In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, LyondellBasell’s Dave Louie discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, how AI is impacting his work and more.
Texas Lawbook: What are the factors you consider when deciding about hiring outside counsel?
Dave Louie: Beyond competency in their specific area, I typically want to work with lawyers who are good communicators, want to understand our priorities and are proactive with the relationship. My favorite outside lawyer I currently work is very proactive about managing the relationship and reaches out periodically to check on the service level that his team is providing. He’s very prompt in responding and he highly prioritizes client satisfaction, and he’s diligent about following up. These little things have gone a long way to building trust.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
Louie: When you’re trying to market your firm’s services, make sure you follow-up on requests or things you say you’re going to do. Doing so is an easy way to show you’re reliable, trustworthy and interested in growing the relationship. Not doing so is an easy way to lose credibility.
Lawbook: How is AI impacting your work?
Louie: I’m trying to figure out how to use it to augment my work without ceding my critical thinking skills. I’ve been toying with different use cases — sometimes using it to summarize contracts or proof read documents. Other times, I’ve used it to help teach me basics on unfamiliar subjects and asked for citations to sources so that I can further research the issue.
Click here to read the Lawbook profile of Dave Louie.