Tesla is expanding its legal department by hiring for an in-house team to tackle all aspects of litigation and trial work. That is according to General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Brandon Ehrhart, who shared the news on LinkedIn.
“Tesla Legal is building something unique: a full-scale internal litigation and trial team that can handle all aspects of litigation and trial work, including briefings, hearings, discovery, depositions and trials, completely in-house,” Ehrhart wrote.
This development is part of CEO Elon Musk’s plans to build a “hardcore litigation department” that would be responsible for initiating and executing lawsuits. It comes at a time when Tesla just this past weekend faced criticism in the media for its quarterly production and delivery figures, with some mainstream media outlets reporting the automaker’s record quarter as a negative.
The addition of the in-house team is an indication that Tesla is willing to devote significant resources to address any issues that may arise. Responding to the news on Twitter shared by Sawyer Merritt, Musk said Tesla will also continue to use outside legal counsel, but the creation of this internal team is important so that the company isn’t “always on the defensive,” adding that they will go after “Wall St short-sellers, certain law firms & (sometimes) corrupt regulators who are the true evil.”
This approach is in line with the company’s innovative and forward-thinking ethos, and could pave the way for other companies to consider similar approaches to their legal departments. By taking a proactive stance, Tesla is setting itself apart from other automakers and demonstrating its commitment to protecting its reputation and interests.
