Canadian Lawyer

top-line revenues." As importantly, adds Peters, providing hefty discounts does not address clients' needs as it can have a detrimental impact on the quality of the service they receive if only because it can be far more difficult to get the right people working on the file. "The client's issue is what's the total bill that I get in the mail, and deep discounts don't address that problem because you haven't addressed how many hours you spent to get the matter done," says Peters. Fleming adds another proviso; clients no doubt have the upper hand in the current economic clime but savvy in-house counsel recognize "you can get further ahead by having a happy partner with you in the provision of legal services than if you have a disgruntled partner." an hour, that Big Law charges. Most of its clients are other law firms, says Andrea Taylor, ATD's director of operations. "Law firms don't have a choice because clients are demanding it. It's a necessity they have come to accept." Since in-house counsel and corporate law departments are increasingly doing more of the legal work themselves, and using external lawyers only for specialized advice, clients have in some respects C orporate Canada seems to have bought into that line of reasoning. Discussions around pricing certainly hold centre stage but Canadian corporate clients and in-house counsel are not nearly as aggressive or forceful as their American and European counterparts in efforts to obtain steep discounts, says Furlong. "Clients are kings who really don't realize they are on the throne," he says. Geoffrey Creighton, past chairman of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association, has a different take. The senior vice president and general counsel at IGM Financial Inc. is not entirely convinced the legal market is as "radical" in Canada as some people would like to think. Canadian corporate counsel are far more inclined to focus on obtaining value for the money they spend on outside legal services than enter into tough negotiations over price, says Creighton. That doesn't preclude them from haggling. Au contraire. Besides negotiating over value adds such as free onsite continuing legal education and lawyer secondees at deeply discounted rates or even no cost, in-house counsel and corporate law departments are progressively flexing their muscles and demanding law firms use low-cost alternatives such as legal process outsourcers to perform commodity work. That largely accounts for the success of ATD Legal Services PC. A Toronto-based no-frills LPO, ATD performs e-discovery and document review services and due diligence at a fraction of the hourly rate, around $100 become the main competitors of outside law firms, observes Furlong. Not only are in-house counsel increasingly displacing outside lawyers as the primary trusted legal advisers, they also deprive them of a previously steady supply of activity and revenue. It's in the interest then of the supplier to be efficient and cost effective. "There are more in-house counsel, which means there are more educated consumers that can be more precise about the REGISTER TODAY! CLE Practical. Relevant. Accessible. SEPTEMBER Advanced OPD/SOAR Adjudicator Program: The Modern Adjudicator September 12 - 13, 2013 *Osgoode/FCO Essentials for Ombuds September 16 - 20, 2013 †Technology Crime and Electronic Evidence October 19, 2013 *Administrative Law and Practice October 23 - 24, 2013 *Drafting Clearer Contracts - Calgary October 24, 2013 *The 17th Annual Course on Written Advocacy October 25 - 26, 2013 Teleseminar Series: Key Issues in Privacy and Information Management September 2013 *Canadian Securities Law and Practice September, 19, 26 and October 3 & 10, 2013 *Anti-Corruption Compliance September 24 - 25, 2013 * October 28 - November 1, 2013 †Evidence Law for the Civil Litigator October 29 - 30, 2013 NOVEMBER *Personal Injury Law and Practice September 27, 2013 Emerging Mobile Payment Systems November 4 - 5, 2013 OCTOBER Defensive Use of Force in Criminal Law November 23, 2013 †Small Claims Court Practice October 4, 2013 *Recent Developments in Child & Spousal Support October 7, 2013 November 18 - 22, 2013 DECEMBER *10th Intensive Wills and Estates Workshop October 10, 17 & 24, 2013 †Partnerships, Limited Partnerships and Joint Ventures October 17, 2013 Administrative Agencies, Boards & Tribunals December 9 - 13, 2013 To Register: www.osgoodepd.ca Or Call: 416.597.9724 or 1.888.923.3394 Or Email: opd-registration@osgoode.yorku.ca Osgoode Professional Development, 1 Dundas Street West, Suite 2600, Toronto * Includes Professionalism; New Member CPD eligible † Professionalism hours pending Priority Service Code: 13-99OR www.CANADIAN ntitled-1 1 Check program websites for details L a w ye r m a g . c o m June 2013 29 13-05-22 10:09 AM

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