7 Rules Efficient GCs Follow in Managing Outside Counsel
According to SimpleLegal, a provider of legal ops solutions, sending legal work to outside counsel can be a powerful and cost-effective efficiency. You can, however, negate the benefits by outsourcing the wrong tasks, or the right tasks to a sub-par vendor. Here are seven ways general counsel can be more efficient in their management of outside counsel: outsource the inexpensive stuff and keep the bigger projects in-house; select outside counsel based on data -- not hunches; request and agree on budgets and track spending against them; create billing guidelines and use them; negotiate alternatives to hourly billing, such as flat fees, whenever possible; pay invoices on time, which encourages firms to accept adjustments; and recommend your best outside counsel and other vendors to your network.
If you embrace your law firms as strategic partners, SimpleLegal concludes, you will get better results. "Outside counsel are valued partners and an extension of your department; invest in building a mutually beneficial relationship with them. Communicate priorities, set expectations and look out for them as much as you'd want them to look out for you and your team."
For more, check out the post from the SimpleLegal blog HERE.
Published March 14, 2022.
