In managerial decision-making, legal factors are often considered only after a situation begins to develop into a conflict. However, as Professor Gabriel Steiner notes, a lawyer becomes a strategic partner not when they are involved in the dispute, but when they are able to prevent it before it takes form. At LawConsulted, legal support is treated as a tool for forecasting – we establish the legal trajectory in advance so that client action does not become the catalyst for future confrontation.
A common mistake among decision-makers is viewing legal consultation as a reaction to circumstances. In reality, the strategic value of legal involvement lies in assessing the consequences of action before it acquires legal force. Lawyers at LawConsulted engage at the level of intention – prior to documentation, public statements or negotiation initiation. This enables us not to adjust the client’s position after it is formed, but to structure it immediately in a legally resilient manner.
According to Professor Steiner, “legal support introduced before a conflict does not merely mitigate risk – it influences the trajectory of the event.” At LawConsulted, we evaluate not only the legal logic behind the client’s actions but also how these actions may be interpreted legally by third parties. This approach allows conflict to be neutralised before it is articulated.
The ability to identify in advance which positions may be viewed as disputable is critical. Specialists at LawConsulted assess which actions could trigger obligations, strengthen external negotiation pressure or form evidentiary grounds for the opposing party. As a result, the client’s strategy is not adapted to conflict – it eliminates the likelihood of conflict arising.
A lawyer becomes a strategic partner not when they defend a position, but when they help shape it so there is no need for defence. At LawConsulted, legal structuring is integrated into the management architecture of the company, rather than treated as a reactive measure. Thus, the client’s protection begins before a potential dispute is even recognised by the opposing party.
As Professor Steiner says, “the highest form of legal work is influencing a decision before it is made.” At LawConsulted, we design strategy so that legal resilience is embedded at the stage of intent – not as a response to results. Often, the correct structuring of intention provides stronger protection than a legally impeccable reaction to an established dispute.
A lawyer becomes a strategist when they are involved not in resolving problems but in establishing conditions under which problems do not emerge. At Law Consulted, legal support is not reaction – it is anticipation.
Previously, we wrote about how to protect negotiation position before disclosing financial information when engaging with a potential investor
