Maintaining Friendships Between In-House and Outside Counsel

There are many circumstances where lawyers and clients maintain friendships without issue. For example, the family lawyer who after 20+ years of service is considered more of a friend than a hired professional. But the dynamic changes when the client is a company and the lawyer is with an outside law firm hired to represent the company’s interest. In this situation, where the in-house lawyer assumes the role of “the client,” the friendships that often form between the outside lawyers and their in-house clients can be difficult to navigate and, if not kept in check, adverse to the company’s interests.

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