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The entry point

The Function Diagnostic

A structured session with the GC or Head of Legal that produces a complete, honest picture of where the function stands. Seven stages. Six pillars. One clear view before the climb.

What you get

The diagnostic is a two to three hour session, run by Michael Francony. It covers the full function: its context, its scope, its technology, its capability, and the priorities and pressures you are facing in your own words.

The session is structured but not scripted. The questions are calibrated to where the conversation goes. What you get at the end is a picture you could not have produced without stepping outside the function to look at it properly.

On the day
Session record capturing everything discussed across all seven stages. Yours to circulate internally before the report lands.
Within 7 days
Full written report: pillar profile, key findings, dependency reading, and direction of travel for each pillar. With benchmarking context from the most recent industry surveys.
Within 2 weeks
Debrief session to walk through the findings, answer questions, and open the conversation about what comes next.
How it works
1
Short preparation call to agree scope and confirm who should be in the room.
2
The session: two to three hours, structured around seven stages from company context through to your priorities and pressures.
3
Session record delivered on the day. Full report within seven days.
4
Debrief within two weeks to walk through the findings and discuss next steps.

Seven stages

Each stage builds on the one before. By the end, nothing important has been left out.

1
Company profileContext
The business: industry, structure, size, geographic footprint, and the context that shapes what Legal is being asked to do.
2
Function profilePeople and tools
The function itself: headcount, spend, technology stack, sourcing model, key interfaces, and who the function serves.
3
Function scopeBreadth
What the function owns, what it shares, and what sits outside. Across Legal, IP, Compliance, Regulatory, and any additional sub-functions. The full terrain map.
4
Maturity scoringSix pillars
A lightning round followed by five substantive questions per pillar. Your gut read before, your considered view after. The consultant's assessment runs alongside, independently.
5
Strategic viewYour priorities
Four questions in your own words: what the business is asking that the function cannot fully deliver, what concerns you most, what success looks like in 18 to 24 months, and what external pressures you are facing.
6
Session recordOn the day
A structured capture of everything discussed. Produced before the session closes. Yours to share internally before the full report is delivered.
7
Full reportWithin 7 days
Pillar profile, key findings, dependency reading, direction of travel per pillar, and where to look next. With benchmarking context from CLOC, Legisway, Thomson Reuters, and ACC.
What gets assessed

Six pillars

Every legal function is assessed across the same six dimensions. The spread across them is what tells the real story.

01

People and Culture

Team structure, capability, training and development, change appetite, and how roles and ownership are defined.

02

Process and Delivery

How work comes in, how it gets prioritised, how it is handed off, and how consistently it is delivered.

03

Technology and Systems

What tools exist, how well they are adopted, how they connect to each other, and where the gaps are.

04

Data and Intelligence

Whether the function can see itself: workload, cycle times, cost-to-serve, and the use of data and AI to inform decisions.

05

Spend and Value

Budget visibility, outside counsel and vendor management, and whether the function can demonstrate what it costs and what it produces.

06

Operating Governance

Mandate and authority to operate, legal ops resource and staffing, privilege and confidentiality controls, and AI governance.

The scale

Five cairns

Each pillar is assessed against five cairn levels. A cairn is a waypoint on the trail, not the destination. None of them is bad. The only mistake is not knowing which one you are standing at.

1

Ad hoc

Work depends on individuals. Nothing is systematised and the function is fragile without them.

2

Emerging

Deliberate structure has started to appear, but it is partial and inconsistent. The intentions are there. The habits are not yet.

3

Defined

Consistent, owned ways of working that the function actually follows, sized appropriately for its scale.

4

Evidence-led

The function can see itself. Decisions are informed by data rather than instinct, and value is demonstrated rather than assumed.

5

Adaptive

The function continuously improves its own operation, absorbs change well, and its maturity does not depend on any one person.

Ready to see where you stand?

The Function Diagnostic takes two to three hours. The picture it produces lasts considerably longer.

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