In-House Counsel

A survey in 2008 of in-house counsel in Central and Eastern Europe, conducted by the Forbes Institute with Martindale-Hubble International, asked respondents to rank 13 reasons for ?removing a law firm from a preferred provider list.? That is not the same, perhaps, as firing a law firm absolutely, but in European legal departments ? partial to panels ? it is pretty close (See my post of Feb. 19, 2007: fire law firms with 8 references and my article.).

The litany of reasons offers nothing new, but three of them diverge from what one might expect. ?Not maintaining confidentiality with your information? was the second most common reason chosen. ?Not being treated as an important/priority client? came in 9th and ?Key lawyers working with you leave their firm? was 11th. In the US, at least, client confidentiality is a given. The last two points are also unusual to hear stated.