Winning Legally: How Managers Can Use the Law to Create Value, Marshal Resources, and Manage Risk

by Constance E. Bagley

The rash of corporate scandals in recent years underscores a fact too often ignored in the business flouting the law holds serious consequences. Indeed, all it takes is one rogue trader, one greedy executive, or one misinformed manager to place an entire organization at risk. But respected legal expert Constance E. Bagley argues that staying out of trouble is only part of the picture when it comes to legality in business.

In Winning Legally, Bagley shows how managers can proactively harness the power of the law to maximize corporate value, marshal human and financial resources, and manage risk. Through scores of classic and contemporary examples across the business landscape, this no-nonsense guide completely re-frames the relationship of law to business. Bagley explains how managers can use the law as a strategic tool to help select and work effectively with legal advisers, spot legal issues before they become problems, weigh the legal risks of specific opportunities, and more.

Ultimately, the responsibility for making tough business decisions lies with managers--not with lawyers. This timely book shows how managers can combine business audacity and vision with integrity and respect for the law to build truly great and enduring firms. Constance E. Bagley is an associate professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. She was formerly a partner of Bingham McCutchen LLP and co-author of The Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Law.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2005

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I could see where this book would be great for someone who is interested in getting high level overview of various legal issues that come up in the business world - I just found it to be too much of a "surface" book with not enough depth for me to feel like I walked away with a lot of additional value.