Preventing legal risks is better than curing them. In this optic, Legal Issues Staff Formation is a proactive solution that enables a company to educate its employees by providing adapted formations that address group-specific legal issues. Depending on the needs of a company, formations can be general or specific. It can address all employees on the issue of legal repercussions for a company in the event of violations to its policies or procedures. On the other hand, it can also be utilized to address a sales team or managers on the necessary contents of a proposal, the importance of milestone or deadline verification.

Formations are usually divided into two sections. The first part serves a formative role. It addresses the specific legal risk employee’s duties can pose for a company and for themselves. The object is to raise awareness, empowerment and carefulness in an employee’s actions. As well, explanations of reasons tasks are carried out in a certain manner has been shown to facilitate acceptance and use of any subsequent implementations. For example, a specific formation might concentrate on a particular type of contract and the reason for certain clauses found in it. It might discuss which clauses are essential for the company and which ones can be open to discussion with co-contractors. This will result in more efficient negotiations and reduce the needless and time- consuming referral to legal counsel.

The second part of the formation serves a more communicative role. In this part, employees are provided a forum to express ideas or concerns raised by the formation. Issues raised might concern additional legal risks or a specific problem encountered in carrying out or executing tasks. Such structured exchange assures solutions take into account realistic conditions and become a more accurate reflection of actual practices. In certain instances, this has even led to the identification of potential legal risks and troubles caused by outdated habits and implemented procedures unbeknownst to management! For example, it might be raised that many clients have apprehension about a particular term in the agreement upon which the signature is pivotal. Solutions can then be proposed or questions answered as to how to address such an issue with the co-contractor. In some cases the issues were the result of outdated practices resulting from misconstrued legal obligations.

The Legal Issues Staff Formation serves to instill in employees an awareness of their role in the prevention or limitation of risks, whatever their position. Whether it is a salesman’s responsibilities concerning representations he makes about a product’s suitability or a secretarial pool�s responsibility for ensuring proper care in receiving or sending company communications. While reducing legal risks, it also provides the opportunity for employee-management to have a dynamic interaction fostering amongst all a feeling of being part of a team.