emilykbecker From the inside out: Finding the perfect legal services outsourcing provider
Corporate legal departments are increasingly turning to legal services outsourcing, and becoming discerning buyers in the process
Tyler Marion, InsideCounsel
Scars from the Great Recession are still visible on the books of most major corporations, and it’s clear that a lot of in-house legal departments didn’t escape unscathed.

Large markups on billable hours, expensive associate resources and lack of cost oversight on the vendor’s behalf in many cases led to painful internal cuts, resulting in more work for internal legal resources that would otherwise have been outsourced to law firms. Lessons have been learned and are being applied. Legal departments are now focused on delivery and cost — and are becoming more educated shoppers when it comes to the external provision of legal services.

They have to be. Identifying the work to outsource is one thing, choosing who…