Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1336129
16 www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse FEATURE important consideration at VIA Rail. "We are a Crown corporation managing public funds, so having the support of external experts might also speak in certain instances to your board of directors and to the public as well," says Richard. Internal lawyers at VIA Rail supervise external counsel managing litigation matters, while real estate matters are mostly managed in-house, says Richard. The survey asked respondents to identify their go-to firms of choice. The top firms were identified as Blakes, Norton Rose Fulbright, Borden Ladner Gervais, Fasken, Gowling and Stikeman Elliott. Some respondents indicated that they favour small boutique firms in their local area. While VIA Rail has some designated partnerships for key issues, resources are WHY OR WHAT DO YOU OUTSOURCE? (RANKED IN ORDER) Expertise that we don't have in-house Volume of work Creative, outside-the-box thinking Grind work, i.e., repetitive tasks 1 2 3 4 WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE IN A LAW FIRM? 1. Practical approach 68.75% 2. Good understanding of our business 55.38% 3. Proactive in suggesting solutions 37.5% 4. Regular communication 36.51% 5. Creative legal solutions 25% 6. Relatively low cost 16.92% 7. Diversity 14.29% THINKING OF THE FIRM YOU OUTSOURCE TO THE MOST, IN WHICH AREA IS IT PERFORMING MOST SUCCESSFULLY? 1. Good understanding of your business 45.45% 2. Have a practical approach 33.85% 3. Regular communication 21.54% 4. Proactive in suggesting solutions 20% 5. Offers creative legal solutions 13.85% 6. Relatively low cost 12.31% 7. Diversity 10% generally spread around to ensure that local firms have an equitable chance of working. "We really do make a conscious effort to select firms not just based on their national capacity but also on expertise and knowledge of local markets," says Richard. A majority (79 per cent) of survey respon- dents indicated that they are more loyal to an individual lawyer at a firm than to the firm itself. "I actually find that number to be low," says Ramjass. "A firm is made up of individual lawyers, and if those lawyers switch, we are likely going to switch with them, so for us it's definitely a loyalty to an individual and not to the firm itself." For Kerr, the situation varies as Wolseley has a long-running relationship with "We are a Crown corporation managing public funds, so having the support of external experts might also speak in certain instances to your board of directors and to the public as well." Genevieve Richard, VIA Rail Canada APPROXIMATELY WHAT WAS THE EXTERNAL LEGAL SPEND FOR THE CANADIAN LEGAL DEPARTMENT IN YOUR LAST FISCAL YEAR? $100,000 or less $101,000 to $500,000 $501,000 to $1 million $1.1 million to $3 million $3.1 million to $5 million $5.1 million to $10 million More than $10 million Prefer not to answer/ don't know 25 20 15 10 5 0 12.12% 22.73% 13.64% 15.15% 7.58% 6.06% 3.03% 19.70%