When most people think of the characteristics of a successful attorney, the term “risk-taker” does not typically come to mind. Christopher Garcia is out to change that.
Of course, he does not encourage attorneys to take risks without thinking. “Smart risk is a cornerstone of our legal practice at Dell Technologies,” Garcia asserts. “Here at Dell, we are willing to take risks as long as they are not disproportionate to the benefit. This may seem like common sense, but it has been game-changing at Dell to know that the legal advice a business leader receives will be pragmatic and aligned to our business goals.”
According to Garcia, the secret to Dell’s smart risk culture has been consistency. As the company and legal department grew over the years, Dell realized that hundreds of team members providing legal advice across more than one hundred countries with local laws, unique business practices, and nuanced cultural landscapes will inevitably have different perceptions of reasonable risk. Those differences, Garcia says, can stifle the velocity of a global business initiative unless everyone is aligned on the same decision-making framework. To accomplish that, the Dell legal team works individually with every team member around the world to ensure that each one understands their business-centric, smart risk approach. Garcia also helps the legal team formulate a reasonable view of outcomes, rather than a sole focus on the worst possible result, by ensuring that they provide both a legal analysis and an enterprise risk assessment.
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