RFPs & Outside Counsel Selection

Clients increasingly are turning to Requests for Proposal (RFPs) as their vehicle for selecting outside counsel, both for individual engagements and for entire tranches of work. Historically, the decision about whether to even respond to an RFP was left to the marketing department, and many firms also used their marketing departments to generate formulaic responses to formulaic RFPs using generic marketing materials and answers.

Today, clients’ RFPs questions are far more focused and far more demanding. Clients want RFP responses to that describe relevant capabilities, experience, matter staffing, and LPM capabilities in detail. They expect well-reasoned, well-written bespoke RFP responses that address every issue and concern, and they will not reward bland, general or evasive responses with their business. Many clients are using “zero-based” RFPs to totally repopulate their panels of outside counsel, and often employ RFPs as part of convergence programs designed to reduce the number of outside firm the client employs.

As consultant to legal departments, Pam is highly qualified to:

• Help formulate strategies for creating outside counsel panels and/or planning convergence programs.
• Provide instruction on RFP planning, issuance and evaluation.
• Assist in planning RFP issuance processes that will effectively identify qualified firms without wasting time and effort.
• Participate in the drafting of effective and incisive RFPs.
• Assist in the evaluation of law firm RFP responses.
• Help the client translate RFP selection criteria into practical standards, protocols and technology that allow the client monitor and evaluate law firm performance as measured against RFP criteria.