Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J u n e 2 0 1 4 19 departments require an extra hand once in a while. It also gives law firms the opportunity to build and foster a privileged relationship with their clients. Although the concept of secondments may cause some firms to shudder as it traditionally meant loaning a lawyer to a good client at a loss for several months, it does not necessarily need to be so. A secondment could mean renting a lawyer or a block of a particular lawyer's hours to a client for a reasonable rate. Vari- ous pricing alternatives are possible. For example a firm may offer the hours of a particular lawyer at a percentage dis- count. This discount will either increase or decrease based on various factors such as the number of hours the client sends to the firm or whether the work is per- formed exclusively at the client's offices (in which case, at least in theory, the lawyer's overhead is reduced and a lower rate is justifiable). The advantage of secondments from a client's point of view is that when work flow varies or increases it can count on the assistance of the same lawyer, and by extension the collective knowledge of the firm with which the lawyer prac- tises, to assist it with a specific matter or matters. The client, therefore, does not have to create a position it may not have sufficient work to justify in the long term. Large clients, however, are not the only market for this product. It is a model that works well for startups and many small or medium businesses that don't have the resources for a full-time legal positions but need assistance with particular matters such as a financing, an acquisition, an initial public offering, a filing, or litigation. Moreover, secondments do not have to be limited to lawyers. If indeed 10 per cent to 20 per cent of tasks assigned to corporate counsel are paralegal or cleri- cal in nature, why not second paralegals to clients as well? The advantages from the law firm's perspective are obvious: the secondment enables the lawyer to acquire invaluable institutional knowledge thereby rendering the firm the obvious "go-to" if and when the client's legal departments shrink. Although secondments are not with- out risk for both parties — the seconded lawyer may not fit with the client's culture and end up offending the client, or may fit too well and decide to leave to join the client — they are a privileged oppor- tunity for both clients and law firms to work together. They are also a very effec- tive tool with which to provide clients with the assistance they require during transition phases. This does not mean, however, law firms should become place- ment agencies. It does mean they would be wise not to turn their backs on some of the techniques being used successfully by other types of legal service providers so as to ensure they catch a maximum of clients' work when the pendulum swings back. Danielle Olofsson is a knowledge man- agement lawyer at Dentons Canada LLP in charge of civil law. She has practised law in Montreal, Paris, and Stockholm and is a member of the Quebec and Paris bar associations. She can be reached at danielle.olofsson@dentons.com TIME: EVENT: 12-month, part-time, executive LL.M. for lawyers and business professionals Advance your career to the next level! Learn important legal and business concepts that can be immediately applied to better serve your clients. Explore the implications of real-life cases in an increasingly complex global business environment. Acquire in-depth knowledge of how the law interacts with both the private and public sectors. For more information please contact Jane Kidner, Assistant Dean Professional Legal Education at j.kidner@utoronto.ca http://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs/GPLLM.html or visit our website: UofT-GPLLM-IH-June-14.indd 1 14-04-30 1:15 PM

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