The most common method of assigning litigation lawyers is by type of case. An alternative is to assign them by geographic area – especially if most of the lawsuits are similar – or by business unit. Sometimes new cases simply go to the lawyer who has the most availability. And in some claims litigation functions, lawyers are assigned by the difficulty of the cases in accordance with their experience and capabilities.
Each of these allocation methods has advantages and disadvantages, and most law departments that have a litigation group mix and match.