A small finding from PLCLaw Dept. Quart., Vol. 3, Jan.-March 2007 at 27, got me thinking about full hourly rates compared to discounted hourly rates and the distribution of fees paid by law departments between those two categories. The report acknowledges the continued popularity of billing based on time, and…
PLCLaw Dept. Quart., Vol. 3, Jan.-March 2007 at 17, lists eight suggestions for how to conduct a competitive bid (See my post of Nov. 11, 2007: ten more suggestions.). 1. “Minimize box ticking,” by which they mean forcing the selection into a process-driven exercise. Allow firms the opportunity to distinguish…
From PLCLaw Dept. Quart., Vol. 3, Jan.-March 2007 at 15-16, comes survey data about how many mostly European law departments http://ld.practicallaw.com/2-214-7952 require information on “flexible working policies” within the law firms they might retain. According to the article, 4.8 percent of the responding departments ask for that information on what…
Two partners in a small litigation firm assert three steps law departments should take to control motion practice by their litigation firms. As published in Met. Corp. Counsel, Vol. 16, July 2008 at 39, the steps are (1) permit no motions to be made without your approval; (2) permit a…
Half of all the work that goes to external counsel goes because those lawyers know more about an area of law than does the law department. This finding comes from PLCLaw Dept. Quart., Vol. 3, Jan.-March 2007, at 15, based on a survey of mostly European law departments This blog…
“For its law firms, GM sets a target of 20 percent minority lawyers and 33 percent women lawyers of the total number of lawyers working on GM matters per firm it hires.” This quote comes from InsideCounsel, July 2008 at 60, but it leaves me puzzled as to what exactly…
I do not think that payment of an invoice forecloses a law department from challenging any charges on it at a later date. Prompt payment arrangements expressly reserve such a right, but otherwise what is the law for how long the law department has? One law department’s outside counsel guidelines…
When Brackett Denniston became General Counsel of General Electric Co. four years ago, the company used 450 outside law firms. Denniston thought that many of those firms were not used enough for them to develop a strong feel for the company’s products and needs, according to a profile of him…
“By hiring an outfit the government views as credible, thorough, and capable, directors make it more likely that the government will trust the firm’s investigation and forgo its own, which would be more disruptive.” The perspective of this quote, predictably as it comes from Corp. Bd. Mbr., Vol. 11, July/Aug.…
Faithfulness to key partners at a law department’s primary firms is a hallmark of most law departments (See my posts of June 13, 2006 and Oct. 4, 2005: loyalty to primary firms and fearful myths of partners; July 30, 2005: fear of losing the department’s favored firms; May 4, 2005:…