The first chapter of this Guide , Selecting and Managing Counsel , describes an intelligent process for finding the right legal counsel for a company's needs. Individuals always are permitted to represent themselves in court, but representing oneself is appropriate only in a case in which there is very little money involved or in which the factual disputes are very plain. In all other disputes it is wise to hire counsel. In many situations, a corporation is required to hire an attorney to represent it in court. Appoint Someone to be in Charge For larger companies, finding someone to be in charge rarely is a problem.
Most large companies have in-house legal counsel to handle routine legal matters.
In-house attorneys often are able to handle litigated matters, as well. If there is no in-house legal counsel, someone in the company should be delegated to work closely with outside lawyers in coordinating company strategy and responses. If a business turns to independent counsel to handle a commercial dispute, the in-house legal department may be able to supervise the outside lawyers and be involved in preparation of the lawsuit. Not only can the in-house lawyers offer insight into the company and suggest the best sources of information about company policy, but they can handle some parts of the litigation in order to keep costs down. A good strategy when selecting counsel is to ask how outside lawyers will cooperate with a business' in-house attorney and staff to control costs and effectively represent the business.