Blog & Case Studies

Building a lean, strategic legal department for a cutting-edge biotech startup

Key Results
10-20 Contract Types 100%3 Legal Operations Areas
Harmonized into standard templates with playbooksOf operational contracts outsourced to managed servicesOptimized - contract management, IP management and privacy compliance
Challenge

A pioneering biotech startup developing therapies for hard-to-treat cancers sought to build a lean, business-aligned legal department. The General Counsel envisioned a strategic team that would scale with the business without becoming a bottleneck. To achieve this, the company needed expert guidance to design and execute a plan.

Solution

We started by defining the legal department’s strategic pillars and priorities and aligned them with the business units’ near-term objectives. We then created a development roadmap that phased the buildout of legal functions, including contracting, compliance, and privacy.

Next, we developed standardized contracting processes, selected technology to support patent prosecution and launched a privacy compliance roadmap. We also designed a plan to build a procurement contracting utility.
In the next phase, we deployed a contract utility that handled confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements, master supply agreements, master service agreements, statements of work, change orders, clinical trial agreements and more.

Outcome

With the roadmap in place and the contract utility operational, all standard contracting now flows through an efficient, scalable process. This has allowed in-house counsel to focus on high-value, high-risk matters that align directly with the company’s strategic objectives.

Looking to build or scale a lean, strategic legal function?

We can help design and deploy a legal department that grows with your business.

* This project was delivered while supporting a previous organization.