Facts & Figures: Businesses spending more on both in-house and outside counsel
From legal salary discrepancies to Douglas Arnstens sentencing, an inside look at the numbers that count
October 19, 2012 at 08:02 AM
11 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
Flagging Faith
Much of the American public has already lost faith in the executive and legislative branches of government, so perhaps it's no surprise that many people have doubts about the judiciary as well. In its first poll for the Defense Research Institute, Langer Research Associates found that less than 10 percent of respondents were “very confident” that civil courts were fair, while more than half admitted that they themselves would be biased against corporations if serving on a jury.
41% Respondents who are not confident that the civil law system is fair and just
54% Respondents who would favor an individual over a corporation in a lawsuit
59% Respondents who reported a bias against insurance companies, the most bias against any type of business
32% People who said they would be biased against small businesses, the least bias against any business
64% People who would favor a small business over a large corporation in a lawsuit
Imprisoned Embezzler
The long saga of Douglas Arntsen is finally over, as the former Crowell & Moring associate was sentenced to jail Thursday for embezzling money from his former clients. Beginning in 2009, Arntsen stole millions of dollars from several escrow accounts that the firm maintained and spent the cash on expensive meals, sports tickets and strip clubs, according to prosecutors. The party ended in 2011, however, when authorities arrested Arntsen following his flight to Hong Kong. Read on for the numbers behind his sentencing:
4 Charges to which Arntsen pled guilty (three counts of grand larceny and one count of scheme to defraud)
4-12 years Length of Arntsen's prison sentence
$10.8 million Restitutions that he must make to two clients in addition to his prison term
Spending Surge
According to a recent HBR Consulting survey of 260 companies, in 2010 and 2011, businesses spent more on both in-house legal departments and outside counsel than they did in the preceding two years. More than half of the companies surveyed reported that they had added more staff lawyers in the two years covered by the survey. See more of their responses below:
5% Median increase in international legal spend among respondents
4% Median increase in U.S. legal spending
$458 Average hourly rate for the three top-billing U.S. firms, up more than $45 from the last survey
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