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CCCA_V2No2_Dept-OutsideCounsel-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No2_Dept-CourtLeg-V1.qxd 5/2/08 2:30 PM Page 18 Outside Counsel The outsourced inside counsel Managing talent and getting good work done while controlling costs ive days a week, Montreal Flawyer Anik Fontaine goes into the offices of the Yellow Pages Group (YPG) to review leases,software licences,and gen- eral purchase agreements. But Fontaine isn’t aYPG employ- ee. She’s actually vice- president of Delegatus, a Montreal-based firm offering companies such as YPG legal services on con- tract, both in- house counsel and litigation work. Essentially, YPG is outsourcing its in- house work to an inde- pendent lawyer who works in house. economically, in periods when we need “We retain support staff on an as-needed Sound complicated? It’s actually a reflec- more help, to go to companies such as basis,” Fontaine says.“And for our lawyers tion of the rising trend towards finding the Delegatus.”She stresses,however,thatYPG who work in-house at our client’s prem- most cost-effective way to manage talent still uses the services of bigger law firms ises, that is usually not needed at all.” and get work done in an era of tight budg- when needed.“It depends on the type of Delegatus was founded in 2005 by ets and a highly mobile workforce. mandate,” she says. “A way for us to bal- lawyer Pascale Pageau, who was looking “One of the advantages for us is that ance costs is to have the best people do the for a better work/life balance during her outsourcing allows us to control the orga- work [at hand].” second maternity leave.“I had worked for nizational costs of having employees,” says Delegatus is a team of six lawyers, each seven years in big law firms in litigation, Marie-Josée Lapierre, director of legal with five to ten years’ experience at major and my work hours were really, really affairs at YPG. “For us, it’s important to law firms or in large companies. “Our long,” she says. have a lean structure and to control costs. objective is to become a partner with in- Initially, the main idea behind Delegatus is an alternative to big firms.” house counsel or companies that require Delegatus was to provide litigation sup- YPG’s legal department consists of five legal services but don’t have any in-house port to companies that can’t justify the lawyers, but workload can become counsel,” says Fontaine.“We provide top- cost of hiring a large firm for a file that extremely heavy at times.Rather than hire quality legal services at fees that are signif- doesn’t involve a lot of money. But another lawyer, or send more work to an icantly lower than those at a large law firm Delegatus grew and Pageau began to hire expensive outside law firm,YPG brought with lawyers of comparable expertise.” employees with in-house experience. in Fontaine during a period when there Its streamlined business structure and Delegatus now serves its clients in three was a high volume of work.The arrange- relatively low operational costs allow different ways: it has an office in down- ment works very well for the company. Delegatus to pass savings on to its clients. town Montreal, two of its lawyers work “There are hidden costs to having It doesn’t have the luxury office space or from home, and three are currently work- ISTOCKPHOTO employees,” says Lapierre. “It makes sense teams of support staff that large firms do. ing at clients’ offices. 18 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SUMMER 2008