What can General Counsel learn from Apple about running legal teams?

Author Georgia Morgan-Wynne
June 8, 2023

Having attended some legal tech talks recently, Apple was mentioned several times as a benchmark of a product that is easy to use for customers. Reflecting on this I wondered if there is more that legal teams can learn from this brand to build a better legal function?

Brand proposition: Apple’s mission is clear. Think about implementing a clear purpose you hold yourselves accountable to as a legal team and use this to showcase your value to the business. A mixture of storytelling and data helps to communicate the value you are adding.

Forward thinking innovation: they’ve not sat still. Apple has continued to innovate and embraced advances in tech to arguably become the best in their market. Legal teams should be thinking outside the box about how they can evolve to keep up with business needs and the impact of AI.

Loyal customers: they trust Apple. OK, your sales teams might not always be the easiest to deal with, particularly at quarter end, and you don’t want iPhone ‘release day’ style queues at your desk! But, speaking your stakeholders language and showing you are a solutions focused business enabler will mean you’ll become a trusted advisor.

Collaboration: a wide range of teams pull together to deliver market-leading products. If your legal team can build good relationships across the business and work positively with stakeholders, you’ll be included in projects from the start and have a greater impact on business success rather than only being called upon in crisis.

Great user experience: think about all aspects of this when rolling out new processes in your team and particularly when they impact the wider business to ensure they are well-adopted. Over 50% of new CLM systems fail at implementation. Delivering high-quality service will build your brand reputation internally and your stakeholders will want to come to you.

Applying some of these learnings from Apple may help you to think creatively about the future of your legal function and building a team that evolves and enables business success!

Get in touch if you’d like to discuss the legal market, structuring your team or are looking to move your career forward – georgiamorgan-wynne@taylorroot.com

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