Legal Mosaic Essays on Legal Delivery

<strong>Legal</strong> <strong>Mosaic</strong>: <strong>Essays</strong> on <strong>Legal</strong> Delivery
Who Do I Sell To? Selling <strong>Legal</strong>
Service is a New Ball Game
The sales process in law used to be so simple: partner at law firm has
a relationship with the General Counsel or a subordinate in-house attorney.
Company has a legal matter and ships the matter over to the firm
who handles it start-to-finish. An invoice is presented. It reads: “For
legal services rendered,” followed by a large and arbitrarily conceived
number. Repeat cycle.
But that was then and this is now.
Law firm rainmakers can no longer rely solely on “relationships” to
secure work. Competition is fierce among law firms, both domestic and
foreign-based. Institutionally backed legal service companies offering
products and services now vie for pieces of matters — sometimes
portfolios — once handled exclusively by law firms. Example: Axiom
recently signed an eight-figure deal with a major financial institution
involving regulatory work.
Then there are contemporary “beauty pageants,” called Request for
Proposal (RFP) that require legal service providers to jump through
hoops just to be considered for work, either existing or prospective.
And let’s not forget company IT Departments who routinely vet providers
for their level of security, compatibility, etc.
But that’s not all that has changed.
The Business of Law Encounters Business Standards
In-house legal departments have grown in size and stature and are han-
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