling such matters is firmly outside your job description. Two, if you are in-house with a large company, your rank and file co-workers in the field are dealing with personal legal issues such as these all the time.

Do I recommend that you directly handle the personal legal needs of employees at your company? No, I'm not losing my mind. But you can help, and the benefits to your law department might be significant. Bear with me for a few paragraphs and see if the following makes sense to you.

You probably get approached for nonbusiness-related legal advice on occasion from executives and managerial level internal clients. Rather than dismiss the request, my savvy readers recognize the relationship opportunity. You listen empathetically, perhaps do minor triage and connect your colleague with an appropriate personal lawyer.

Why not proactively do the same once or twice per year for the rank and file? Before you dismiss the idea as crazy, consider these benefits:

• You build a reputation as a legal department that is accessible to the rank and file, create a new kind of positive visibility, and generate goodwill for when you want buy-in on compliance or procedural initiatives.
• Employees who are not distracted by personal legal problems will be more productive at work; and they will appreciate any help (great for loyalty).
• While most matters will require the employee to hire a personal attorney, look for ethically acceptable opportunities to refer matters to new or existing outside law firms that would help your co-worker pro bono as a value add.

I almost titled this column “Pro Bono Day at Work,” but realized that misses the mark. This is not community service. Helping to triage and refer out the personal legal challenges of your co-workers has business value.

I understand this suggestion likely feels messy. If you create a culture in which your door is open to the airing of personal problems, it will need to be time managed. Moreover, your ethical duties to the company will present limitations on what topics a rank and file employee can or should be discussing with you.

If the idea intrigues you, baby step into it with a small group at first. I also invite you to pair this column in spirit with the one I wrote last month about becoming a “Yes, And” style business person. The continued theme here is increasing the positive visibility of your law department, leading to entrenchment throughout the company and a more satisfying experience for you.

Mike Evers recruits attorneys for corporate legal departments throughout the United States. Visit www.everslegal.com. His firm also offers experienced in-house counsel to companies on an adjunct basis.