Advising on Business and Compliance Issues Made Easier with Practice Point’s Resources for Lawyers
As senior counsel and regulatory compliance officer for Gallup, Kruse recognizes the need for comprehensive, accurate legal resources. With six attorneys, Gallup’s legal department manages the company’s legal affairs in 40 offices and 150 countries where the business operates.
As senior counsel and regulatory compliance officer for Gallup, Kruse recognizes the need for comprehensive, accurate legal resources. With six attorneys, Gallup’s legal department manages the company’s legal affairs in 40 offices and 150 countries where the business operates. As such, it is imperative the law department is armed with legal resources to help its in-house counsel manage both the routine and out of the ordinary issues that may arise.
When Kruse joined Gallup six years ago, the company was under contract with another legal solutions provider. Kruse admits his preference for Westlaw, which he developed over the course of several years in law school, in practice with his previous law firm and his time at the Public Defender’s office. So when the opportunity came for the legal team to evaluate all of the company’s vendors, Kruse and his colleagues reached out to Thomson Reuters to learn more about their options. Gallup’s attorneys knew they were interested in Westlaw but at the time, Practical Law was a new solution that caught the team’s eye. By the end of the selection period, Gallup negotiated a new contract with Thomson Reuters for both Westlaw and Practical Law.
Last year, Kruse attended an American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance conference where he saw a preview of Practice Point, a new offering from Thomson Reuters. Kruse reviewed one of the flyers and remembers Gallup’s Thomson Reuters rep commenting, “You already have Westlaw and Practical Law, and Practice Point nicely integrates the two so that you stay in one product.” Shortly thereafter, Kruse and his colleagues pitched the General Counsel to agree to a complimentary trial for the team to check out the available practice area resources and tools in order to make the decision to purchase Practice Point.
Now that Gallup subscribes to Practice Point, Kruse reports he can efficiently find what he is looking for 90% of the time with Practice Point. When Kruse needs to confirm a law or statute, the wealth of information available on Practice Point allows him to easily accomplish this type of task. Additionally, Kruse finds Practice Point helps when he needs to explore a new legal issue facing the business. Practice Point’s intuitive interface features a variety of resources for lawyers, including Practical Law legal know-how such as practice notes, checklists and customizable model documents but also other related Westlaw tools that serve to prompt Kruse and his colleagues to consider other potential concerns that should be on the team’s radar.
For example, Kruse regularly presents to Gallup’s Board of Directors on various global compliance issues. With Practice Point, Kruse can go to the in-house project-menus or easily access the Practical Law In-House Resource Center to locate presentations he can customize to highlight the level of detail Gallup executives require as well as incorporate his recommended action plan. These ‘easy-to-tailor’ materials from Practice Point have saved Kruse “several hours each time.”
Additionally, Kruse notes that the decision to invest in Practice Point has helped to off-set other department costs. In particular, Kruse recalls when the legal department considered retaining an outside firm to conduct a multi-state law survey. Gallup received a quote close to six figures. Instead, the team checked Practice Point to find 50 state surveys from Westlaw as well as Practical Law’s State Q&A tool and other relevant practice notes and checklists that the team leveraged to develop a solution tailored for Gallup’s specific uses, resulting in “significant savings.” More regularly, Kruse and his colleagues turn to Practice Point as a way to audit internal training materials and benchmark company programs to ensure Gallup’s interests are protected and reflect current legal trends.
Practice Point’s integration of key legal resources from Practical Law and Westlaw has proven to be extremely valuable for the Gallup legal department. According to Kruse, the broad collection provides access to a complete picture of lawyer resources that he needs in order to properly advise Gallup on its business and legal interests.
*The views above are solely attributable to Mr. Kruse and do not necessarily reflect the views of Gallup.
Bill Kruse is Vice President—Law & Counsel / Regulatory Compliance Officer for Gallup. Kruse has extensive legal experience, having practiced in private practice and a large public defenders office in Florida prior to going in-house. At Gallup, Kruse supports the Government division, working on government contracts and procurement as well as global regulatory compliance issues.
Gallup delivers analytics and advice to help leaders and organizations solve their most pressing problems. Combining more than 80 years of experience with its global reach, Gallup knows more about the attitudes and behaviors of employees, customers, students and citizens than any other organization in the world.
To learn more about Practice Point, visit legalsolutions.com/practice-point
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