It is essential for every large and small organization to have a dedicated Legal Department within the organization which protects its legal interests. The Legal Department of an organization is responsible for carefully studying the legal aspects involved in each and every activity of the company and ensuring compliance with all requirements at all times.

Legal Departments vastly differ depending upon the nature and size of the business. Most large organizations comprise of large Legal Departments with Lawyers specializing in different aspects of law. On the other hand, a smaller organization might have a Legal Department which comprises of only 1 or 2 people who outsource a major part of their work to individual lawyers or independent law firms.

To be a part of the Legal Department of an organization, you would need to be an educationally qualified and certified Lawyer. As a Lawyer working in the Legal Department of an organization, you would be responsible for a variety of tasks that include activities like drafting legal documents, providing financial advice, representing the organization in court, making sure that the company is not violating any law, overseeing financial activities and so on.

As the Legal Department of an organization is required to perform multiple tasks as the same time, different individuals are assigned specific roles within the department based on their aptitude and expertise. You would generally spend most of your day performing tasks related to your role, even though you might have to shift to other roles or perform two or more roles at the same time if required.

Mentioned below are some of roles that you can be assigned within the Legal Department of an organization. Depending on the nature of the business, variations and overlapping of roles is a possibility.

Legal Opinion/Advice

Legal Opinion/Advice roles are one of the most important roles in the Legal Department of any organization. These roles primarily involve advising the managers of the company regarding the legal aspects of all activities. Professionals in these roles perform a variety of activities that are crucial for an organization such as carefully going through contracts before they are signed and suggesting changes, overseeing the legal aspects of mergers and acquisitions, anticipating problems and preparing the organization in advance with legal remedies, ensuring that all business laws are followed and guiding managers regarding business related decisions which have legal implications. As an individual in such a role, it will be your responsibility to advise the managers as to what is good or bad for the company legally and help the management take sound legal decisions whenever required.

Court Representation

Court Representation roles involve activities related to representing an organization in court during lawsuits which are filed by or against the organization. Normally, only Trial Lawyers are hired for such roles as they specialize in fighting cases in court. As a professional in such a role, it will be your responsibility to come up with arguments that go in favor of the organization during trials, do extensive background research related to the case so as to come up with favorable evidence and ensure that the organization wins the case. Individuals in these roles are also involved in overseeing and managing out of court settlements as well as planning for further appeals in higher courts in case the decision goes against the organization.

In most organizations, this aspect of the Legal Department is outsourced to individual lawyers or law firms who specialize in fighting cases in court. However, organizations who are constantly involved in legal disputes due to the nature of the business tend to permanently hire lawyers who specialize in fighting court cases so that the lawyers are always well informed about the organization’s activities in case a dispute arises.

Company Law Compliance

Company Law Compliance roles involve tasks that are normally performed by a Company Secretary. These roles primarily revolve around ensuring that the company is following all rules, regulations and laws that apply to the business so as to avoid any unforeseen legal consequences. Individuals in these roles are involved in activities like conducting board meetings, advising the management regarding laws that apply to a particular region or business, overseeing share transactions, creating financial reports, providing tax related advice, ensuring that the decisions of the management are implemented throughout the organization and so on. Additionally, professionals who have been assigned such roles are also responsible for overseeing contract signings, mergers and acquisitions and other financial contracts to ensure that all legal requirements are being met.

Keep in mind that to work in such a role within the Legal Department of a company, you would need to be a certified and registered Company Secretary. These roles are vital for every large organization as it is a legal requirement for each large company in India to hire a Company Secretary.

Intellectual Property/Patents/Copyrights Protection

Intellectual Property/Patents/Copyrights Protection roles are very important for all organizations, especially the ones involved in businesses related to research, innovation, technology and arts. The basic purpose of people in these roles is to protect all the Intellectual Property of the organization, such as ideas, designs, concepts, stories, characters, technology etc. Lawyers who have been assigned such roles are responsible for a variety of activities including applying for patents and getting trademarks and copyrights registered. Additionally, individuals in these roles are responsible for being constantly on the lookout for any copyright or patent violations and filing lawsuits against the entity that has illegally used a trademark, copyright or patent of the company.

Drafting

Drafting roles are entry – level roles in the Legal Department of an organization and are usually assigned to fresh Law graduates. As an individual who has been assigned such a role, you would be involved in using your legal knowledge to type and create legal contracts and other legal documents. People in these roles are responsible for coordinating with their seniors and others in the Legal Department of the organization to draft a legal contract/notice/document as per their instructions and making sure that it is error free and technically accurate. Professionals in these roles are also responsible for going through contracts made by other organizations/entities and ensuring that they do not comprise of errors or anything that goes against their organization.