Outsourcing

Corporate legal departments spend more in-house than on outside law firms, survey finds

Corporate legal departments are spending 54% of their budgets in-house, outpacing their spending on outside counsel, according to a survey released last week by the Association of Corporate Counsel and legal recruiting firm Major, Lindsey & Africa.

Jun 22, 2022 12:13 PM CDT

How law firms can be—and stay—effective during the COVID-19 crisis

As it has done to other professions within the business community, the coronavirus pandemic has severely disrupted normal functioning in the field of law. From closed courtrooms to quarantined clients, we are dealing with a new and challenging set of issues. But with the right planning and a strategic approach, we can overcome these obstacles and continue to effectively serve our clients.

Jan 11, 2021 9:07 AM CST

Deloitte’s legal arm will add up to 86 lawyers from UK law firm

Deloitte’s legal arm is acquiring the London law firm Kemp Little and up to 86 of its lawyers, including its 29 partners.

Nov 6, 2020 2:12 PM CST

LeClairRyan gave joint venture ‘unprecedented control’ and priority payments, bankruptcy trustee says

The joint venture between LeClairRyan and alternative services provider UnitedLex was intended to help keep the law firm afloat, but the combination “only served to plunge LeClairRyan further into insolvency,” according to the Chapter 7 trustee for the bankrupt law firm.

Oct 28, 2020 1:24 PM CDT

UpCounsel website for freelance lawyers shuts down after litigation opponent becomes ‘significant shareholder’

An online marketplace that links freelance lawyers with small businesses and other would-be clients has announced it is shutting down March 4. UpCounsel did not provide a reason for the decision in an announcement sent to users and posted on its website.

Feb 3, 2020 4:09 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer charged with murder conspiracy in Jennifer Dulos case; Rod Rosenstein joins BigLaw

Lawyer for husband of missing woman is charged with murder conspiracy A lawyer in Connecticut has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, who was last seen dropping her children off at school in May 2019. Police announced Tuesday that Dulos’ estranged…

Jan 8, 2020 3:39 PM CST

LeClairRyan files for bankruptcy and lists its joint venture as a creditor

Dissolving law firm LeClairRyan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday and said it owed $8 million plus interest to ULX Partners, the company the law firm created last year in a joint venture with alternative service provider UnitedLex. The bankruptcy filing lists between $10 million and $50 million in…

Sep 4, 2019 10:15 AM CDT

Ernst & Young entity acquires Thomson Reuters’ business; should law firms worry?

EY, the corporate entity that includes the Big Four accounting firm Ernst & Young, has announced an agreement to buy the legal managed services business Pangea3 from Thomson Reuters. The Artificial Lawyer and LawSites view the announcement as a major development. “Those who should be paying closest attention to this…

Apr 5, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Freelance attorneys benefit from growing demand

A legal freelance option appeals to more attorneys every year. Lawyer Exchange, Montage Legal Group, LegalBee, Aggregate Law, Hire an Esquire and a handful of other companies were created to specifically connect freelance lawyers with law firms.

Apr 1, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

Basha Rubin and Mirra Levitt: Doing it with data

While business owners and in-house counsels usually find outside counsels through referrals, Basha Rubin says that often doesn’t lead to a good result in terms of cost and experience. The New York City lawyer believes that data can fill the gap.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

James Beckett: Scoring legal work

In his former job as chief business development officer at Frost Brown Todd in Louisville, Kentucky, James Beckett was hungry to learn how his firm could do better.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Should BigLaw firms worry about increasing competition from the Big Four accounting firms?

The Big Four accounting firms have added legal services, moving beyond tax law and integrating their legal services into a multidisciplinary approach.

Sep 1, 2018 1:00 AM CDT

How can lawyers find cybersecurity solutions that work for them?

Lawyers don’t have to break the bank if they wish to be protected from cybertheft. But that doesn’t mean they can afford to be cheap in selecting security products and services.

May 1, 2018 1:10 AM CDT

Dechert settles discrimination suit by 2 former payroll managers

Two former payroll managers at Dechert have settled their lawsuit claiming they experienced a culture of bias against older and female employees at the firm. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in an order dismissing the case, report the Legal Intelligencer and Law360. The suit was filed last November…

Mar 23, 2018 12:08 PM CDT

PwC launches temporary lawyer service

Pricewaterhouse Coopers is launching a new service that will provide temporary lawyers for large in-house law departments.

Oct 16, 2017 7:00 AM CDT