While I gathered my cites for a post on Linde’s convergence program (See my post of June 18, 2007.), I came across several posts that refer to the British law firm Eversheds. As with many topics dealt with here, this one surfaced unbeknownst to me: that firm has made a…
I am deeply suspicious of the findings of BTI Consulting Group regarding the frequency with which corporate clients “fire” their primary law firms. The latest BTI doomsday message, from Law Firm Inc., Vol. 5, May 2007, at 11, purports to be based on 250 corporate clients with revenues of $1…
Legal Week, Vol. 9, May 17, 2007 at 10, reports on a major convergence by the gas and engineering giant Linde, a European-based company that reported group revenue for 2006 of €12.4 billion (about $15 billion). The article did not give any information about how much the company spends each…
By contributing author Brad Blickstein, Blickstein Group, on legal service providers: Often overlooked by those involved in electronic discovery is the fact that energy expended on it can often be detrimental to the case itself. A careful look at the results of a recent LexisNexis survey on early case assessment…
In the fall of 2006, the 16-lawyer department of Circuit City Stores decided to speed up payment of law firm invoices in return for a discount on fees. According to Corp. Counsel, Vol. 14, June 2007 at 17, the trade-off was payment within 20 days of receipt of an invoice…
I jumped all over the notion that law department lawyers strongly favor admired and well-known law firms (See my posts of May 4 and May 23, 2007 about prestige firms.). A German research team in 2006, however, “announced that it had discovered that when people hear or see popular brands,…
An article in CCCA Mag., Vol. 1, March 2007, at 62, advocates a set of financial and non-financial metrics for demonstrating the efficacy of a legal department. Most are typical, but of the seven financial metrics, one I do not support. The authors recommend “’new matters sent to outside counsel.”…
A partner from an illustrious Midwest law firm sat next to me during a recent flight. He litigates IP cases for big stakes. We chatted and I quizzed him about topics that have to do with law departments and their interactions with outside counsel. A number of his comments deserve…
Which is the more stressful job: general counsel of large company or partner in large UK firm? “More than a third (38%) of City lawyers questioned thought their job was no more stressful than that of a leading general counsel.” So almost two-thirds think their job is tougher! That patronizing…
The new editor of Legal Week, Alex Novarese, does not mince words. “The evidence is now incontrovertible that in the vast majority of sectors in which they have been deployed, panels have been a dismal failure at cutting costs.” Writing in Legal Week, Vol. 9, May 10, 2007 at 2,…