I would recommend thinking like a lawyer and writing a memo like one. Legal writing and analysis follows a very common pattern known as IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analy

I would recommend thinking like a lawyer and writing a memo like one. Legal writing and analysis follows a very common pattern known as IRAC (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion): (1) Identify the issue; (2) Quote all relevant rules; (3) Analyze the rules in light of your specific factual circumstances; and (4) Reach a reasonable conclusion based on your analysis of the rules. This is how your company's legal team is making recommendations to management. You have to fight fire with fire. The only advantage your legal department may have over you is access to more comprehensive legal research services like Westlaw and LexisNexis. But at the end of the day, all they're doing is researching what the law is and how the courts are interpreting the law. Search for the right terms on Google, and you can do a pretty damn good job at crafting credible arguments. We don't need the lawyers always acting like they're at the top of the food chain.