According to surveys, law department managers say they consider a huge array of attributes when they select outside counsel (See my post of Dec. 28, 2006: summary of four surveys and 37 attributes.). Readers can find more on those four surveys (See my post of Oct. 31, 2005: European law departments and 11 attributes; Jan. 30, 2006: Kirkpatrick Lockhart’s findings about 8 attributes; March 13, 2006: LexisNexis Martindale-Hubble’s findings on 8 attributes; and Oct. 30, 2006: 10 attributes in the insurance industry.).
Other surveys I have cited identify a range of other law-firm attributes law departments reportedly take into consideration (See my post of Nov. 14, 2005: attributes of new firms compared to incumbent firms; May 4, 2007: general counsel don’t hire a law firm because of the firm’s “prestige”; May 23, 2007: law firm’s reputation makes a difference; May 27, 2007: considerations of Canadian in-house lawyers; July 19, 2007: creativity; July 20, 2007: minor factors when law departments retain outside counsel; and July 28, 2008: hiring criteria.).