The Role of a Chief Legal Officer

Role of Chief Legal Officer for in-house teams

The role of Chief Legal Officer (CLO) is a critical and strategic one that connects the in-house legal team with senior leadership in the company. The CLO is typically part of the C-suite, reporting directly to the CEO to help develop the overall business strategy from a legal perspective. They focus on protecting the intellectual property and assets of the company as it grows. They also manage the company’s in-house attorney and operations, ensuring that the department is properly resourced and aligned with the overarching goals of the business. 

The role of CLO is distinct from that of the General Counsel (GC) as it is more strategic and has a more executive level focus. While a GC is more hands-on with day-to-day legal matters, the CLO takes a higher-level view of the company’s legal strategy and its alignment with overall business objectives. In larger organizations, both roles may exist, with the GC reporting directly to the CLO.

Responsibilities of the Chief Legal Officer

The CLO is responsible for a wide range of strategic and operational tasks within their organizations. These can include: 

• Developing corporate legal strategy: As a member of the C-suite who must directly report to the CEO and board members of the organization, the CLO has to help develop the overall business strategy from a business perspective. They put a primary focus on protecting the organization’s intellectual property and assets as the company grows. 
• Overseeing the legal department: The CLO is responsible for managing the company’s in-house attorneys and legal operations to ensure that the legal department is properly resourced and aligned with business goals. 
• Managing legal and compliance risks: They are in charge of keeping the company informed of legal changes affecting the industry, oversee compliance programs, and develop strategies to mitigate legal risks. 
• Handling major litigation and transactions: When it comes to big ticket legal matters, the CLO may directly represent the company, lead the legal team, or select outside counsel to mitigate any major legal proceedings that occur. 
• Corporate governance: The CLO will work with the board and executive team to develop governance practices that comply with the law and promote ethical business practices. 

How technology can help CLOs advance in their roles

As a CLO, the primary goal is to protect the organization’s intellectual property, assets, and interests while supporting its growth. This involves developing intricate corporate legal strategies that are aligned with the overarching business objectives while managing legal risks. Achieving this goal is no small feat, and requires a level of operational efficiency and strategy. 

This is where legal technology like in house matter management can prove to be an invaluable tool to aid CLOs. In-house matter management takes intake and matter management and creates a holistic approach to management legal work for in-house teams. Leveraging the intake and matter management aspect of this technology  is key in enhancing the team’s ability to manage legal risks, improve operational efficiency, and provide strategic value to their organizations. These tools can help CLOs advance in their roles by: 

• Enhancing legal risk management: CLOs can develop frameworks to manage the ethical use of technology within their organizations, which includes conducting risk assessments, developing technology risk strategies, and implementing monitoring programs to detect and mitigate potential risks such as algorithmic bias and model tampering. Additionally, technology can assist CLOs in staying ahead of regulatory changes and ensuring compliance by using tools for tracking regulatory updates and managing compliance programs, thus streamlining these processes and reducing the risk of non-compliance.
• Improving operational efficiency: Implementing legal operations platforms can automate routine tasks, manage legal workflows, and improve overall efficiency, allowing the legal team to focus on more strategic activities and reducing administrative burdens. Additionally, leveraging data analytics tools enables CLOs to gain insights into legal spend, matter management, and overall legal department performance through a legal dashboard. These insights can inform decision-making and help demonstrate the value of the legal function to the broader organization. Intake technology ensures that legal matters are appropriately categorized and directed to the right resources, while matter management systems keep track of ongoing cases, deadlines, and outcomes, enhancing overall productivity and efficiency.
• Providing strategic value: CLOs can use technology to provide more proactive and strategic legal advice, such as using predictive analytics to anticipate legal issues and inform business strategy, and collaboration tools to facilitate better communication with other C-suite executives. Technology also assists in managing and protecting intellectual property assets through tools for tracking IP portfolios, monitoring potential infringements, and managing IP-related transactions, thereby enhancing the organization's IP strategy.Additionally, CLOs can champion digital transformation initiatives within the legal department and the broader organization by adopting new technologies, fostering a culture of innovation, and aligning technology initiatives with business objectives. Intake and matter management technology allows CLOs to quickly and efficiently handle a high volume of legal matters, enabling them to focus on strategic priorities and providing higher-value insights to the organization.

By embracing tools like intake and matter management, CLOs not only help advance their roles, but move their organizations forward while positioning themselves as a key leader within the company. 

How can Checkbox help? 

Checkbox provides legal department software designed for intake and matter management, tailored for in-house legal teams. Our leading no-code platform enhances visibility across all legal matters, empowering legal teams to improve access, value, and speed of their services.

Explore how Checkbox can support CLOs by experiencing our interactive demo and discovering the benefits firsthand.