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Description

Managing a Legal Team: Organising, Delegating and Developing In-House Counsel

Manage workload and skills development across a legal team without losing control of risk

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Intermediate
  • Up to 6 participants

Managing in-house counsel presents a particular difficulty: the head of the function remains accountable for the quality of legal analysis even as sensitive matters must be delegated. Requests arrive through unfiltered channels, business-side urgencies crowd out substantive work, and the value produced by the team remains hard to demonstrate to the executive committee.

Two days to equip this management role: define the service offered and the rules for submitting requests, allocate matter portfolios, calibrate the level of review according to the stakes, then conduct the conversations that help experts progress. The situations worked on relate to small in-house legal teams.

Learning objectives

  • Define the scope of service provided by the legal function to the business
  • Establish rules for submitting and prioritising requests
  • Allocate matter portfolios according to skills and workload
  • Calibrate the level of delegation and review according to the legal stakes
  • Conduct feedback and appraisal conversations specific to the in-house counsel role
  • Identify and address workload overload within the team

What makes this programme different

The rules for submitting and prioritising requests are drafted during the programme, ready to present to the business
The level of review is calibrated matter by matter using a grid built in the session
The conversations are practised on situations specific to in-house counsel, such as an opinion being challenged

Programme

1Positioning the legal function

Defining the service provided to the business

  • Matters handled by the team and topics left to operational teams
  • Rules for submitting requests and the entry channel used
  • Deciding between handling in house and instructing external counsel
  • Activity indicators that support dialogue with executive management

2Organising workload and matters

Allocating work without overloading the team

  • Allocation of portfolios and areas of specialisation
  • Prioritising requests and handling urgent matters
  • Matter reviews and running team meetings
  • Templates, clause libraries and shared tools that support productivity

3Delegating on high-risk matters

Letting go without losing control

  • Levels of delegation according to the stakes of the matter
  • Calibrating review and setting mandatory checkpoints
  • Giving feedback on the quality of a legal written output
  • The counsel's autonomy when facing an insistent internal client
  • Debriefing after a difficult matter

4Developing and retaining in-house counsel

Helping experts progress

  • Assessing technical and behavioural competencies
  • Skills development paths and internal mobility
  • Annual appraisal and objective setting for in-house counsel
  • Recruiting and onboarding a new joiner
  • Preventing overload and spotting signs of disengagement

Who is it for

General counsel, heads of legal teams and in-house counsel taking on the supervision of a team.

Prerequisites

Currently holding, or about to take up, a supervisory responsibility within a legal function.

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.