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CCCA_V7No1_Dept-Performance-FIN_CCCA 2/12/13 4:09 PM Page 14 Performance in the Law Department What’s on offer? If a firm offers innovation, take them up on it. By Richard G. Stock Asia and the Middle East. One now has a While a prior relationship with the client South African footprint. As companies have is important, it is even more important to gone global, so have law firms to serve them verify whether the firm has a program to or to capture market share for select indus- train and support its relationship partners. try sectors. Obtain an understanding of the extent of Holding on to this work, or competing influence and authority of the relationship for it, means that all firms have to raise the partner to make things happen in the firm. bar on their service offerings. They have to Personal chemistry is important, but when demonstrate that they are investing in rela- 10 different people can refer work on behalf tionships and infrastructure in anticipation of the client, then organization and effective- of future demand. A recent Altman Weil sur- ness become the determining factors. vey of more than 200 Chief Legal Officers 3. Give a brief description of the correspondent firms asked to rank the factors which most influ- for the countries where you have no offices. enced the retention of a law firm to do Coverage is important. The test here is t had been three years since I had pre- work. The top-ranked factor was a demon- effectiveness based on service and results. Ask Ipared a request for proposals for legal strated, deep understanding of the client’s your primary lead firm if they are willing to services to global law firms. A lot has industry sector and of that client’s individual carry out the intake and allocation of work changed in the quality of the proposals I business. Referrals and personal contacts to all the corresponding firms, to receive and have received since then — some of them ranked a little lower. forward all billing information, and to vouch from some of the same firms. It is clear The expertise of individual lawyers for the quality of their service and results. Go that sophisticated clients have helped raise remains important for specific matters. But a step further by asking whether they have a the bar in a short time. While the volume this is not enough when it comes to cover- program to audit the service, cost and results of work was not especially large this age for several dozen countries. Teams, qual- of their correspondent firms. time, the requirements were for commer- ity assurance and knowledge management 4. Provide a one-page summary of your firm’s cial work, corporate legal services, litiga- take on a new level of importance. business plan. tion and a bit of labour and employment Consider incorporating the following One firm stated that its plan for the next covering 65 countries for a decentralized probing questions into your next RFP three years was focused on two main organization. or into the discussion for the renewal of themes: clients and people. The client strat- As is often the case, my corporate client the terms of engagement with your pri- egy had six detailed components: had a limited amount of data regarding its mary firm. • strengthening key client relationships; historical spend. And it had relationships 1.Provide a brief summary of your firm’s rele- • a global full-service legal model; with more than 30 firms. It was quite vant experience from the last two years for our • internal relationships across national bound- important then to find a firm that had the industry sector. This experience must be that of aries through rewards, cross-jurisdictional ability to lighten the administrative load the specific partners and associates that you are secondments and strategic recruitment; and stand behind the quality of legal serv- proposing as a team. We intend to retain both • global delivery where all client partner and ices for itself and its correspondent firms the lawyer and the firm. service teams are accountable for growth; across such a vast region. Up to 10 examples of transactions, • doing work of highest strategic impor- Why is this important for Canadian cor- litigation and regulatory matters are tance and complexity for the client; porate legal departments? We have seen a detailed at about 25 words each. Be sure • ensuring everyone in the firm understands few Canadian firms — Ogilvy Renault, that these are tied to the experience of the and communicates the total legal solution Fraser Milner Casgrain, Nicholl Paskell- proposed team members and not to that of for quality and relationships. Mede — joining global firms. It has also other lawyers the firm. The firm’s people strategy also had six key been more than 10 years since at least 10 2. Provide the name and experience of the rela- areas: rewarding the right behaviours; client VEER.COM Canadian firms opened offices in Europe, tionship partner being proposed. relationship management; international 14 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SPRING 2013