Dyson’s distinctive bagless vacuum cleaners have made much money for the company – and much work for the legal team charged with protecting the business’s intellectual property.

The company’s legal team, one of the six “stand-outs” in the in-house lawyers category (click here for rankings), is praised by other lawyers who know it for the degree to which it is integrated with the business.

“You can sense the great pride that Dyson’s IP [intellectual property] team has for the business,” says one lawyer. “That sort of enthusiasm is very important.”

The idea of a legal team seamlessly woven into a company, rather than standing aloof as a last resort in a crisis, is a common theme running through the category. Entries range from niche businesses such as Dyson to corporate titans such as Tyco EMEA and General Electric.

As businesses try to improve efficiency and cut costs by bringing legal services in-house where possible, company lawyers are keen to shake off any lingering sense that they are the poor and powerless relations of their counterparts in private practice.

One of the leading proponents of the new approach to in-house law is Reuters, the media organisation, where the 45-strong team of lawyers and support staff is part of a “general counsel’s office” whose responsibilities include financial services regulation, data protection and government affairs. Rosemary Martin, general counsel and company secretary, sits on the main Reuters management team and attends board meetings.

The team highlights its increasing closeness to Reuters customers, through events it has hosted such as a panel debate in New York on the legal implications of using open source software in the financial services industry.

While Reuters is a venerable listed company, lawyers at De Post-La Poste, the Belgian mail delivery group, are part of a story of change from state control to private sector involvement. In 2005, the Belgian government agreed to sell a stake in the company of 50 per cent minus one share to a consortium backed by CVC Capital Partners, the private equity group.

Last year, the De Post-La Poste legal team beefed up its work in areas such as risk management and its contact with individual business units, as part of an effort to become “the legal firm within the company”.

The team highlights its increased emphasis on preventive work, such as the introduction of a client database of answers to frequently asked questions in areas such as public procurement, real estate and the use of languages.

The entry from Tyco, the conglomerate that agreed in May to pay almost $3bn to settle shareholder legal claims over an alleged accounting fraud, speaks of another dramatic tale of reform. The company’s most eye-catching initiative has been to ditch 250 external law firms hired by its Europe, Middle East and Africa division and instead work solely with the firm Eversheds.

Tyco claims its changes have helped improve its management of compliance and have dramatically reduced average hourly rates paid for external counsel.

Among other large companies, the teams from both GE and Philips highlight their better use of technology, which in some cases has allowed them to generate extra income for their businesses. GE says that lawyers are increasingly expected to demonstrate that they are adding to overall corporate profitability.

If that need to contribute to the bottom line is one theme running through this category, another is that the new generation of in-house lawyers is supposed to understand their companies better and help simplify the way they operate.

This kind of total immersion seems to be the future of in-house law, whether the company is a founder-led small business or a giant multinational whose operations span the legal systems of dozens of countries on many continents.

Research for this category highlighted the work of several individual in-house lawyers who are making a difference at their company or organisation. Below is a selection, with descriptions by RSG research team. And click here for a unique RSG Consulting diagram that will help you assess how effective your in-house legal team is.

Mark Harding, group general counsel, Barclays: Mark Harding has a broad view of the general counsel role. His work in widening the search for Barclays lawyers has heightened diversity’s place in the public agenda. The creation of the GC100 forum of general counsel showed to industry leaders the need to discuss key issues facing in-house counsel across company boundaries.

Emily Taylor, head of legal and policy, Nominet: When Emily Taylor joined Nominet, the company had a headcount of nine. From such a small start, she has charted the unexplored legal territory of the web as head of both legal and policy at the UK’s domain name registry with innovative prosecutions and an acclaimed dispute resolution service that 95 per cent would use again. Her place on the Advisory Panel to the UN Secretary-General about the future of internet governance is the hallmark of a lawyer making a mark not just on her business, but on their sector.

Dirk Tirez, general counsel, De Post-La Poste: The change from state-run postal provider to a public-private operator has been enhanced by the change led by Dirk Tirez in De Post’s legal capability. He brought the department up to corporate management level, put it on the project launch committee, staffed it with independently minded and commercially aware lawyers from the top firms and has his team thinking of ways to generate extra revenue for the business.

Gill Smith, head of IP, Dyson: Gill Smith gets so involved with litigation that she helps prepare witness statements. Forming the backbone of the company’s handling of IP means forming a vital part of Dyson. External lawyers know the IP and legal teams as being involved from the very beginning in product design, development, advertising and patent strategy – and when matters end in court.

David Kemp, director of development and communications, ABN Amro: David Kemp is commended for setting up the Banking Legal Technology Portal, which involves harnessing the participation of legal teams in 17 leading investment banks to share know-how and purchasing power.

Philip Bramwell, group legal director, BAE Systems: Philip Bramwell was one of the most recommended general counsel in Europe for his work in modernising the legal function of BAE. Appointed in January, he has since managed to change reporting lines so internal lawyers report to the chief executives of different businesses. His “blitzkrieg” approach is creating rapid change at the company.