“Law Firms Do Not Invest Enough On Their Clients”: CV Raghu

C V Raghu, Former Group General Counsel, Samvardhana Motherson Group provides guiding thoughts on the intersection between general counsels and law firms.

He explains, “Law firms must be relevant to their clients. The shift from the profession of law to the business of law makes companies question why they engage with a certain law firm.” Raghu shares that law firms do not invest on their clients and do not put in the time and effort to understand their clients’ businesses.

He mentions, “Companies are hiring lawyers from the same institutions that a law firm would. In-house law teams are getting larger by the day. They operate as mini law firms within the General Counsel office.”

He advises to be precise and concise in providing counsel to clients and to not hide behind opinions but rather to be a stakeholder in that process. This way law firms can be more relevant for their clients.

Raghu emphasises, “Companies should spend time with the General Counsel to understand key problem areas.”

He adds, “The system must be complementary; the General Counsel and the law firms must complement each other. The world is changing and GCs are becoming increasingly more relevant playing a much bigger role than before.”

Raghu informs that companies are no longer willing to spend money on destructive litigation.

Speaking at the BW Global Legal Summit and Legal Leader Awards 2024, he underscores, “I would urge that there is a lot of intersection between GCs and law firms, trying to understand your client is imperative.”