Most companies still operate their IP function through outside counsel: filings go out, patents come back, and the underlying data, workflow, and institutional knowledge live somewhere else. That model worked when portfolios were small and timelines were long, but it starts to break down at scale.

As organizations mature their IP capabilities, in-house teams are under pressure to move faster, deliver better visibility to the business, and make more strategic use of their IP portfolios. That is forcing a fundamental recalibration of how work is divided between in-house teams, outside counsel, and increasingly, technology platforms powered by AI.

Join us Tuesday, April 28 at 12pm ET for an examination of the evolving relationship between in-house and outside counsel. We will explore where traditional dependency models create hidden costs—not just in spend, but in access, responsiveness, and missed strategic insight—and how to begin to rebalance that equation to regain visibility and control but without disrupting critical counsel relationships.

Panelists will discuss how companies are redesigning their IP workflows end-to-end. Among other things, we will address practical questions, including:

• When does it make sense to bring functions in-house—and which ones?
• How should companies think about owning and structuring their IP data to enable better decision-making and reduce costs?
• How do you avoid duplicative work across inventors, in-house teams, and outside counsel?
• What does an “audit-ready” IP function look like in practice?

Participants will leave with a practical framework for evaluating their current operating model, understanding their organization’s maturity level, and identifying the next steps to build a more scalable, data-driven, and strategically aligned IP function and workflow.