3 Strategies to Improve the C-Suite’s Perception of In-House Legal

“Don’t worry what other people think, just focus on doing great work.”

It’s a comforting thought. But perception matters for in-house legal professionals. Especially if your C-suite executives view the legal department as more of a cost center than a value driver.

So how can legal improve their reputation with key executives in the business? It starts by demonstrating the value legal brings to the table, and showcasing the in-house team’s ability to be a strategic partner. Here’s how.

Why Changing the C-Suite’s Perception of Legal is Essential

When in-house legal teams have support from the C-suite, some essential shifts happen:

• There’s more budget for headcount, outsourcing and legal tech.
• Legal gets brought into strategic conversations, instead of being asked to validate decisions after the fact,
• There’s more scope to analyze business data alongside legal realities and to propose solutions that improve business outcomes.

The result is a legal function that operates more effectively — delivering efficient legal services and supporting informed decision-making at all levels. All of which moves your in-house team to the role of strategic partner.

With that groundwork laid, here are the strategies legal leaders can use to improve C-suite perceptions of in-house legal.

1. Redefine KPIs to Demonstrate Legal’s Business Value

Your first step? Re-examine how you’re using key metrics and KPIs.

The Role of Metrics in Reputation

Something most teams miss is that the problem is often less about performance and more about presentation. No matter how well your team performs, if you don’t have the data to back it up, it’s impossible to prove to C-suite stakeholders.

The key to getting your team noticed (for the right reasons) is to use metrics that improve legal’s image and reputation.

Choose KPIs That Speak the Right Language

Often, in-house legal teams are measured by activity (individual matters completed, contracts reviewed) rather than by impact on core business objectives (risk avoided, cost savings). This is a common mistake.

So, a great starting point for a messaging makeover is taking a hard look at the key performance indicators (KPIs) you report to other teams. It’s worth being selective when composing the performance snapshot that C-suite executives see. The most essential criteria to prioritize here are brevity and relevance to their role.

For example, if you’re presenting to the CFO, the number of matters your team closed doesn’t convey much information. But the amount you spent on those matters — and how much you saved through smart resourcing or legal tech investments — is sure to get their attention.

Align Legal KPIs with Organizational Goals

In a similar vein, your legal KPIs should align with the broader business’s language. Think about the goals the company is working towards, and adjust your reporting and measurement to align with the KPIs being used elsewhere.

It may also be worth creating a short list of the legal KPIs your team uses most, and then considering how to reframe or rephrase these in terms that business colleagues can appreciate. Placing a spotlight on contracting efficiency, for example, could be a valuable measure of legal operations progress and an indication that you’re invested in revenue-generating priorities.

Finally, remember that you don’t have to do all the heavy lifting when it comes to crafting KPIs. In fact, volunteering for joint ownership of a metric introduced by another department is a smart way to forge relationships and alleviate any doubts about whether in-house legal teams have a vested interest in the outcome.

2. Prove Legal’s Financial Accountability to the C-Suite

Another significant aspect of changing C-suite perceptions is demonstrating that your department is finance-savvy. And that means being able to demonstrate cost savings and operational efficiency.

Why Financial Stewardship Matters to the C-Suite

Unlike most elements of corporate legal operations, financial stewardship is a universal principle. It’s an obligation shared and understood by every member of the C-suite. It’s only natural for them to focus on topics such as cost prediction and budget adherence.

And if we’re being honest? In-house legal teams have historically struggled in this area. So, ensuring you have a handle on your spend management is a crucial part of presenting Legal as a valued strategic partner.

Make Spend Data Work for You

The good news is that advanced legal spend management solutions are now widely available, and the case for adoption is clear. Using spend management, in-house legal leaders gain better cost control, budgeting and forecasting capabilities. This means the estimates and forecasts given to the C-suite are more accurate, and your team can quickly build a reputation as disciplined money managers.

Communicate Spend Insights in Business Terms

Just as with other metrics and KPIs, your team should also be communicating spend data in clear business terms. This is where your choice of spend management system becomes even more critical. Look for a system that visualizes spend with clear-cut dashboards and that allows your team to instantly access insights on any key topic: whether it’s the amount spent on outside counsel this year or your quarterly budget-to-spend adherence.

Get it right, and the perception around your team will quickly shift to one of efficiency and dedication to meeting business outcomes.

3. Drive Effective Collaboration Between In-House Legal and Other Teams

Effective collaboration is the last cornerstone for improving your team’s image. Simply put, you want every business team that collaborates with your department to leave feeling better for the experience. Here are three tips for getting it right.

Address Communication Barriers

Start by acknowledging the primary reasons why people choose to work around in-house legal teams in the first place. Often it’s because they either don’t know when and how to engage, or they think running things past legal will delay their business goals.

As with the other points in this blog, the key here is transparency. Your team’s operations and processes can’t be a “black box” if you want colleagues to proactively engage with the legal function and escalate matters at the right time.

Ensure that everyone knows how to approach the legal team and that timelines and processes are as clear as possible. That’ll go a long way to improving both relationships and perceptions.

Respond Efficiently to Internal Requests

The second issue is efficiency. As noted above, when stakeholders believe that consulting with legal will delay their objective, they may opt to do it later rather than sooner. And as many frustrated in-house counsel can attest, that often impacts both the legal outcome and the efficiency of legal service delivery.

Developing a talent for issuing fast responses is an absolute requirement for the legal team’s success. And that’s where a strong suite of legal tools can help. With the proper enterprise legal management (ELM) system in place, your team will be able to review matters quickly, update stakeholders automatically, and get them the information they need at record speed.

Build Strong Internal Relationships

Mastering the above two points will go a long way towards improving the relationship between in-house legal and other teams. However, legal leaders should also proactively engage with leadership in different departments. That might mean joining strategic conversations. Or simply meeting “one-on-one” to discuss each team’s objectives, and how legal can deliver better outcomes in line with those priorities.

Whatever the case, remember that relationship-building is a long-term process. It takes repetition and repeated demonstrations of value. But it also has enormous value in moving the needle on how your team is perceived.

How Brightflag Helps In-House Legal Teams Drive Measurable Impact

In summary, to improve the perception of in-house legal within other departments, you must take a strategic approach. It requires learning to speak the correct language, reporting the right metrics, improving financial performance, and building lasting relationships.

If all of that sounds like a tall order, you’re not wrong. But some tools can make it a whole lot easier.

Brightflag’s intuitive, AI-powered ELM platform is designed to simplify reporting, help you manage performance and spend, and provide the right metrics to make your case every time. That means matters are handled more efficiently and cost savings that resonate with the C-suite — all of which equals stronger relationships between in-house legal and the rest of the business.

Interested in seeing how Brightflag can transform your legal department? Book a demo today.

FAQs

How can legal KPIs improve how the C-Suite views in-house legal teams?

Reporting the KPIs most relevant to a particular C-suite role can make a significant difference in how in-house legal is perceived. To do so, teams must familiarize themselves with the objectives and metrics used by other teams, and invest in legal tech that improves visibility into those metrics.

How can in-house legal teams improve collaboration with other business units?

The main ingredients are clear communication channels, efficiency and relationship-building. Teams that prioritize those factors will naturally improve their collaboration with other teams — and the reputation of Legal with the broader business.

What metrics should legal teams track to demonstrate measurable impact?

There is a wide range of potential metrics to track, but a good general tip is to focus on metrics that align with the company’s broader objectives. Cost performance metrics (like budget-to-spend) and efficiency metrics (like turnaround times on contracts) are often also a good starting point.

How can AI improve legal department efficiency and enhance legal’s reputation with the C-Suite?

A strong tech stack is the foundation for improving efficiency and making the in-house legal team more responsive to the needs of other teams. The best tools incorporate legal AI to provide even deeper insights into spend, invoicing, outside counsel guideline adherence, and other vital tasks. Additionally, GenAI tools, like Ask Brightflag, can help teams analyze their data more effectively and provide additional insights into spending patterns.

Is Brightflag suitable for legal teams of all sizes?

Yes. Brightflag provides improved visibility and control into legal matters and spend for teams of all sizes. For larger teams that work extensively with outside counsel and ALSPs, it also provides a powerful tool for monitoring spend and benchmarking performance.