Structuring IP and Legal Teams in Conglomerates: Missteps and Masterstrokes

A conglomerate—a large enterprise comprising multiple discrete companies, divisions, or business units—may come into being organically or inorganically, due to business growth, expansion into new markets, internal restructuring, or a merger, acquisition, or joint venture. Regardless of a conglomerate’s origin story, its leaders face a fundamental question: How should they structure the intellectual property or legal function to optimally serve the needs and interests of the divisions and the con