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CCCA_V4No3_ManagingCosts-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 9/3/10 12:08 PM Page 22 Feature Don’t break the budget on external counsel Corporate counsel share their top tips on cost control M anaging external counsel costs rates high on the list of every in-house lawyer. Techniques and strategies have taken on more currency.Here are some ideas on how your legal department can more efficiently manage your external counsel relationship. Focus on long-term needs According to Don McCarty, chief legal officer, Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited, “what we are seeing is a bit of a phenomenon.We’ve moved over the past 20 years where external law firms worked for clients, often without the intermediary of an in-house counsel, to the other end of the spectrum,where in-house counsel bear the major responsibility for the accomplish- ment and the delegation of this work.” As to managing external counsel costs,“what’s happened is that this phenomenon has given rise to – the expression I am going to use – is a‘cottage industry’of people advising as to how to reduce legal costs, where there are a lot more conferences, articles and publications dealing with the issue, says McCarty, who is based in Montreal. “It is becoming interesting to watch because I think there are all kinds of ways and methods that can be suggested [to control external counsel spending] that have merit.” Still, says McCarty:“I think the best advice I can give is to always assess your long-term needs. PIERRE CHARBONNEAU by Bev Cline 22 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association FALL 2010