Gartner Says General Counsel Should Take Three Actions to Prepare for Regulatory Changes Ahead of New U.S. Administration

“In-house legal teams should start mapping out government policy changes now to better prepare for risks and opportunities that will impact the organization,” said Laura Cohn, Director, Research, in the Gartner Legal and Compliance practice. “By assessing the organization’s exposure and response to significant changes and determining if early action is warranted, GC can help the business focus its scenario-planning efforts.”

GCs should take these three action plans for changes to the regulatory landscape, so they are prepared to report to the board, senior leaders, and other stakeholders when shifts occur. The three actions are:

·       Map out government policy changes to anticipate risks and opportunities
·       Determine the organization’s exposure and response
·       Watch for new agency and cabinet appointments

GC should also determine which major regulations and policies might change and assess the impact. Especially so, given that regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. has intensified even before the election due to a series of Supreme Court decisions.

GC and stakeholders should determine whether to take early action on a disruption. For example, they can assess how quickly they could respond to a disruption, or how much of an impact the disruption would be on their organization.

Gartner clients can read more in Trump Administration: How Legal Can Plan for Policy Changes.  Nonclients can access the report Prepare Your Organization for a New U.S. Presidential Administration.