The Bigger Picture

There are certain cliches that, through the practice of law, are resurrected from dead letters and come back to life. One such saying is that someone “can’t see the forest for the trees.” As any lawyer knows, attention to detail is crucial—it’s where the devil, as they say, lies in wait. However, what can sometimes be overlooked is the facility to pan out from the ‘i’s that must be dotted or the ‘t’s to be crossed and put such finer points into a larger perspective.

Of course, a seemingly small detail can fundamentally alter the bigger picture. This is especially true in the context of commercial contracts, where even one misplaced word can lead to drastic consequences. I’ll never forget the cautionary tale us first year associates were told during orientation about a hapless junior attorney who failed to appreciate the difference between “salary” and “compensation” when reviewing the bonus provision in an employment agreement. This poor associate, we were warned, had cost his client millions in “compensation” by overlooking the repeated references to a relatively meager annual “salary” within the contract’s four corners.

Nevertheless, the hallmark of an effective lawyer is to weigh the necessary attention to detail against the overall objective of the matter at hand and the interactive dynamics at play—such as their client’s leverage, the importance of a given provision in question relative to others in an agreement, and, of course, any pressing deadlines for bringing the matter to completion. The ability to weigh a variety of factors—at both the micro- and macro-levels—is a key skill of an efficient in-house attorney that can elude even the most well-intentioned external counsel, who has been conditioned to conflate absolute precision with proficiency.

While it is understandable that no corporate client wants to pay hundreds—or even thousands—of dollars an hour for a redlined document with a lurking typo, in the context of the day-to-day work that in-house counsel must contend with, done is, in fact, far more valuable than perfect.

In helping corporate legal departments manage their commercial contracting workflows, ADC Law is committed to navigating the important details without ever losing sight of the bigger picture. Striking this balance as “in-house/external” counsel, ADC Law will provide overflow support that is precise where it matters, with a real-world practicality that internal stakeholders can rely upon.

If you’re interested in how ADC Law can partner with your team, we’d welcome a call to discuss your needs.