Surveys and articles suggest that many general counsels are unhappy with outside counsel. Perhaps GCs need to hold up the mirror to find the answer to the problem.
In my recent post Looking for Law Firm Innovation, I reported on Eric Mankin’s research documenting the lack of legal market innovation. Today, Eric has another of his insightful updates (Prospects for Legal Innovations) that examines why there is so little innovation in the legal market. The bottom line: innovation is rare because clients don’t demand it.
In previous blog posts (“Procuring” Outside Counsel and Technology, Glass Half Full or Half Empty?, Call to Arms for GC: Force Your Outside Lawyers to Avoid the Mistake Doctors Make) I suggested that if GCs don’t create pressure for better service delivery, then perhaps CEOs, CFOs, or procurement officers will. I’m still waiting.
For BigLaw CIOs, it’s important to understand the overall business environment and potential constraints on innovative ideas they have. If you’ve ever felt like you are pushing on strings, this helps explains why.