Google is often regarded as the best place to work in the world – offering employees free meals, in house massages, and shuttles to work. Despite all of the perks, the culture at Google appears to be deteriorating rapidly. From firing employees after attempting to unionize, out-rest over the company’s (lack of) sexual misconduct procedures, and privacy investigations by the U.S. government, chief legal officer Kent Walker and his in-house legal department have their hands full.
This article illuminates the various “hats” that general counsel is required to wear. I can understand why lawyers typically work in the private sector for several years prior to transitioning to an in-house position to ensure that they have practical legal experience. Given the multifaceted nature of the problems they are required to solve, what should lawyers do to best position themselves it succeed in their new role? Beyond obtaining practical legal and business knowledge, lawyers would be wise to do some organizational behaviour training prior to transitioning in house in order to fully understand the effect their legal advice will have on the company’s culture.
https://www.law.com/corpcounsel/2019/12/05/google-in-house-lawyers-have-hands-full-of-legal-issues-and-labor-turmoil/
– Melissa
The timing of the firing leads to the assumption that the firings were done as retaliation. Being in-house counsel leads to an obligation to keep the company to proceed with actions that are legal.
However, it can be often forgotten that there are other departments. The firing of four employees a week before Thanksgiving lends to the Christmas tale of Scrouge.
Perhaps it was done legally, but if the PR department took a look or HR department and delayed the firing, this article may not have come up. As in-house counsel the need to be able to work well with others is necessary, the legal department cannot function isolated.
– Carter