Transformation

As organizations evolve and new technologies emerge, they can redefine their role and purpose.  They can add significant value and develop operations that are more efficient, effective, and agile. 

Consequently, operating models are evolving. Governance and oversight are becoming increasingly important. The push to use AI and data to create insights and drive efficiencies is growing.  

Rethinking how business and support functions can advance their organization's strategic goals is a challenge the consulting team at A&O Shearman is well-equipped to address. 

We have extensive experience in transformation across a range of industries and jurisdictions. Our team has an extensive track record of helping organizations transform their legal, compliance, risk, data strategy, and business operations. 

Our services include: 

• Assessing the function's current state 
• Defining vision, strategy, and purpose 
• Advising on best practices and providing benchmarking across sectors 
• Piloting new approaches 
• Simplifying and improving processes through the strategic use of technology and data 
• Implementing new solutions that embed lasting change 
• Adapting and aligning in-house business and support functions with wider business strategy 

In return, our clients receive customized solutions with results that include: 

• Alignment of strategy, vision, and purpose, rethinking how the function can support business colleagues and achieve priority enterprise-wide goals 
• Current state operational assessments and gap analyses, including technology, process, and people models to drive greater efficiency and solve problems in new ways 
• New target operating models tailored to our clients’ needs using data to enable insightful transformation, reporting, and decision-making 
• Project planning and design/implementation/change leadership 
• C-suite and senior leadership advisory services 
• Terms of reference 
• Metrics and KPIs programs 

Representative matters 

• Devising a strategy and target operating model . We helped a national central bank align its legal function with its organizational goals in response to changing market conditions, regulatory pressures, and increased risk exposure. We developed a legal strategy for the organization and a strategy for the legal function, aligned to support its overall objectives. We also designed a target operating model for the legal function. This included an implementation roadmap to transform its strategy over three to five years. We held in-person meetings and workshops with key stakeholders to identify gaps and establish a case for change. Our work helped to modernize the legal function, enabling significant growth. 
• Supporting post-acquisition integration and legal and compliance target operating model. We provided integration consulting services and project management support to accelerate the post-deal integration of companies across functional groups, regions, and business units. This work helped to address and mitigate risks identified during due diligence and early in the integration phase.  We also partnered with our client’s group leadership team, department heads, global legal and compliance function, and other key stakeholders to develop a new target operating model, aligned with organizational strategy. The company was able to achieve synergy objectives associated with the acquisition and now has frameworks in place to better manage future acquisitions and a potential initial public offering. 

• Aligning and integrating the in-house legal function with the wider organization. We delivered monthly advisory and coaching services to support a general counsel in their new role with a leading U.S. clean energy company. We developed a practical and comprehensive set of guidelines to define the scope, purpose, authority, and responsibilities of the legal function.  Assessing the legal function's current mandate, we developed bespoke terms of reference to clearly articulate its role. We defined processes to carry out legal tasks within the organization and now provide legal function advisory services on a rolling basis, covering a variety of topics as dictated by the general counsel.