In House lawyers and general counsels under pressure to cut costs

The 2010 Legal Department Benchmarking Report has revealed that in-house legal departments and general counsels in Australia and New Zealand are under pressure to decrease costs and expenditure. The report is a joint effort of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association and the Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand. It reveals that 63% of respondents reported some pressure to reduce total legal department costs, with 42% of those reporting significant or very significant pressure. 76% of general counsels also reported being under pressure to reduce costs. The report makes a series of recommendations for reducing costs, such in-sourcing, bundling routine work for fixed fees, setting rates and partner/non partner ratios and re-configuring law firm work teams.

In House lawyers and general counsels under pressure to cut costs au.legalbusinessonline.com Wed, Aug 18, 2010