According to CFO Magazine, companies spent 7% less on outside counsel in the first quarter of this year. Although this has largely been the result of a shift to less expensive firms, there are indications that this decrease won’t last long. Experts expect a rise in the following areas: regulatory matters, bankruptcies, securities and employment issues. Moreover, what has not been considered yet is the near-certain avalanche of litigation stemming from the sub-prime crisis. Will this signal a shift back to larger firms?
July 24, 2009
July 15, 2009
The Third Option, Part II
Yesterday I presented the challenge of enforcing all billing guidelines, not just those that the GC feels are being violated. Success here depends on how willing you are to challenge your current bill review procedures. The first step is to define the problem. True, billing guidelines are not being enforced. But why? (Read More)
July 14, 2009
The Third Option, Part I
I’ve worked with corporate law departments that struggled with the decision of whether to drop their high-priced firms in favor of those with lower rates. While this may make sense in the short term, the risk is that if a case goes south, the blame comes straight back to the in-house counsel who brought in the new firm, even if such blame is unwarranted. If you’re in this position, it appears that you only have two choices: stay with the high-priced firms and sacrifice control of your budget; or switch firms and assume this risk (real or perceived).
Enter the third option: (Read More)
July 13, 2009
Cloud Computing is Over-Hyped
Do I think cloud computing will dominate the future of software deployment and information management? No, I think it’s merely a variation on an old theme that last appeared in earnest in the early 80s with the use of “dumb” terminals to access centralized data on larger machines. I see enormous risk in cloud computing that will ultimately prove to outweigh the benefits and convenience of remote data storage. Simply put, the remote centralization of information presents an “all or nothing” proposition in terms of data access and protection. From a legal perspective, there are already significant questions about e-discovery boundaries, ownership, etc. In short, while I think cloud computing will thrive, it won’t significantly alter traditional data storage (proprietary servers, intranets, client/ servers, etc.). The client may become even thinner, but it won’t go weightless.