Legal news and trends for Canadian in-house counsel and c-suite executives
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50160
in under 15 per cent with 7.5 per cent of survey respondents coming from the non-profit sector. Interestingly, topics that have been hot-button items on the legal seminar cir- cuit such as diversity in hiring, alternative billing, and outsourcing offshore did not show up as items resonating much with in-house counsel in Canada, according to the survey findings. For example, despite the various efforts to promote diversity in the legal profession, 67 per cent of respondents said they are not asking the WHAT WAS THE EXTERNAL LEGAL SPEND FOR THE CANADIAN LEGAL DEPARTMENT LAST YEAR? 10.4% 17.9% 17.9% 5.2% 15.7% $100,000 or less $101,000-$500,000 $501,000-$1 million 23.9% $1.1 million to $3 million 9% $3.1 million to $5 million $5.1 million to $10 million More than $10 million law firms they do business with to pro- vide a diverse roster of lawyers to work with (i.e. reduced hours, women, visible minorities) as part of an overall diversity strategy. However, 21 per cent said they are thinking about it and 12 per cent are starting to ask the question. Leaders in the profession say it's not a surprise these issues still appear to be in their infancy. "What you're seeing is WITH CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY IN THE MARKET, IF THE ECONOMY DECLINES WILL YOU LOOK TO BRING MORE WORK IN-HOUSE? Yes 64% No 36% the awareness and acceptance of those issues is developing and then it takes some time to get them implemented," says Fred Krebs, former president of the Association of Corporate Counsel and now an adviser with Washington, D.C.- based Clearspire Service Co. LLC. r When it Appeals Opinions and Risk Management Mergers & Acquisitions On the diversity front, some say it shows in-house counsel aren't paying enough attention to the issue. "It seems we as in-house counsel aren't doing enough to insist on diversity and inclu- sion," says Sanjeev Dhawan, president of the ACC Ontario chapter. "Obviously as purchasers of legal services and collec- tively as corporate counsel we have clout so we need to find our collective voice and find ways of using it as we are trying to do with the ACC Value Challenge on the issue of fees." When it comes to alternative fee arrangements, 50 per cent of corporate counsel who answered the survey said billable hours is the arrangement they currently have with their outside firms, while 44 per cent said they have a com- bination of billable hours and flat fees. Alternative arrangements made up 5.9 per cent. IH eally matters. LERNERS Claims against Professionals and Fiduciaries Directors' and Officers' Duties and Liabilities Class Actions Toronto: 416 867 3076 London: 519 672 4510 www.lerners.ca Lerners-1/2_IH_Aug_11.indd 1 INHOUSE DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012 • 8/16/11 8:42:12 AM 39