Since 2012, the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) has named the annual ACC Value Champions,
honoring in-house legal departments and their external partners that apply diverse tactics to reduce
costs, increase predictability and improve outcomes. Among the Champions, there are several small
legal departments, with fewer than 10 attorneys. Smaller departments often are required to do more
with less, so employing value tactics is key to their successful management of legal resources. These
ACC Value Champions demonstrate that despite their unique management challenges and resource
constraints, small legal teams can uncover the rich potential of these tactics to increase their efficiency
and effectiveness.
Some common misconceptions may deter small departments from beginning their value journey: not
enough repeatable work, so insufficient leverage with outside law firms; insufficient data; and scarce time
and resources. Although these can seem like barriers to implementing value techniques, it is precisely
these challenges that make undertaking the value journey worthwhile. As you will see from the case
studies presented here, these ACC Value Champions just started small, employing one value tactic at a
time, winning big-value results.
These ACC Value Champions work in industries as diverse as construction, mining and professional
services, but they have many things in common. They are united by their focus on the company and
departmental mission, and committed to formulating and deploying strategies and tactics that enable
them to serve those missions well. We think you’ll find their experiences instructive and inspiring.
SMALL but MIGHTY:
How Small Law Departments Can Apply
Value Levers to Do More with Less
