In-House Optimization in the “New Normal:” A Working Session for General Counsel

October 14, 2010

Kent Zimmermann, Partner, Zeughauser Group, and a former GC and corporate chief executive, joins as a panelist for this working session.

In the wake of the economic crisis, almost all General Counsel are under mandate to increase the effectiveness of their law departments and/or reduce legal spend – all without sacrificing quality and service levels or increasing risk to the business. Most have tried to achieve cost-savings by reducing law firm rates via RFPs, negotiated discounts, alternative fee arrangements and law firm consolidation. These efforts have delivered some savings, but are difficult to measure and generally limited to 10-15% at most.

However, by segmenting legal demand, embracing the benefits of new entrants to the legal services market, and aligning the appropriate cost-to-serve model for different kinds of legal work, corporate law departments can potentially realize savings of 50-70%. While this is generally accepted in theory, how do General Counsel actually initiate, implement and refine this process? What are best practices in unbundling complex matters that allow in-house departments to shift certain legal matters away from traditional firms to less expensive models? How does technology play a role in this optimization?

During this unique working session, leading General Counsel will share their successes, lessons and practical advice in operating in the “new normal” – an environment focused on value and ROI.

2 hours of general CLE credit will be available

Panelists:

Timothy Bixler (General Counsel, International Rectifier)

Samuel Gesten (General Counsel, Allergan)

Laurence Midler (General Counsel, CB Richard Ellis)

Joseph Schohl (former General Counsel of DaVita and founder, GCWest)

Kent Zimmermann (former General Counsel and Partner, Zeughauser Group)

Moderator Mehul Patel (EVP, Axiom)

Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Shade Hotel

1221 N. Valley Drive

Manhattan Beach, California

4:00 - 6:00pm Panel (Green Room)

6:00 - 8:00pm Cocktail Reception (Sky Deck)

Space is limited as this is intended to be an interactive working session. Contact dgilinsky@axiomlaw.com as soon as possible to register in advance.

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