JULY 2016
20
INHOUSE
that I'm required to do or that will be useful
I think that's preferable. What works for me
is less formality; so if fi rms feel that they can
help me, let's do away with the meet-and-
greet and just focus on the content. I fi nd
that much more valuable.
THOUIN: We have a process for a more for-
mal retention of legal services for a larger
project, but there are situations where it's
a very specialized area of law and then you
have to go out and fi nd the right approach. I
think the more successful law fi rms, at least
the ones we deal with, always offer some-
thing else, whether it's education sessions or
project management. I think there's an ex-
pectation, at least among the colleagues that
I know, that there's something else their law
fi rm adds to the value that they give.
• INHOUSE: What kind of experience
have you had with requests for
proposal?
SPEIRS: I like something in between where
you don't have all the cumbersome proce-
dure that an RFP has, but you have some
clear criteria of what you're looking for
that's objective and measurable and that hits
the right balancing act — that type of ap-
proach suits my needs. Let's say we're look-
ing for a law fi rm that will do all our human
rights litigation, for instance. Whether it's
It's a buyer's market
g for legal services.
The economy has
changed, the industry,
the legal profession has
changed, and companies
have changed. Given the
economic climate in
Canada, there's always
this pressure on service
providers to bring more
to the table.
ROBERT SOCCIO, Navistar Canada
Are you just a cost centre or can you be part
of the strategic growth of the industry
and the company?
LARA SPEIRS, Randstad Canada
