in efficiency. Therefore, if you want to be rehabilitated, you have to stop thinking about the time sheets and start thinking of ways to deliver a quality legal product in an efficient and cost effective manner. Read on, I think I can help you get there even if you can’t break the hourly rate habit. Step #2 – Are you sure they are who you think they are? It is not uncommon for an outside attorney to work faithfully for a corporate client and never really know a lot about the client other than information gleaned from various legal projects. However, to truly be an effective counsel, the outside counsel, at their own cost, needs to take the necessary steps to understand the business of their corporate client. If the client is a public company, this orientation starts with a review of the client’s annual reports, proxies and other various SEC governance and financial documents. Even if the client is a private company, the attorney can learn a lot by searching for information about the client on the Internet. The search may turn up newspaper or magazine articles as well as other information that gives counsel a glimpse into his client’s business world. The next step is to meet with the corporate client, at no charge, to get a better understanding of the client’s business. A meeting with the General Counsel is OK, but more information can be obtained from the client’s chief executive officer or the vice president of operations. The subject matter of the meeting should not just be a discussion of current legal issues, but should also be a discussion of the general operations of the client. Not only will the meeting prepare the attorney for future legal issues, but such participation shows the client that the outside attorney is truly interested in his client’s business and the prevention of legal liabilities. Step #3 – Come to believe that there is a power inside that holds the key to your rehabilitation. The secret to your success with the corporate client lies in the hands of in-house counsel. Therefore, to rehabilitate your relationship with your corporate client, you should start by rehabilitating your relationship with in-house counsel. The in-house counsel is more interested in speed, cost
“ ... the secret ingredient
to your rehabilitation is to do whatever you can to make the in-house counsel look good.”
efficiency, and quality – in that order. Also, corporate counsel have become pessimistic over the years about outside counsel and their billing practices. It would be a breath of fresh air if outside counsel expressed a
willingness to build a relationship that was based on speed, cost efficiency, and quality. This can be obtained through the building of a client team, the establishment of a ratemix structure, and a dedication to a budget-
Phillip (“Phil”) Pesek is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Deltic Timber Corporation, a natural resources company in El Dorado, Arkansas. Phil has also served as international counsel for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and The Home Depot, Inc.
Vol. 45 No. 2/Spring 2010 The Arkansas Lawyer
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