Jeffrey Carr is sick of talking about alternative fee arrangements. The general counsel for Houston-based FMC Technologies, Inc., has been using alternative fee structures—arrangements with outside counsel that are not based on billable hours—for “well over a decade.” But Carr says his efforts over the years to promote these billing models among his counterparts at other companies fell largely on deaf ears.
That all changed when the downturn hit and corporate management started pressuring general counsel to reduce costs. Suddenly, Carr found himself being asked to join panels, conferences, and workshops on alternative billing structures. He turned down all the requests but one. “I’ve got a day job,” he says.
