In my time as Michelin’s general counsel, we spent considerable time playing defense. The defensive game plan included, among other things, responding to our business clients’ needs, defending claims and lawsuits and dealing with tremendous internal pressure to reduce costs. Our defense was solid, and it spent a lot of time on the field.

When we periodically benchmarked other legal department teams, we found the same thing: They had great defenses that played almost the whole game. Like us, they also spent considerable time responding to pressure to reduce the size and cost of the team, even when the business was growing and profitable.