At ATF-Global subject matter expert (SME),  detailed legal knowledge and expertise in a specialist area of business and/or legal activity (e.g. procurement, sales negotiation as business activity or, IP, DP, Advertising, Consumer sales law as legal activity).

For this reason, we work closely with a specific business function such as sales or cross-border acquisitions and/or as a source of knowledge and expertise for your legal team and/or wider business colleagues. Alternatively, your work may involve generic issues such as the legislative and regulatory framework affecting the organisation.

So what makes an excellent SME? The six top attributes to develop are:

• Legal knowledge
  You’ll need to be familiar with the detail of the law in your specialist area. This means staying up to date on the legislative and regulatory framework that affects your area of specialism and understanding how changes in the law may affect the way your organisation operates. (Remember it is not just the law now but what we know or can make an educated guess about that could come into effect over the life of the contract, the warranty, the company business plan).

It’s also a great idea to develop your legal intelligence by way of a strong network of legal colleagues in the sector, good knowledge of which free and paid for knowledge tools you can access and sourcing and maintaining a relationship with relevant expert external advisers;

• Business knowledge
  Develop your understanding of:

• How the organisation is structured and its financial and governance arrangements;
• The business cycle, in particular for budgets, reports and key meetings;
• The business’ plans, strategies and risk management approach;
• The sector and the political, regulatory and legal framework.

• Value
  Like all in-house lawyers, you’ll need to understand where your value lies. You provide excellent knowledge and expertise and help colleagues in your own department and across the business units achieve their goals. Your know-how is difficult to replace and expensive to buy in;
• Good communication skills
  Your colleagues will want clear, concise information and advice. Where this is in writing, make reports easy to understand by using headings, paragraphs, executive summaries and bullet points. Try to use established corporate documentation formats and language where possible to make readers feel at ease and focus on what you are seeking to say, not how you have presented it. Avoid legalese and language unfamiliar to non-lawyers -and remember that the key to a good message is that people see in the message “What Is In It For Them In Their Language.”
• Profile and credentials
  Develop your reputation as an expert by presenting and writing, both internally and externally. Join relevant trade and industry groups and attend seminars and conferences, including as a panel member; and
• Interpersonal skills
  Avoid becoming a ‘back room’ lawyer. You need to be a good team player, collaborating and working closely with legal and business colleagues alike.