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EDITOR'S DESK BY GAIL J. COHEN More work for O in-house departments nce again in this issue, we share the results of the annual Canadian Lawyer corporate counsel survey (see page 40), which gauges the relationship between in-house counsel and their outside legal service providers. It's not surprising that one of our main findings is that the economy, and its current state of instability, is having an effect on corporate law departments. According to our survey, 64 per cent of respondents said they are looking to bring more legal work in-house, particularly if the economy continues its downward trend. Even if there is an improvement in the economic outlook, 61 per cent said they will not send more work outside their organizations, and 57.4 per cent said they will be imple- menting new cost-cutting measures with the firms they currently deal with. A survey conducted by the Association of Corporate Counsel and released at its annual meeting in Denver at the end of October showed a similar trend. Of the respon- dents to that survey, 76 per cent of in-house counsel — mostly in the United States — said the recession caused more work for their departments compared to 51 per cent in 2009. The ACC poll showed that law departments are dealing with their greater workload in part by using more paralegals and contract lawyers. It also found about 67 per cent of law departments are lawyers with the rest made up of paralegals and other support staff. According to the ACC survey, 37 per cent of chief legal officers are planning to hire staff in the coming year, a higher number than reported in 2009 and 2008. Over the last year in Canada, in our survey 48.5 per cent said there was no change in the size of their legal department, while 31.3 per cent said their department grew as there was more work to be done. It will be interesting with the shifting economy to see exactly what happens on the Canadian front in the coming year. But with both surveys showing more work coming inside, many law departments are looking to become more efficient rather than just bulking up. Part of that will be cost- cutting measures but also improving processes such as contract management, matter management, document management, and e-billing. With the number of in-house legal departments growing and the increasing size of and workload for those departments, there's bound to be growing pains. Going forward, it will be even more important for burgeoning departments to learn from those GCs and CLOs who have implemented systems to make themselves more efficient. At the same time, it's an opportunity for outside law firms that have experience with the efficient sys- tems of some of their clients to also help, and further show they understand the business needs of, clients by advising on ways to more effectively manage their relationships and the work they do. Everybody wins. Group Publisher: Karen Lorimer Editorial Director: Gail J. Cohen Staff Writer: Michael McKiernan Copy Editor: Katia Caporiccio Art Director: Bill Hunter Account Co-ordinator: Catherine Giles Contributors: Jean Sorensen, donalee Moulton, Kathryn Leger Canadian Lawyer is published 11 times a year by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd., One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto ON. M1T 3V4 (416) 298-5141. Fax : (416) 649-7870 All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information presented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Canadian Lawyer disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Advertising Sales Representatives Legal Suppliers: Kimberlee Pascoe Tel: (416) 649-8875 E-mail: kimberlee.pascoe@thomsonreuters.com Law Firms: Karen Lorimer Tel: (416) 649-9411 E-mail: karen.lorimer@thomsonreuters.com Quebec Law Firms: Linda Nadon Tel: (450) 224-0055 E-mail: lnadon@universusmediagroup.com Sales Co-ordinator: Sandy Shutt Tel: (905) 841-6480 x2041 E-mail: sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com Canadian Lawyer Magazine Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. 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For all circulation inquiries and address changes send a copy of your mailing label or labels along with your request in writing to Canadian Lawyer , One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd., Toronto, ON. M1T 3V4 EXCLUSIVELY ON CANADIAN Lawye rmag.com Law Library Reviews of books — and more — of a legal nature from Damian Penny. November 21 Defi nitely Mabey Stephen Mabey examines the thorny issues facing law fi rm management. November 21, December 19 Th e IT Girl Sarah Dale-Harris takes a wry look at the intersection of technology and the law. November 21, December 19 Arguably the Best Insurance litigator Erik Magraken off ers sage advice on examinations for discovery in the last article of our litigation skills series. November 28 Th e Immigration Line Jennifer Nees lets us know what's on the minds of the immigration bar. November 28 Human Rights . . . Here & Th ere University of Ottawa law school's Sonya Nigam's column on human rights and international law. December 12 Trials & Tribulations Margaret Waddell ruminates on issues of import and interest to litigators. December 12 David Paul's Field Notes Tips for the solo and small-fi rm practitioner from David Paul. December 19 Letter from Law Law Land Wit and wisdom from Vancouver's Tony Wilson. December 26 Making Rain Executive coach Debra Forman's video column on career and business development. November 28, December 26 www.CANADIAN Lawyermag.com N O VEMBER / D ECEMBER 2011 3