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Due to changes in the market environment and other circumstances surrounding companies, diverse and complex risks have arisen on the legal front, and as compliance and governance have been strengthened, the importance of legal affairs for companies has increased.In this article, we will explain the role of the legal department, the required skills, and job content.
What is corporate legal affairs?
Legal Affairs is a position that manages all legal matters.Among these, legal matters related to corporate activities are called "corporate legal affairs."They play important positions that require a high level of expertise, such as protecting companies from legal risks and troubles and increasing corporate value in new businesses and research and development from a legal perspective.
Three basic roles of corporate legal affairs
We will explain the three roles of corporate legal affairs: "clinical legal affairs," "preventive legal affairs," and "strategic legal affairs."
Role of clinical law
Clinical legal affairs refers to legal affairs that deal with legal disputes and troubles.It is also called therapeutic law or dispute law.Contract troubles, labor issues, customer complaints, etc. require more effort and expense the longer they take to deal with, and in some cases can cause significant damage to the company.It is necessary to resolve the issue quickly and minimize the damage.
The role of preventive legal affairs
Preventive legal affairs refers to legal affairs that prevent legal disputes and troubles.Also called legal risk law.While clinical law deals with dealing with problems after they have already occurred, preventive legal work aims to avoid problems before they occur, and to minimize the damage if they do occur.
Role of strategic legal affairs
Strategic legal affairs refers to legal affairs conducted to maximize corporate value and profits.It is similar to preventive legal affairs in that it aims to prevent legal disputes and troubles from occurring, but while preventive legal affairs are "defensive" legal affairs, strategic legal affairs can be said to be "offensive" legal affairs. .
[Related article] What is preventive legal affairs?Explaining the difference between clinical legal affairs and strategic legal affairs, and the work content
[Related article] What is strategic legal affairs?Explaining the difference between clinical law and preventive law and the required qualities
Main duties in the legal department
This section explains the main tasks performed in a company's legal department.
Dispute (litigation) handling
We respond to legal disputes that arise with business partners and customers.If the case develops into a lawsuit, we will consult and collaborate with lawyers at the law firm to collect evidence and prepare for trial.
Dealing with intellectual property rights
The legal department also handles filing applications for intellectual property rights such as patents and trademarks, and responding to infringements.When launching a new product or service, it is important to check that it does not infringe on the rights of other companies or others.
Contract/Transaction Legal Affairs
A major part of the legal department's work involves creating and confirming documents such as sales contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and outsourcing agreements.In addition to domestic contracts, depending on the company, we also check the terms of overseas contracts.
Institutional legal affairs
Institutional legal affairs is the work of appropriately preparing and operating the activities of a company's internal institutions, such as shareholder meetings and board of directors meetings, based on the law.This is an important task that also involves the establishment of subsidiaries and group reorganization.
Compliance-related work
Compliance-related work is also the work of the legal department.In order to prevent and deal with accounting fraud, quality issues, harassment, etc., we will conduct in-house training, establish a consultation desk, and maintain and disseminate internal regulations.
Legal consultation from within the company
The role of the legal department is to serve as a point of contact for in-house legal advice, such as legal risks in new businesses and the pros and cons of business decisions.This is a job that requires both knowledge of the company's business and legal knowledge.
Legal investigation
Laws are frequently amended depending on social conditions.We constantly investigate and consider the impact of legal revisions on our company, and notify the company internally to avoid the risk of being delayed in responding and receiving guidance from the government.Additionally, when expanding overseas, it is also necessary to research local laws and regulations.
Labor/labour issues
There are also tasks related to labor and labor, such as attendance management and the creation and implementation of work regulations.In addition to establishing regulations in accordance with laws and regulations such as the Labor Standards Act, we also handle labor-related troubles such as labor disputes such as unpaid overtime pay and harassment.
Debt collection/receivables management
This is the task of managing the company's receivables and collecting any outstanding payments.Uncollected debts directly lead to a decline in a company's profits, so it is necessary to take prompt and appropriate measures, such as sending a notice by certified mail, ultimately requesting payment, legal proceedings such as litigation, and taking collateral.
M&A compatible
The legal department also handles M&A (mergers and acquisitions) between companies.We understand and confirm the contract and conduct a thorough investigation of the target company.Transactions that essentially bring together separate companies involve large amounts of money, making it an important business for companies.
International transaction law
Some companies also provide international legal services to provide legal support for overseas expansion.In order to deal with systems and laws that differ from those in Japan, such as the tax system, accounting standards, and company establishment, we require high English proficiency, research skills, and knowledge of international law.
Skills required in the legal department
We will explain the skills and qualities required to work as a person in charge of the legal department.
Legal expertise
Legal expertise is a job that involves managing all aspects of legal work, so legal expertise is essential.Furthermore, having a particularly deep understanding of the laws related to the industry to which the company belongs is an important skill when conducting corporate legal affairs.
Communication skills and English skills
It may come as a surprise, but legal work also requires strong communication skills.As we act as an in-house legal consultation desk, we cannot provide accurate advice unless we can obtain the necessary information from the other party, and we also need to negotiate flexibly with the other company when a legal dispute arises.English skills are also required to prepare for problems with overseas companies.
investigation skills
Since there are a large number of laws and regulations related to corporate activities, it is a prerequisite to have the ability to read and understand the laws and knowledge of the underlying laws, but also research to find out the laws and precedents that are appropriate for the issues at the time. You will need strength.
Attitude and desire to keep learning
Legal knowledge does not end with learning.Jobs must change in response to newly enacted laws and frequent revisions.An attitude and desire to keep learning, such as constantly updating the knowledge you have acquired and brushing up your work, are also important skills.
In order to succeed in the legal department, it is important to have high specialized skills and continue learning.
In this way, the legal department is an essential department for a company, and the people in charge of it are required to have high skills and an attitude of continuous learning.The "FRONTEO Legal Link Portal" (FLLP) operated by FRONTEO is ideal for legal personnel at such companies.
Established in June 2020, "FRONTEO Legal Link Portal" is a Japanese website that connects corporate emergency response personnel, such as corporate legal affairs, intellectual property departments, management departments, and information systems departments, with domestic and international lawyers and experts. The largest platform.You can watch many videos on a variety of topics that are useful in practice, such as litigation response, fraud investigation, scandal response, M&A, crisis management, intellectual property rights, competition law, and personal information protection law.And it's completely free.
Lecturers include lawyers and experts with a wide range of knowledge and a wealth of experience, including those from the top five law firms.It can also be used as a place for in-house legal training, as it can cover a wide range of topics from the basics to recent cases.
In addition to watching the videos posted at your convenience, we also hold many free online seminars, so you can ask questions directly to the instructors.It can also be used as a place to meet new lawyers.
We can also hold custom-made study sessions tailored to your concerns and issues!We also hold free individual study sessions for corporate law and intellectual property personnel who are interested in digital forensics and international litigation.
