In Focus

Getting legal on board

You're sitting at your desk feeling pretty good about yourself. You've just worked for weeks on a marketing initiative that you know will be a money-making home run. Suddenly, you get an email back from your legal department. Attached is your Word document filled with nothing but red lines. Your excitement is quickly reduced to depression as you realize that your legal department took your great idea and reduced it to complete garbage.

Does this scenario sound familiar? Nothing can take the wind out of your sails more than having an adverse relationship with your legal team. Does legal always have to be the "Business Prevention Unit?"

As much as your legal department can be a constant source of frustration, marketing and legal don't have to always be at odds. With four simple steps (although is anything really simple when we're talking about lawyers?) learn how to educate and integrate your legal department into your marketing process for a greater degree of alignment and, ultimately, sanity.

Author notes: Sean Cheyney is the VP of marketing and business development for AccuQuote. Read full bio.

 

Comments

marq thompson
marq thompson January 30, 2010 at 12:03 AM

This is a wonderful article. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
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marqthompson
legal marketing

Sean Cheyney
Sean Cheyney February 6, 2008 at 11:00 AM

David,

Thanks for providing the link to your blog post. Great article! I've added your blog feed to my Bloglines account.

I agree 100% that legal must collaborate with the marketing team versus becoming the enemy "business prevention unit." Doing so at the beginning of the process is the key.

David Miranda
David Miranda February 6, 2008 at 9:37 AM

Sean,
I enjoyed your article, but I wanted to share a 180 degree POV. Any marketer can provide frustrating examples of dealings with his or her legal colleagues. Many businesses have, in fact, become "law firms that sell products and services". Sample the "mouse print" in disclaimers that typically have more verbage than the ads themselves. Disclaimers by the way that only another lawyer can understand. Lawyers must consider themselves as collaborative members of the marketing team not the "business prevention" department.
Business prevention is, in fact, anti-marketing.
(I have written an article on my own blog on the subject http://recognitionmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/11/exorcise-seven-deadly-sins-of-anti.html)
Regards,
David Miranda
Recognition Marketing