An expert on US general counsel popped in to say hello earlier this week. Steve Pressman, editor of GC California, a Legal Week sister title, was interested to find out how European in-house departments tackled the perennial issue of rising costs. After all, it was only recently that the UK saw the arrival of the £1,000 per hour rate.
But it turns out that high external spend is not just a European problem – the same is true of general counsel across the globe. The common criticism in California is that while in-house lawyers complain a lot about fees, they are rarely able to halt spiralling costs.
