Blog: Making Legal’s Value Visible
Everyone wants legal at the table, so why is your value still invisible?
For years, business leaders have said the same things about Legal:
Legal should be more strategic.
Legal should partner with the business.
Legal should jave a seat at the table.
And yet, in many organisations, Legal struggles to be utilised effectively and recognised for the value it creates.
This is a problem of visibility, not capability.
The Problems
Legal is Perceived as a Bottleneck: Stakeholders only see delays, not the complexities behind the scenes.
Stakeholders bypass the Function: When processes are inconsistent, business teams work around Legal creating more risk.
Lawyers are Reactive: Days are spent responding to repetitive requests and putting out fires. There is no time left for proactive work or strategic leadership.
The Fix is Working Smarter
Top-performing teams make their work visual, measurable, and easy for the business to engage with. This is done by investing in 4 foundations:
Clear Service Definition: Define what Legal does, how stakeholders should engage with you, and what your priorities are.
Visbility into Impact: Metrics should demonstrate outcomes (contract turnaround time, SLA adherence, risk reduction, etc.). Quantify impact to demonstrate your strategic value.
Intake, Triage & Self-Service Tools: Modern teams use structured intake systems, automated workflows, and guided self-service to effectively manage demand. This reduces chaos and elimiates hidden queues.
Communication that Shows Value: Internal comms should aid stakeholders in understanding your contribution, allowing them to engage earlier and more constructively.
When legal operates transparently and delivers clear value, decision-makers take notice.
