Jeff Carr’s eight-lawyer department at $4.6 billion FMC Technologies punches far above its weight when it comes to innovative and publicized management efforts. Consistently he not only comes up with progressive ideas but also publicize them (See my post of June 30, 2006: law departments often in the news for management initiatives.).
The litany of FMC Technologies’ litigation endeavors is long (See my post of July 21, 2005: website evaluations of law firms; Aug. 21, 2005: don’t hire a head litigator; Oct. 24, 2005: decision tree software; Oct. 24, 2005: disbursements included in rates; Oct. 24, 2005: local counsel costs are part of primary firm’s budget; May 16, 2006: cycle time reduction; Nov. 20, 2006: can’t close matters without a law firm evaluation; Dec. 11, 2007: patent on the ACES system for cost management; April 15, 2009: 6-item form to evaluate law firms; March 5, 2009: 10% and 5% discounts demanded, depending on stage of matter; and May 13, 2009: Litigation Value Challenge.).
Some other FMC posts cover management efforts aside from those affecting law firms (See my post of Jan. 25, 2006: timetable for budget submission; Oct. 26, 2005: contract managers are not in the law department; and Nov. 20, 2006: lawyers dedicated to business units.).