As you know, I enjoy getting suggestions for blog topics from you – the readers of the “Ten Things” blog.  A few weeks ago I received a note from the general counsel of a small legal department at a relatively new company that was involved in its first material piece of litigation. Yuck.  She was a bit lost on how to manage it all and asked if I had any pointers.  I did.  As someone whose career started as a litigator and who came to the general counsel role through the litigation side (rare), I managed a lot of litigation and I understand how risky, painful and frustrating litigation can be for in-house lawyers.  Additionally, if you are not someone who spends a lot of time with litigation, it can be a bear to manage and keep from becoming a runaway time-suck and money pit.  I have written about what to do when you first receive a lawsuit, how to explain litigation to the business, and in-house counsel’s role during trial, but I have overlooked a truly important task, i.e., how to manage litigation.  This edition of “Ten Things” looks to remedy that oversight.  While this post is aimed at those who rarely deal with litigation, I think several of the points will resonate with crusty veterans as well:

(more…)