Survey Shows Conflicting Views Of In-House, Law Firm Attorneys

A survey from the International Association of Defense Counsel finds that corporate legal departments and their outside counsel have inconsistent views regarding important relationship factors, including communication tactics, the amount of work expected to be referred to outside counsel and costs for legal services. The 2015 IADC  Inside/Outside Counsel Relationship Survey is summarized and interpreted in an article by IADC principals Joseph E. O’Neil and Alfred R. Paliani. With regard to communication, outside counsel feel that regularly scheduled and written status reports are the most important best practice for communicating with clients. Inside counsel, the survey found, had a different idea.