Susan Hackett | CEO

5425 Wisconsin Avenue | Suite 600

Chevy Chase, MD 20816

+1.301.718.4806 (o) | +1.301.785.5534 (m)

Selected practices* that illustrate how some

law departments, law firms, and legal service providers

are working to implement value-base changes

in the way that they work and serve their corporate clients …

3M – Applying Technology to Litigation for Improved Efficiency and Control:

Intel – Legal Department’s Approach to Knowledge Management: Leadership, Playbooks, Dynamic Social Media Features, Collaborative Efforts with Firms, and More:

AIG – Leveraging the Ops Function to Tame the External Spending Beast:

Fireman’s Fund Insurance +Novus Law: Applying a Trifecta of Value Levers to Achieve “WOW” Cost Savings:

FMC Technologies, Google, Cisco, and a Major Hospitality Industry Company – In-house perspectives on Collaboration … Internally and with Firms:

United Technologies Corporation – Top-Down Focus and Training Leads to Eye-Popping 70 Percent of Spend on Value-Based Fees:

British Telecommunications PLC (BT) – “Best Sourcing” Program Uses LPO Intake Portal and Optimizes Staffing:

Caterpillar, BakerHostetler, Pangea3 & Heyl Royster – Litigation “Lane Strategy” Leads to Happier Clients and Employees … Oh, and Value, Too:

Medtronic – Comprehensive Transformation Generates Impressive Metrics:

BMO Financial Group – Legal Team Knowledge Management Practices – Professional Development, Intranets and Technology Practices:

BMO Financial Group – Encouraging Spirited Competition to Improve Value:

NetApp, Inc. – A Technology Roadmap Helps Keep Costs in the Middle of the Road, While the Team Accelerates in the Fast Lane:

Nike, Inc. & Seyfarth Shaw LLP – Moving On Up: Process Model with LPOs Allows In-House Counsel to Focus on Sophisticated Work:

Susan Hackett - The Relevance of Lawyers in the New Normal – three related articles on the changing lawyer skill set at every stage of legal careers, and talent/competency assessments in firms, depts:

The Hartford Financial Services – Professional Development for Junior Lawyers and Staff:

McKenna Long & Aldridge – Professional Development, Efficiency Task Force and Business Strategy Initiatives:

Shell – Shell’s Shift to Appropriate Fee Arrangements:

Prudential Financial Inc. – Project Management as a Disciplined Approach to Successfully Implementing Major Projects:

Home Depot – Fixed Fees, Efficiency Combine to Slash Spending:

FedEx Ground – How to Launch and Sustain a Value Initiative on Multiple Fronts:

MSA Safety Incorporated and Reed Smith – Small Legal Department, Lots of Value Tactics, Big Results:

Symantec – Knowledge Management Practices – Guidebooks Leverage Expertise and Enhance Value:

Juniper Networks – Better Budgeting, Tactical Technology: A Patented Approach to Value:

ACE Group – Innovation in Talent Development and Collaboration:

Mozilla Corporation – Maximizing Efficiency and Capturing Meaning Process Metrics Using Matter Management:

Law Firm / Law Department Service Conversations:Susan joins forces with the formidable V. Mary Abraham in her award-winning blog, “Above and Beyond KM,”to offer thisseries of captured conversationson what it means to attract, retain, and grow client relationships.

Heico + Shook Hardy & Bacon – Applying Lean Six Sigma to Measure and Maximize the Value of Outside Counsel Spending:

VMware – Scaling, Streamlining, and Succeeding: Transforming Legal Services to Support the Corporate Vision:

CSA Group – Aligning with the Enterprise:

Reed Smith’s Approach: Effective Use of Knowledge Management to Increase Value:

Cisco System Inc. – Transforming In-House Practices with a Global Center of Excellence – Cisco’s Legal Department Knowledge Management Practices:

Xcel Energy – A Process to Ensure Disciplined Legal Efficiency:

eBay: A Cost-Effective Contracts Solution:

Embraer, SA – Making Legal Lean:

JPMorgan Chase – Early Dispute Resolution Yields Positive Dividends:

GlaxoSmithKline – Committed Leadership Combines with Technological / Data Innovation:

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing – Built for Value: A Legal Department Start-up:

RBC Capital Markets & Morgan Lewis – Managing for Continuous Improvement:

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. – Building Legal Compliance Programs from Bow to Stern:

Data Analytics to Support Value-Based Fee Structures:

Microsoft Corporation & Perkins Coie – Disciplined Process Improves Predictability and Diversity on M&A Deals:

ZS Associates – Small Department Stretches to Meet Growth and Demand (LPO strategy):

CSX and Crowell & Moring – How Tomorrow Moves: CSX Uses Scorecards to Help Outside Counsel Stay on Track:

Pfizer Inc. – Innovative Partnership Transforms the Practice of Law:

HIROC & Borden Ladner Gervais LLP – Achieving Predictability and Pay for Performance in Long-Term Client/Firm Arrangement:

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company: In-House Relationship Managers Play Key Role in Structuring and Maintaining Successful Relationships with Approved Counsel:

Viacom – Using Dashboards and Matter Management to Apply Business Rules to Outside Counsel Spend – Plus, Budget Training for Lawyers:

Viacom – Sample Matter Management Dashboard Screen Shots:

Whirlpool Corporation & Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell LLP – The Quest for Early Resolution, Lower Costs:

Target & Nilan Johnson Lewis P.A. – Prevention, Pricing, Predictability:

Rockwell Collins & Seyfarth Shaw LLP – Lean in the Legal Department? Yes! :

Mondelez International, Inc. & Axiom– Parting Gift for Kraft’s Grocery Business: A Neatly Packaged Contracts System:

Office Depot – Starting Small and Going Big to Surpass 25% Spend Reduction Target:

Cisco – Strategic Management of Technology and Resources to Increase Attorney Productivity:

[Many of these practices are drawn from ACC Value Challenge work: when I first developed the Challenge – while serving as ACC’s SVP and GC – our strongest focus was on demonstrating how value works, not just why it’s important … the Association continues this great work, so check back regularly to to read more, along with my online writings (available through my website at as I continue to highlight great client practices.]

Additional resources:

Altman Weil, “2015 Law Firms in Transition” Survey:

3 Geeks and a Law Blog (#3Geeks): The Sky is Falling for Law Firms:

(contains several article links that are good reading as well)

How Law Departments Leverage Data: Is it working for them? (Corporate Counsel magazine)

OR

Connecting Cost and Price to Value: The Rise of the Law Firm Pricing Director: (Subscription Required)

Part One(linked) focuses on the top attributes of successful pricing directors;Part Two(linked) focuses on practical implementation of a legal pricing strategy and how firms interested in joining the movement can get started.

The In-House Perspective on Collaboration in Law Firms (published in Managing Partner magazine):

The Relevance of Lawyers in the New Normal: Re-engineering the Legal Skill Set –

Part 1 (August 2013)

Part 2 (October 2013)

Part 3 (November 2013)

On global dept structures and how to organize and deploy the talent from January 2014):