The marketing blurb for a conference called “Managing and Leading an Effective In-house Legal Department” (organized by Falconbury) dropped into its list of all that attendees would learn the notion of “effective negotiation techniques.”
There is, I suppose, a small chance that ineffectual restrictions on law firm charges has to do with the shortcomings of in-house lawyers when it comes to negotiating with firms. But I doubt that; corporate buyers of substantial legal services have potent, well-recognized leverage that more than make up for mistakes at the bargaining table.