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CCCA_V6No2_Dept-Performance-FIN_CCCA_V5No3_Dept-Performance 5/23/12 11:33 PM Page 11 of hard metrics for the legal department, is a developing area when it comes to legal Performance in the Law Department departments and needs further study. KPIs for individual lawyers, and perform- Having performance metrics make it much easier to prove the value of in-house counsel. ance metrics for legal departments or for individual lawyers. I think performance metrics are great in theory, but There is much work to be done in Publicly traded companies poor in practice. defining, measuring and communicating Having performance metrics have allowed me to the value of legal departments and of Wholly-owned subsidiaries of publicly traded focus on what is important. individual lawyers working in-house. companies Special studies and the 2013 Barometer Performance metrics bring a focus and a clarity to my job that I really appreciate. can make a valuable contribution to this Private companies important set of questions in the near The performance metrics by which I am evaluated term. In-house counsel should take a few are not relevant to my day-to-day work. hours over the next few months to offer Government their views about value in legal services I wish I had more say in setting my performance metrics. delivery. I look forward to the next edi- Not-for-profit, and other types of organizations tion of the survey. I think my performance metrics were set by someone who has very little understanding of what the company Lawyers with KPIs needs from my function. Richard G. Stock, All participants Dept with hard metrics I think performance metrics are just another passing fad. M.A., FCIS, 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% CMC is a partner 0 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% The fourth question provided a glimpse with Catalyst into why this is the case. Eight statements What does this all mean? In my experi- Consulting.The about KPIs were surveyed for agreement / ence, legal departments that have perform- firm has been desig- disagreement. Out of the 411 survey par- ance metrics in place say that they can be nated the Preferred ticipants, only 164 answered the question. useful. But they also say that many per- Provider for Legal Department Consulting The data in the next column reflects the formance metrics are a poor fit and not rel- by the Canadian Corporate Counsel percentage of the 164 respondents who evant to the current legal function. Again, Association. Richard can be reached at (416) agreed with each statement. there are no definitions and differentiation 367-4447 or at rstock@catalystlegal.com. CHOOSE FROM CANADA’S TOP MEDIATORS AND ARBITRATORS Barry Leon is a leading arbitrator and mediator, Chair of ICC Canada, recognized by Global Arbitration Review 100 (“one of Canada’s most high-profile arbitration practitioners”), International Mediation Institute, Lexpert/American Lawyer, Chambers Global, PLC, Legal 500, International Who’s Who, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Who’s Who Legal. He is available in Toronto and Ottawa. www.adrchambers.com Barry Leon adr@adrchambers.com 416.362.8555 | 800.856.5154 ÉTÉ 2012 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 11