“We’re not buying pencils!” the implication being that Procurement may know how to buy trivial objects by bullying fungible providers, but sophisticated legal brains far overmatch their petty purview.
“Costs matter less than quality and results!” Procurement wants cheap; law wants brilliance and victory, and the twain can ne’er o’erlap.
“They aren’t lawyers!” so how could they possible understand the subtle mysteries of the Most Great and Noble Profession.
“Law is Art not bricklaying science!” and so creativity, judgment, professional experience, as well as the arcane of case cites and contract exegesis, rejects petty discipline and spreadsheets.
“Stay out of my ‘hood!” since anything conceded to Procurement diminishes our fiercely protected privileges and powers. We’re Sharks and you Jets stay offa our streets.
“Lawyers are smarter and more capable!” and if we with LSATs of 695 weakly open ourselves up to disclosure and concession, well the slippery slope goes all the way down to disbarment.
I have previously collected posts that are more positive on legal departments and Procurement (See my post of March 1, 2008: procurement with 17 references; and Aug. 6, 2010: procurement with 7 references.).