When a law firm tries to win new work as outside counsel, the odds against getting in the door can be stacked high. Large companies may work with hundreds of outside law firms on a variety of complex and specialized matters such as litigation, regulatory compliance, mergers and acquisitions, privacy issues, antitrust matters and more, but they usually stick with the firms they know well.

Jennifer Hightower, senior vice president and general counsel at Cox Communications, values her lasting relationships with outside counsel, because those are attorneys who have taken an important additional step.