A long article describes Pfizer’s dramatic move to have 19 law firms handle more than three-quarters of its US spend on fixed fees. The article is Corp. Counsel, Vol. 17, Jan. 2010 at 66, 70. (See my post of March 1, 2008: fixed or flat fees with 36 references). Embedded…
Moves are afoot to rate law firms (See my post of Dec. 14, 2009: good ideas from an ADR rating system; and Nov. 5, 2009: collective assessments by law departments of their firms with 10 references.). It’s a laudable goal, but naturally there will be some slips twixt cup and…
The General Counsel Survey 2009 from the Belgium-based consultants, FrahanBlondé, delves thoughtfully into the relationship partner system. I am going to blog on portions of it, but to purchase a full copy of this excellent report, please email Antoine Frahan. The authors make the point that preferences vary among general…
Research on reputations of law firms among corporate purchasers of legal services confirms previous findings and adds a couple of unusual ones. The research, from Strategies: The J. of Legal Mkting., Vol. 11, Nov./Dec. 2009 at 14, aims to “examine the role of reputation in the purchasing process and to…
An article in Acad. Mgt. Perspectives, Vol. 23, Nov. 2009 at 71, breaks down more than 2,000 mergers or acquisitions announced in Europe between 2001 and 2007. Among the many findings, one table shows the average number of days it took to complete a transaction, broken down by deal sizes…
Results from the 2009 AIPLA Economic Survey at 138-141 show that the cost of the average patent lawsuit, $5 million in 2007, has increased 10 percent to $5.5 million. The same article in Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 17, Dec. 2009 at 26, by an Akin Gump partner, notes some other…
A recent post mentions a survey by Coca-Cola of its law firms on their diversity practices (See my post of Dec. 7, 2009: diversity survey; and April 4, 2006: GE collects diversity metrics from its law firms.). Another post describes a survey by a law department of its firms’ views…
An IP litigator at Ogilvy Renault, Patrick Kierans, understands the relationship between the length of litigation and the fees paid: “The cost of litigation is directly proportional to the length of time it takes to complete it.” This quote, from Lexpert (Guide to Leading Cross-Border Litigation Lawyers), Nov. 2009 at…
Jay Shepherd, who blogs at The Client Revolution, attacks the term “alternative billing.” His comments are at least clever, if not correct. A shortened version follows: “It’s a terrible term; one that does injustice to the concept. As I’ve said before, it has a seamy connotation to it, like “alternative…
If you are interested in a copy of my compendium of posts on management of law firms retained, visit the website of Mitratech, the legal technology company. Mitratech has graciously agreed to send a copy of the blook to those who visit their site. If you would like to know…