Legal Liaison Definition
A legal liaison refers to a position within a company or organization that serves as the intermediary between the legal department and various stakeholders. Individuals in this role are responsible for facilitating communication, addressing legal concerns, and streamlining processes that involve legal matters . A legal liaison is an important asset to any organization as they allow teams to bridge the gap between the needs of the company and the requirements of the law. They simplify communication by acting as the first point of contact with legal or regulatory departments before, during and after the implementation of major projects or initiatives.
Key Duties of a Legal Liaison
Fundamentally, a legal liaison is a bridge, someone who can expedite progress, keep things in line, and add additional layers of accountability to what may otherwise be an informal communication system. These systems are often crucial in heavily regulated industries, where there may be multiple state or local agencies involved in every level of the review, revision, and approval process. Having a go-to person tasked exclusively with managing interactions between these agencies removes a key bottleneck for many projects. More often than not, legal liaisons have a variety of duties. Aside from serving as the linchpin in an inter-agency process, they may also keep files, records and data related to any certifications, licenses, or other procedures necessary for a project. They maintain this documentation, help facilitate document management between departments, and they may act as a resource for employees seeking guidance about compliance with pertinent regulations. The ultimate goal is to relieve pressure from the project manager, so the liaison must be organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven. Most importantly, they must understand the regulatory environment of a given area or industry, and be able to communicate clearly with agencies, departments, or other stakeholders.
Essential Skills of a Legal Liaison
The role of a legal liaison is crucial in ensuring that complex legal matters are communicated clearly to all parties involved, from clients with little legal knowledge to attorneys well-versed in the intricacies of the law. This can only occur when the legal liaison possesses highly refined skills.
First and foremost, the legal liaison must have a thorough understanding of the legal issues at hand. This includes a comprehensive knowledge of the facts of the matter, as well as the applicable laws on your jurisdiction. If the legal liaison is tasked with communicating legal concepts to other lawyers, he or she must have an understanding of the law that equals or exceeds that of the audience. If the legal liaison is tasked with communicating legal concepts to laypersons, the legal liaison must have a grasp of the legal concepts sufficient enough to explain them to the intended audience.
Second, the legal liaison must be a highly effective communicator. This is the overriding factor in his or her success. Not only must the legal liaison be able to understand and convey legal information, but he or she must also be able to write clearly and concisely. Where a legal matter involves extensive documentation, the legal liaison should be able to synthesize and summarize the information so that it can be understood without being overly simplified or watered down. Oral communication skills are equally important. The legal liaison must be able to verbally communicate nuanced legal concepts, either to clients or to other attorneys, while maintaining clarity and a high level of comprehension.
Third, the legal liaison must be able to critically and analytically evaluate information. The legal liaison should be able to sift through information, identify the key points, and then focus on conveying only that information that is critical to understanding the overall issues. The legal liaison should not simply be able to relay information, but instead should be able to critically evaluate that information, to determine how best to communicate it, and to what level of specificity.
Finally, a legal liaison should possess excellent interpersonal skills. A legal liaison should be able to establish rapport with all parties involved in the matter at hand, and should be able to put those parties’ minds at ease. The liaison should appear knowledgeable, welcoming, and non-threatening to achieve the best communication results.
Lawyers often rely on legal liaisons to communicate complex legal ideas, but the legal liaison must possess the requisite skills to be effective at these tasks.
Legal Liaisons in Different Industries
The role of legal liaison is not confined to those working alongside corporate and private clients, and may also provide for a sector-specific role, depending on the type of business in which they operate. For example, consider the demands placed on health providers by an ever-increasing level of regulation. Such rules affect local, state and federal bodies, which in turn impacts on procedures at both state and national level. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), for example, covered entities are required to appoint a Security Officer – an employee who is responsible for ensuring that appropriate audit controls are in place to protect sensitive data systems. The Florida Bar Association asserts that law practices should have Technical Systems Officers charged with technical compliance responsibilities. Alternatively , one skilled attorney may be able to share the burden with staff from other departments, depending on the scale of an organization. In either case, the importance of a strong organizational culture of compliance is apparent, but must be implemented in accordance with the resources at the disposal of an employer or provider. In these cases, the role of legal liaisons provides a central point of contact for regulators, which helps to dissuade potential regulatory non-compliance. This is especially crucial within the domain of HIPAA compliance and what is regarded as protected health information (PHI) – information that includes anything that may identify a patient, or that an employer or benefit plan knows to be confidential.
Advantages of a Legal Liaison
Legal liaisons contribute to a positive working relationship between the organization and their attorneys. This relationship is built upon trust and understanding that allow legal counsel to add additional value to an organization.
Having a legal liaison helps with legal oversight by providing a single point of contact so that the attorneys communicate directly with someone from your organization. The liaison can screen legal issues and concerns to determine which ones are legitimate legal issues and which need to be handled internally.
Another benefit is improving collaboration between lawyers and the rest of the organization. This team effort approach ensures quality legal guidance that is consistent with the goals of the organization. It also increases the pool of knowledge available to the organization. Whether that is problem-solving or better decision making at the outset of a project or transaction, having business savvy counsel that collaborates with the other functions of the organization reduces company risk.
A legal liaison can also reduce legal risks in the forms of liability, litigation, contracts, regulatory compliance, and understanding and preventing legal entrapment. Having someone to interface with the legal counsel regarding these matters can help your organization stay one step ahead of legal issues rather than in a reactive mode.
Becoming a Legal Liaison
Liaison professionals require a unique set of skills and a dedicated focus on the needs of the law firm or company they support. While job titles and responsibilities can vary from one organization to another, all legal liaisons share one common element: they work in the midst of a deadline-driven atmosphere and are expected to remain cool, calm, and collected under pressure. That said, there are several steps you can take to enhance your marketability for a position as a legal liaison.
Educational requirements vary by employer. Most entry-level positions only require a high school diploma or equivalent; however employers generally prefer candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree or some specialized training . Field of study is often an important factor, and many employers look for candidates with a background in paralegal studies, government relations, business, or office administration. Some employers also may require or prefer a specific certification, such as the Institute for Certification of Paralegals’ Certified Legal Assistant/Certified Paralegal designation or licensure.
In addition to academic program requirements, employers tend to favor candidates who have at least two years of professional experience in law in a law firm setting, where they typically are expected to:
Familiarity with research strategies, analytic techniques, and legal terminology, in addition to proactivity and proactive thinking and strong organizational and multitasking abilities are critical components of any legal liaison position.
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