67 The Alabama Lawyer 336 (2006). The Top Ten Things Your In-House Counsel Wants from You.

• Author: BY ALLISON D. GARRETT

The Alabama Lawyer

2006.

67 The Alabama Lawyer 336 (2006).

The Top Ten Things Your In-House Counsel Wants from You

The Top Ten Things Your In-House Counsel Wants from YouBY ALLISON D. GARRETT Few companies have enough in-house lawyers to handle all of the company's legal work. Working as outside counsel for these companies can be lucrative and, through networking with professionals outside the local practice area, can enhance a firm's reputation and skills. For nine years, I worked with law firms all over the United States and around the world while I was in Wal-Mart's legal department. As my in-house colleagues and I developed professional relationships with these law firms, we also developed appreciation of factors that influenced our selection-and continued employment-of outside counsel. This article outlines some important things to keep in mind when working with in-house counsel.(fn1)

1. Be prompt.

Wal-Mart called this a "sense of urgency." Recognize that in-house attorneys have clients, too. If counsel leaves a voice mail message for you or sends you an e-mail message, they would like an acknowledgement within an hour or two.(fn2 )If you wait until the next day to respond, they may have found someone else to handle the matter. The "crackberry" and voice mail are your friends; use them often.

Of course, in-house counsel understands that if we call with a knotty question, you may need to do some research. We are not seeking an instant answer, but the ability to report to our clients that outside counsel is researching the matter and will have an answer by the end of the day tomorrow.

If you promise counsel a memorandum by the close of business the next day, make sure you deliver. In-house counsel have deadlines, too. Just like you, we want to impress the people with whom we work. If you provide the information a couple of days late, the next time a project requires a quick turn time, another firm may well get the project.

2. Be attentive to detail.

You are paid to handle the company's work in a professional manner. Details matter. If your letters, memoranda or e-mail messages consistently contain typographical or grammatical errors, in-house counsel may conclude that it is representative of your other work product.(fn3 )In addition, these types of errors require in-house counsel to waste valuable time...