Bombardier Inc. general counsel Daniel Desjardins says he understands the demands law firms are facing in the post-2008 recession era of expectations. In an open letter to firms he posted on the Association of Corporate Counsel site, Desjardins proposes in-house and outside counsel work together in this new legal landscape. “The best allies for the leadership team in driving the transformation of [a] firm are the GCs of its core clients, who, in many ways, are facing the same challenges,” he writes.
“Historically, law firms have not viewed themselves as a business to the same extent as other profit-making organizations,” says Desjardins. This has to change, he suggests, and the first step in so doing is to adapt the service delivery to match the reality of customers. He says the relationship between outside and in-house counsel has changed dramatically, at least at his company, where they’ve in-sourced a lot of key work.
