"Minimum Viable Lawyering"
jordancooper.wordpress.com
jordancooper.wordpress.com
Nice piece, and the best way to get value, and to avoid abuses, is to have a strong bond of trust. After nearly three decades in the field, I can strongly affirm that it really does work that way.
Ditto for the downside as well. A sloppy approach to managing legal costs can get real expensive in a hurry. The "minimum viable" approach is one very good way to keep things in line as long as it is always coupled with a good strategic overview of what needs to get done and when (which is why to have a good working relationship who gives you that perspective).
You have hit upon the core principle of using legal resources wisely, as needed, and with a practical focus. The flip side is that your lawyer needs to have a similar practical focus, which in practice typically translates into working with an experienced partner whose philosophy is consistent with your own (as you state in your piece).
I don't think I would add anything to your main theme (related themes would include try to get estimates for specific projects, or negotiate fixed fees for discrete projects for which this makes sense; monitor how projects are staffed so as not to incur significant double-billing; don't let green lawyers get themselves educated at your company's expense, etc. - but these are all really just a part of what works itself out routinely and easily if you once have a solid working relationship with a trusted partner and are thus subsumed under your broad theme, which you nicely articulated).