It is arguable that law departments deserve discount levels like those granted to other clients of a firm where the discount is based solely on the volume of fees paid in a year. If your law department spends $2 million on a firm during a year, your department has the…
According to Christine Baker, inside counsel with Realogy Corporation , “Mistakes will not get [a law firm] fired. But lying about your mistakes or trying to shift blame will. Either act will destroy the relationship—the first immediately, the second gradually.” (emphasis in original) Writing in Law Practice Mgt., Vol. 35,…
Some law departments negotiate fee arrangements with law firms whereby the department (a) pays upon the successful completion of the transaction and (b) pays a substantially reduced amount if the transaction does not go through. Commonly done with major acquisitions or divestitures, “busted” deal fees might knock a third or…
Close to 40 posts on this blog have to do with discounts granted by law firms (See my post of Nov. 26, 2006: discounts with 15 references; Jan. 21, 2008: 10 more posts with variations on discounts; and Dec. 26, 2008: third metapost on discounts, with 12 references.). What I…
For law firms, the “Of Counsel” designation makes a difference, even though it can signify several different circumstances of the particular lawyer. For in-house lawyers, the differences are meaningless. Of Counsel lawyers might not make capital contributions, but in-house counsel couldn’t care less. Of Counsel tend to be senior lawyers,…
An article by the president of BTI Consulting, published in Strategies, Vol. 11, Sept. 2009 at 6, lists as one of “five new client priorities law firms can leverage to build business” a notion very strange to me and my clients: “Discussing alternative fees is more important than adopting alternative-fee…
An article by the president of BTI Consulting, published in Strategies, Vol. 11, Sept. 2009 at 6, asserts that “the average company cut nine law firms – nearly 17 percent – from its current roster of legal service providers in 2009.” That means that the average fell from about 55…
Several months ago I passed on what information was then available to me about the impressive efforts of the Belgian Post to transform its use of outside litigation counsel (See my post of March 12, 2009: tantalizing ideas.). At the Legal Week Corporate Counsel Forum last week, Dirk Tirez, the…
Even if solicited by a general counsel to offer candid feedback, for many reasons a relationship partner might only reluctantly and partially comment on the performance of a law department client. At least eight obstacles conspire two thwart useful observations, let alone recommendations. The partner might not: wish to offend…
Burrowing through some old files, I stumbled on notes I took at a Fulcrum conference that in May 2000 focused on partnering. Tom Brooks, then the administrator of what was then AT&T’s legal department, spoke about their efforts. My notes covered these actions. AT&T sent an RFP process to 15-20…