Trevor Harrison
Email: trevor@trevor-harrison.com

What is the Virtual In-House Lawyer Service?

It is exactly what it says it is. The virtual in-house lawyer service (VIHL)gives you your own in-house legal department ready to assist and advise you at any time that you need it. And for most of the time, when you don't need it, it costs you nothing.

What Does the VIHL Service Cover?

The service covers almost anything legal that you might encounter in the course of your business, particularly matters relating to international trade and shipping.

I Already Have Solicitors, Why Do I Need Another Lawyer?

There are a number of differences between external solicitors and in-house lawyers but the two most important are perspective and cost. By the very nature of the service, I function as part of your management team and apply your corporate ethos and commercial objectives to my thinking and the advice I give. Equally important, the relationship works on a much less formal level than the traditional solicitor-client relationship.

Because I do not have the costly infrastructure and overheads of a solicitors' practice, I am much more cost-effective. The charge-out rate for solicitors of comparable expertise and experience is typically double the cost of using my service, frequently more.

What About My Existing Lawyers?

My role as your Virtual In-House Lawyer is complementary to the role of external solicitors.

From time to time even the largest in-house legal departments of the largest corporations use external lawyers. Typically this will be for a major project or problem or where highly specialised knowledge is required. In these circumstances the role of the in-house lawyer remains crucial, acting as the interface between the corporate team and the external advisers. Deploying the in-house lawyer's unique combination of commercial and legal skills saves valuable management time and reduces the external legal spend.

What Can This In-House Lawyer do for My Business?

The list is endless and depends, of course, on the nature of your business but particularly worthwhile areas are:

• The addition of more than 25 years' experience as a practising commercial and maritime lawyer, bringing great depth and breadth to your management team;
• Assisting in contract negotiations with customers, clients, suppliers and service providers, reviewing revising and drafting documentation when necessary;
  
• Strengthening internal organisation and management, including all aspects of HR and H&S and the development and implementation of policies, procedures, codes of practice, trading terms and quality standards;
• Managing and facilitating resolution of disputes;
• Providing iImmediate access to an extensive network of specialist overseas and UK lawyers;
• Supporting credit control and collection activities, including referral to a distinct "Legal Department".

Will a Virtual In-House Lawyer Add Value to My Business?

The only way to judge is to try it out; there is no long-term commitment, the service is in your control and you use it only when you choose.

From helping to land a one-off high value freight contract or negotiating the terms of an important charterparty to the daily grind of keeping on top of changes in the law and reading customers' and suppliers' small print, my role as your virtual in-house lawyer will be as deep-rooted and wide-ranging as you like.