The Legal Entrepreneur: When Do Corporate Lawyers Act Entrepreneurially?

Abstract

Corporate lawyers are increasingly aiming at being involved in adding value to the business “bottom line”. To be able to create or add business value, corporate lawyers have to identify, evaluate, and exploit opportunities for value creation—they have to act as internal entrepreneurs in their field. Using extant research findings and frameworks, this chapter will outline individual and organizational conditions which foster entrepreneurial behavior. Based on our analyses, we will derive concrete managerial implications for organizations that aim at stimulating corporate lawyers’ involvement in value creation.