With the challenges presented by the current economic recession, supply management professionals are being driven to directly engage the office of the general counsel. At any given time, a GC may be faced with seeking outside counsel support for specialized services, such as government contracting regulations or International Traffic in Arms Regulations, labor and employment law, trade secrets, patents, SEC or EEOC regulations, or other matters.
Today, supply management professionals have the opportunity to play the leading role in a movement that will create a new model for the relationship between corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them. To make the most of this opportunity, supply management professionals will need to consider the past, be active in the present and then shape the future.
