Most large corporate law departments now outsource legal work to a group of preferred providers or a law firm panel, and much legal media attention is devoted to the panel review and selection process.
When Ford decided to consolidate its law firm providers in the UK across its main subsidiaries, the objective was to increase efficiency and reduce costs. The in-house legal team at Ford realised that the selection process was only one element. The lion’s share of their effort was spent before selection on coming to a consensus about their objectives and an agreed approach.
