LegalEye Blog http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog It's time to get control over your legal costs. Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:25:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Council on Litigation Management Publishes Litigation Management Guidelines After 2 years in development, the CLM has finalized a universally accepted set of Litigation Management Guidelines for use between insurance companies and insurance defense firms.  The CLM welcomes comments and questions. http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=305 Snow Storms, Workflows and Mrs. Carmody’s Poodle Greetings from Pittsburgh, where the winter scene looks much as it did back in 1977, the last time we saw this much snow.  As the weather cycle repeats itself, I’m reminded how back then, I was just a goofy little kid, thankful for the 2-hour delay St. Edward Elementary bestowed ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=295 Kraft rewards law firm for sticking with the billable hour Food giant Kraft Foods has rewarded one of its law firms for its common sense approach to reducing and controlling legal costs.  This in and of itself isn't so surprising, inasmuch as companies like DuPont, United Technologies and others have taken similar actions.  The big difference is that Kraft has ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=288 Overtime Suits Make Their Way to Small Business Once reserved almost exclusively for big business, overtime lawsuits are targeting smaller companies.  Part of this shift is the result of large organizations becoming more adept at defeating such suits.  Additionally, as one attorney put it, "there are only so many class actions you can bring against Wal-Mart before you've exhausted ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=282 Litigation Rising: Numbers Behind the Obvious Results of a fourth quarter 2009 survey of 408 public and private companies found litigation is still on the rise.  Some 83% of attorneys responded that their companies were sued in 2009, up from 79% in 2008.  In addition, 42% of those surveyed expect to see litigation increasing in 2010.  Houston-based Greenwood Associates ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=279 Clients Still Looking for Value Robert Half Legal's recent survey lends further support to clients seeking greater value for their dollar. Corporate counsel seeking more value from outsourced law services http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=274 The Market at Work: Lawyers at Mega Firms Jump to Smaller Firms with Lower Rates The following article discusses how some lawyers at higher-priced firms are jumping to smaller firms with lower rates, in response to client demands.  This is yet another way the market is dealing with the repricing of legal services. Lawyers Jump to Smaller Firms with Lower Rates http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=267 With M&A on the Uptick, Some Firms see Legal Rebound With prices of companies beaten down and VC activity percolating, there are signs that M&A activity is starting to heat up (although that might be a relative term).  As acquiring companies begin to see better value, the demand for M&A legal services is on the rise, at least in the ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=271 Why Some Firms Are Increasing Rates in a Buyer’s Market Certain firms are increasing their rates for more experienced associates.  In a climate in which alternative (fixed) fees are becoming more and more popular, I view this uptick in rates as a hedge against potential cost overruns in fixed fee arrangements.  While we’ve seen a shift in economic power from attorney ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=263 Predictable New Year! It's January, the start of a new year, and a time to say good-bye to 2009.   But if you're like most law department managers looking at 2010, perhaps "happy" is a stretch goal.  "Sane" would be nice, and really goes without saying, so I apologize for even bringing it up.  How ... http://www.legaleyeroi.com/blog/?p=249