In-House Counsel - Spring 2010

Here are some interesting numbers from the 2010 In-House Counsel Barometer, conducted by Ipsos Reid for the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP:

CHALLENGES FOR IN-HOUSE COUNSEL Please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements.

I have trouble finding time to keep up with
all of the changes in my area of practice
which help me advise my clients
I often have internal clients of colleagues
who act without seeking advice from
me or my legal colleagues
I spend more time managing
internal and external clients than
I do actually practising law
My internal colleagues and clients
don’t understand the role of legal
counsel within the organization

62% AGREE

56% AGREE

55% AGREE

46% AGREE

PROPORTION OUTSOURCED TO EXTERNAL COUNSEL Approximately what proportion of your organization’s total legal work is handled by external counsel?

0 PER CENT

4%

50 - 60

PER CENT

25%

70+ PER CENT

10%

10 - 30

PER CENT

Average 32%

UTILITY OF ALTERNATIVE BILLING STRUCTURE Which type of alternative billing structure would be most useful for your organization?

Fixed fees 31% Capped fees 21%

Percentage discounts 17% Blended rates 8%

Bonus structure based on results 5% Other 5%

We are pleased
to announce that

Shashu Clacken

has joined our firm as an associate.

Shashu brings a richly varied
experience in commercial
litigation and administrative law
to our growing commercial
and intellectual property
litigation practice.
Shashu is experienced in
appellate advocacy, including
before the Supreme Court of
Canada, and has written on
various topics relating to litigation
and current legal developments.
Shashu has been very active in
pro-bono legal and diversity
initiatives, and youth mentoring.