Rees W Morrison

April 03, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

In a bid to reduce legal fees, many law departments auction off their legal business. Although auctions are generally a great idea for law departments, it's important to have a clear understanding of the different types of auctions and how to choose the right one.

By Rees W. Morrison

10 minute read

October 10, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

A retreat should cover three important topics: information that teaches participants about their company, the laws they need to know and how the department can work together more efficiently.

By Rees W. Morrison

9 minute read

August 05, 2004 | Corporate Counsel

"If you can look into the seeds of time, and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me," said Banquo to the witches in Macbeth. In the same way, general counsel must look into the future and plan how best the law department can grow to meet the needs of the company. But what's the best way to plan? Here are six tools to help general counsel with strategic planning.

By Rees W. Morrison

8 minute read

May 18, 2007 | New Jersey Law Journal

It's no surprise that law departments decide, based on a single dramatic mistake or a series of avoidable missteps, to fire a firm. But despite the gaggle of surveys that have pronounced on this subject, the number of firms that a given law department fires each year is probably a small fraction of all of its firm relationships.

By Rees W. Morrison

9 minute read

November 01, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

General counsel should realize there are real advantages to moving beyond the traditional responsibilities.

By Rees W. Morrison

9 minute read

November 21, 2006 | Law.com

All law departments review their law firm invoices. Few law departments, though, extract management insights from those invoices. In-house counsel mostly view invoices as paperwork to be initialed and processed for payment by someone in accounting. Yet law departments can glean many useful insights from the invoices of a single law firm and from the metrics of company invoices taken from multiple law firms, and the effort it takes to reap them is modest, says consultant Rees Morrison.

By Rees W. Morrison

8 minute read

August 10, 2007 | Law.com

When a law department retains a law firm to handle a large matter or a series of matters, the law department should make sure the law firm selects a core team, advises consultant Rees W. Morrison. The core team should consist of the fewest associates, paralegals and partners necessary to get most of the work done in a competent and timely manner. Morrison explores the advantages and disadvantages of this outside-counsel management technique.

By Rees W. Morrison

9 minute read

September 23, 2005 | Corporate Counsel

The substantive legal content of a law department retreat may appeal to the left brain, but the right brain revels in the splashy event. What do in-house lawyers really want from such gatherings? Mostly, they crave a memorable event and a signature moment. Whether it means going to a Yankees game, a croquet field or a golf course in Scotland, evening activities in particular can convert a working retreat into a legendary memory. And while retreats should be fun, remember: They can teach good lessons, too.

By Rees W. Morrison

10 minute read

May 17, 2010 | The Recorder

Inviting law firms to join a teleconference call about the RFP can improve the productivity, equity and results of the process.

By Rees W. Morrison

9 minute read

October 20, 2005 | Law.com

Tasks that lawyers can do, but shouldn't, are the cellulite of law departments, says Rees W. Morrison. To be lean and efficient, he says, general counsel need to take a hard look at the excess baggage their lawyers are carrying around and support their efforts to refuse tangential assignments and focus on productive work. Which quasi-legal tasks could your department stand to shed? Morrison gives you some clues.

By Rees W. Morrison

7 minute read