Corporate general counsel certainly feel as if their departments have been especially hard hit during this period. A recent survey of general counsel by Altman Weil revealed that approximately 75 percent have faced overall cuts in their legal department budget in 2009. With revenues shrinking, all corporations are taking a hard look at “non-critical expenses” and CEOs and CFOs may often perceive that a company’s legal expenses fall in this category. However, savvy general counsel with the appropriate knowledge, foresight and planning can take steps to change this view by other senior managers.