Module 5

Managing outside counsel and legal spend: panels, fees, budgets and invoice review

For many legal departments, outside counsel is the largest single cost and the one the finance director asks about first. It is also where an in-house lawyer’s judgement is most visible: sending the right matter to the right firm, on the right terms, with a clear brief and a sensible budget, and then keeping control of what happens. Done well, the department gets better advice for less money and the firms get clearer instructions and fairer treatment. Done badly, the organisation pays for work it did not need, in a form it cannot use, at a price it did not expect. This module covers deciding what to send out, building a panel, tendering, fee arrangements, briefing and budgeting a matter, reviewing invoices, measuring firms and using alternative providers.

General education on working as a lawyer in a large organisation, using invented people and organisations. It is not legal, HR or professional-conduct advice. Professional rules, privilege and whistleblowing law differ between countries and change: check the rules that apply to you and take advice on real cases.