60% of Corporate Counsel Replaced a Core Law Firm in Last 18 Months
Wellesley, MA (PRWEB) October 01, 2014 -- 60% of corporate counsel replaced at least one core litigation firm in the last 18 months. In push to resolve and eliminate litigation, clients upend their roster of litigation law firms, according to brand new research by The BTI Consulting Group. At the same time, bet-the-company matters have dropped by 50%. BTI’s just completed research with General Counsel at Fortune 1000 and large organizations finds these two major trends drive how the litigation market will unfold in 2015.
“These new core firms are taking a lead role in assessing cases early and recommending settlement strategies,” comments Michael B. Rynowecer, President of The BTI Consulting Group. “The message is clear: clients stick with firms able to help them meet their goals.”
Continues Rynowecer, “By helping clients in the assessment and settlement stages, these proactive firms have the litigation work before any other firm hears about it.”
These aggressive settlement strategies and a heightened focus on case elimination—not trial—spark the 50% decline in bet-the-company matters over the past 2 years. Clients are chipping away at the complex work as well, with the number of complex matters declining approximately 9%. Long-term, BTI expects these numbers will creep back up; short-term, clients are improving management of complex matters.
BTI’s research also finds litigation activity continues to rise as spending declines, with 2 practice areas poised for the biggest growth in 2015:
• Class Actions
• IP Litigation
BTI conducted 300 independent, individual interviews with CLOs and General Counsel at Fortune 1000 companies and large organizations this year. Now in its 14th year, BTI conducts the only continuous benchmarking market study of corporate counsel worldwide. The complete analysis is available in BTI’s new study, BTI Litigation Outlook 2015: Changes, Trends and Opportunities for Law Firms, found here: http://www.bticonsulting.com/litigationoutlook.
Find more information about this and other compelling research at http://www.bticonsulting.com or contact BTI at 617.439.0333. BTI is the undisputed leader in providing high-impact strategic client research to professional service firms and their clients.
Michael B. Rynowecer, BTI Consulting Group Inc, http://www.bticonsulting.com, 617.439.0333, [email protected]
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