Until now, corporations lacked a reliable source for a top-quality, hands-on litigator when they need one

• While corporations would prefer to cost-effectively handle certain matters in house – particularly since the onset of the U.S. recession in December 2007 – they often cannot because they lack either
• permanent in-house capacity or
• a top-quality, cost-effective outside resource to step in
• Law firm “secundment” to clients is very expensive, if available
• Temporary staffing agencies offer inexperienced attorneys with no in-house experience for low-end, high-volume work
• Reliance on outside counsel to meet the internal gap in service is increasingly less cost-effective

The structure of law firms does not allow cost-effective, flexible management of litigation ebbs and flows

• Litigation and bankruptcy peaks often reveal a dearth of experienced, trial-ready, hands-on, senior attorneys creates a “talent gap”
• Temporary staffing agencies provide inexperienced “document review” attorneys, unlicensed JD’s and paralegals for high-volume document reviews
• Recruitment of experienced, permanent legal talent to staff active matters is costly, time-consuming, and risky:
• Excessive fees and employment costs
• Quality risks: Unknown level of professional development and quality of practice
• A permanent hire also creates a risk of low utilization during slow periods