Article About Companies Dissatisfaction With Outside Counsel As Per The Client-Service Survey With Information About Primary Law Firms, Outside Legal Counsels, Client-Survey Programs And More.

1. GCC NEWS FEATURE www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
Companies Dissatisfied with Outside Counsel
[By Jen Woods]
Corporate America is not happy with its outside counsel, according to a recent client-service survey. Only 32% of surveyed executives said they would
recommend firms that worked for them, and 70% said they were dissatisfied with their primary law firms.
BTI Consulting Group has conducted its sixth and secondary firms. For the first time in are unhappy, Sessions said. Her firm has a
annual survey, “How Clients Hire, Fire, and six years, BTI found that clients paid more client-satisfaction program that is designed
Spend: Landing the World’s Best Client.” money to secondary firms than they did to to get feedback, both positive and negative,
BTI President Michael Rynowecer led the their primary firms. The average client paid from clients, she explained.
team of researchers, which interviewed 43% of its total budget to outside counsel
more than 200 corporate counsel and top and nearly 40% of its total budget to outside Other firms, including Cleveland-based
executives from Fortune 1000 companies counsel. Thompson Hine, have developed client-
over the past year to find out how they rated survey programs to identify what clients
their outside legal counsel. According to the survey results, more than want from firms. Thompson Hine’s survey
half of the respondents-about 54%-had questions are very specific, allowing the
The top five law firms, according to the either replaced or demoted a primary firm in law firm to identify such preferences as
survey, include Sidley Austin, Jones Day, the last 18 months. preferred billing dates and preferred modes
Holland & Knight, Reed Smith, and Baker & of communication, Avidas Jasin, Director of
McKenzie. These firms received high ratings Three factors, in particular, are leading Business Development at Thompson Hine,
for several reasons. “The major components to companies’ dissatisfaction with outside told the Daily Record.
of client satisfaction are the ability to make counsel. Companies are unhappy when law
legal expertise client-specific, to understand firms fail to keep up with clients’ changing According to the survey results, many more
the client’s business, to go beyond what’s needs, fail to articulate the value they law firms will be hired in 2006. About half of
anticipated, and to achieve the client’s deliver, and fail to communicate efficiently the respondents reported that they planned
goals,” Rynowecer told the ABA Journal. with clients, according to the survey. to seek services from at least one new firm
in the near future.
Only about 30.7% of corporate counsel However, it is becoming increasingly difficult
surveyed were satisfied with their primary to provide legal services to corporate clients, ON THE NET
law firms, compared with 43.5% in 2005. The as law firms and companies continue to grow
decline this year has been the most dramatic in size. “When the client was smaller, it was BTI Consulting Group
since BTI began conducting its annual survey. easier to achieve a sense of connectedness www.bticonsulting.com
and a relationship of trust,” Ralph Baxter,
Also, an increasing number of corporate Chairman of San Francisco-based Orrick, Thompson Hine, LLP
counsel are seeking services from fewer Herrington & Sutcliffe, told the ABA Journal. www.thompsonhine.com/home
law firms. The average company surveyed
used 52 firms last year-two primary firms, 11 “Clients won’t always tell you that they have Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
secondary firms, and 39 case-specific firms. a problem,” Barbara Sessions, Marketing www.orrick.com
Partner at Chicago-based Winston & Strawn,
In addition, the survey results indicate that told the ABA Journal. Law firms should
there is less distinction between top firms encourage their clients to speak up if they
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