Disney legal chief warns of hard choices as layoffs loom and department braces to become much smaller

Disney’s top lawyer warned staff of “hard choices” ahead as the House of Mouse’s legal and government affairs division prepares to become a “much smaller organization” while the entertainment giant mulls layoffs across other parts of the company.Horacio Gutierrez, Disney’s chief legal and global affairs officer said in a memo the department would “start with a blank slate” as technology changes how legal and other professional work gets done, Deadline first reported.“How should LGA reinvent itself to best serve the Disney of tomorrow?” Gutierrez wrote in the memo, using the acronym for his department.“To find the answer to that question, we are embarking on a transformation process that we are calling LGA 2.0,” he added.Gutierrez reportedly warned employees the division, which numbers just under 1,000 staff around the world, would ultimately be smaller and that some workers would be affected.“LGA will be a much smaller organization than it is today, and some of you will personally be affected by decisions we make in this process,” the legal eagle wrote.“Obviously, this will require hard choices about where and how we deploy our resources and investments, including our staffing investments.”The memo did not specify how many positions would be eliminated, or give a timetable for cuts.The changes were “not a reflection on the strength of LGA or its people today,” Gutierrez wrote, calling the team “extraordinarily talented” and noting that many employees had served Disney for decades.But he said the professions inside LGA are being reshaped by technology and changing operating models.“The reality is that the professions that comprise LGA — including legal, government relations, operations and others — are going through their own reinvention as technology reshapes how work gets done,” Gutierrez wrote.The review will examine how the group is structured, delivers services, shares knowledge, collaborates and uses technology,...