Canadian Lawyer InHouse

9 CANAdIANLAwyERMAG.COM/INhOUSE october 2014 A roundup of legal department news and trends services including labour and employment, corporate, and real estate matters. Momen- tous started using Conduit last summer when chief operating officer Aimee Deziel decided she wasn't happy dealing with mul- tiple firms for each area of law and paying what she felt was too much for legal services. "When we started using Conduit it was such a change because the bills didn't make me nauseous," she says. When she received a recent invoice from Conduit, she says she was "really happy" to see the value adjustment line. While Momentous usually works out a fixed-fee arrangement with the firm, the most recent matter "came out of the blue" and needed quick attention so there wasn't time to discuss the fee structure. "The project they did for us had a really quick turnaround," she says. "I was pleas- antly surprised by the outcome. They don't know this yet but we're actually going to up their bill," she says. Carayiannis credits Valorem Law Group, based in Chicago and San Jose, for the idea. He says partners Patrick J. Lamb and Nicole Nehama Auerbach mentored him through the adoption of the concept. Valorem Law opened its office in January 2008, and the value adjustment line has ap- peared on every invoice the firm has ever sent. "Some clients never comment on the VAL, but others take comfort in it even if they never use it," says Lamb. "It reinforces their belief that we are committed to the value of the service we provide and that they are the ultimate judge of value, not us." Carayiannis founded Conduit after many years in-house as general counsel and seven years as a corporate-commercial lawyer at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP. Conduit has 12 lawyers on staff and clients include Cisco Systems. Clients can hire the firm's lawyers for long or short-term periods, and specific projects. But many are not all in- house counsel. Many include chief financial officers and other C-level executives in com- panies with no legal department. However, Carayiannis says he doesn't expect too many will request a discount — if his firm has done its job as promised, it shouldn't be a surprise when the bill arrives on the client's desk. "We invest a lot of time upfront before taking on a client to understand the scope of work to be done. I don't expect them to be making great changes to the bill because we do the heavy lifting in advance so our bills aren't usually a surprise. Our collection rate is very close to 100 per cent," he says. Conduit offers clients a variety of fee ar- rangements including flat fixed fees, flat fees done on piecework basis, some involve success-based incentives built into monthly retainers and some hourly rates. "I would say 90 per cent of our revenue is under some form of alternative fee struc- ture and 10 per cent are on the billable hour," he says. IH OSGOODE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION A WORLD LEADER IN LAW SCHOOL LIFELONG LEARNING Priority Service Code: 14-43CL In this unique one-day high level program, an expert faculty will provide you with up-to-date information and insights as well as practical strategies for compliance and appropriate action. vk7KH3ROLFHDUHKHUHDQGWKH\KDYHD:DUUDQWy v&RRSHUDWLRQZLWKSROLFHDQG&URZQSURVHFXWRUVFRQVLGHUDWLRQV and limits during an investigation v'HWHUPLQLQJFRQpLFWVRILQWHUHVWIRULQKRXVHFRXQVHODQGDSSURSULDWHO\ advising witnesses, employees, suspects and the corporation v0HHWLQJVSHFLDOFKDOOHQJHVLQPDQDJLQJLQWHUQDOLQYHVWLJDWLRQVELJDQGVPDOO v1HHGWRNQRZLVVXHVUHODWLQJWRSULYDF\3,3('$DQGSURSHUHYLGHQFH JDWKHULQJLQFOXGLQJ\RXUULJKWVDQGREOLJDWLRQV v3ULYLOHJHDQGHWKLFDOPLQHoHOGV Chairs Scott C. Hutchison, Henein, Hutchison LLP Kenneth J. Fredeen, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board, Deloitte Date & Time 1RYHPEHU DPSP('7(67 Registration Fee $695 plus HST ,QTXLUHDERXWoQDQFLDODLGDQG group discounts. Location Osgoode Professional Development 'XQGDV6W:WK)ORRU Toronto, ON M5G 1Z3 Managing a Corporate Legal Crisis To Register: www.osgoodepd.ca; Or Call: 416.597.9724 or 1.888.923.3394 Or E-mail: osgoodepd@osgoode.yorku.ca Osgoode Professional Development KDVEHHQDSSURYHGDVDQ$FFUHGLWHG 3URYLGHURI3URIHVVLRQDOLVP&RQWHQWE\7KH/DZ6RFLHW\RI8SSHU&DQDGD ntitled-7 1 2014-09-16 1:30 PM

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