Legal chief says more firms may be added to broadcaster's roster

ITV is set to overhaul its roster of external legal advisers for the first time in three years, with the broadcaster considering increasing the number of firms on its nine-firm line-up.

Group legal director and company secretary Andrew Garard is leading the review, which will start next month and is expected to be completed after the summer.

Garard – who slashed the company's legal panel from 50 firms down to just nine during the last review in 2008 – said there could be opportunities for additional firms to join the roster, with ITV considering its advisory capacity in a number of key areas , particularly IT.

Panel firms will also be expected to look at how they can increase alternative fee arrangements and value-added services after the 2008 review saw Garard phase out the billable hour.

Slaughter and May, legacy Lovells, Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper and Olswang were among those appointed during the previous review, with each firm agreeing to use alternative billing methods rather than hourly rates.

The change in fee structure has helped ITV's legal team cut its spend on external advisers by 35% since the last review.

Garard's review comes shortly after ITV, which re-entered the FTSE 100 index earlier this year after dropping out during the financial crisis, recently introduced a new IT system allowing it to rate its panel firms by service and value for money. The company is the UK's largest commercial terrestrial broadcaster, with flagship shows like The 
X Factor and Downton Abbey.

Garard said: "After a very successful three years of our current panel, we are embarking on a process of evaluating where we are. This will be a chance for both ITV and its advisers to recommit to each other and take our alternative fee arrangements and ways of working with each other to the next level."