As witness familiarisation becomes commonplace among the litigation departments of leading City law firms there is a strong argument that it should automatically be part of the consideration of all in-house counsel when faced with big ticket litigation and all the reputational risk that entails. Mark Solon reports.
Risk assessment and compliance are increasingly an integral part of in-house counsels’ day-to-day remit as the definition is expanded to encompass corporate governance and advising on the impact of ever-changing regulation and legislation.
Depending on both the type and size of an organisation, legal departments are evolving to either drive or contribute to the risk management programme, with some voices in the profession maintaining that it is up to the general counsel to instil a top-down governance culture.