Firm

AT THE HEART OF BUSINESS

Inventors + investors. Customers + consumers. Manufacturers + visionaries. You are the engine of progress in the 21st century. You are the heart of what we do. Yes, we are a law firm. But we are also your partner in progress.

We work with single-minded dedication to help businesses like yours achieve their goals in the service of progress for all.

The world is changing faster than ever before. You need a firm with a proven track record of knowing when to rely on unchanging, bedrock values and when new market demands call for innovative thinking and adaptability.

Our clients have access to more than 600 legal professionals throughout 18 offices in California, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas, and Washington, D.C. We are among the 100 largest firms in the U.S. with experience in all the legal practice areas required to do business in today’s global marketplace.

At Barnes & Thornburg, we live and work by the values that have guided the firm for nearly 100 years. For our clients that means delivering value above and beyond the expected. It means a relentless focus on efficiency and cost-effectiveness. It means dedicated action on diversity initiatives and top talent recruitment. It means delivering uncommon value for our clients.

Learn more about how our values can deliver uncommon value for your business.

Barnes & Thornburg is the product of a 1982 merger between two well-established Indiana firms, one in Indianapolis, the other in South Bend. The marriage of Indianapolis-based Barnes, Hickam, Pantzer & Boyd and South Bend-based Thornburg, McGill, Deahl, Harman, Carey & Murray formed one of the largest firms in the Midwest and launched the firm’s growth to its current national stature.

Our history dates back to 1926 with the original firm founded by former Mayor Eli F. Seebirt and Judge Lenn J. Oare. The practice grew and changed over the years to become the largest firm in South Bend and Elkhart. In 1965, the South Bend firm merged with Elkhart-based Cawley & Harman to become Thornburg, McGill, Deahl, Harman, Carey & Murray. The firm affiliated with three eastern firms in 1968 to form a Washington, D.C., firm known as Scribner, Hall, Thornburg and Thompson.

They were innovators from the beginning. Early on, the firm’s leaders paid attention to trends and perceived the need for services in the growing fields of labor law, tax, business, and estate administration. The firm was among the first to serve these areas and continues to remain strong in them today.

Indianapolis-based Barnes, Hickam, Pantzer & Boyd was formed in 1940, when the founding partners began meeting to discuss the essential qualities of an “ideal” firm. All wanted to be involved in a firm with a strong trial department at its core, and one that was organized by areas of law. Founding partner Kurt F. Pantzer, a Harvard Law School graduate, wanted to create a Wall Street firm in Indianapolis. Unlike many Wall Street firms, however, we have never been hierarchical; from its inception Barnes & Thornburg has had roughly equal numbers of partners and associates.

The four new partners believed 13 was their lucky number. They formed the firm of Barnes, Hickam, Pantzer & Boyd on Friday, September 13, 1940, and started with 13 people in an office of 13 rooms on the 13th floor of the Merchants Bank Building, the city’s first skyscraper. They selected an office address of 1313 and procured 1313 as the firm's telephone number.

In another example of innovative thinking, and unheard of at the time, the firm opened with a full-time librarian. The Barnes & Thornburg library increased over the years, becoming at one point the largest private law library in the state of Indiana.

The firm recruited graduates of leading law schools with outstanding scholastic records and paid beginning salaries within the range paid by large metropolitan firms. This was during an era when obtaining experience in an office was thought to be adequate compensation. The tradition of excellence in hiring and mutual dedication to the highest standards of work continues to this day.

Since the creation of Barnes & Thornburg in 1982, the firm has grown both in size and geographical reach by combining with the following firms: Jenkins, Coffey, Hyland, Badger & Conard; Roberts, Ryder, Rogers & Scism; Church, Nilsson & Paulen; and Lee, Mann, Smith, McWilliams, Sweeney & Ohlson. Over the years, the firm has added several attorneys formerly associated with Galucci, Hopkins & Theisen; Johnson, Lawhead, Buth & Pope; Roemer & Mintz; Leagre, Chandler & Millard; and The Parsinen Law Firm.  

Firm Managing Partner

Robert T. Grand

Chairman Emeritus

Alan A. Levin

Ann Arbor Attorney-in-Charge

William R. Boudreaux

John T.L. Koenig

California Managing Partner

David C. Allen

Chicago Managing Partner

Michael A. Carrillo

Columbus Managing Partner

William A. Nolan

Dallas Managing Partner

Mark W. Bayer

Detroit Metro Attorney-in-Charge

Frank Mamat

Delaware Partner-in-Charge

Roscoe C. Howard, Jr.

Fort Wayne Managing Partner

D. Randall Brown

Grand Rapids Managing Partner

Robert R. Stead

Indianapolis Managing Partner

Brian L. Burdick

Minneapolis Managing Partner

Connie A. Lahn

Raleigh Partner-in-Charge

Allen Baum

San Diego Partner-in-Charge

Troy Zander

South Bend Managing Partner

Philip J. Faccenda, Jr.

Washington, D.C., Managing Partner

Roscoe C. Howard, Jr.

At-Large Members: 

Andrew J. Detherage - Indianapolis

Jeff P. Gray - Chicago

Jeffrey A. Hopper - Indianapolis

Mark E. Rust - Chicago

Scott M. Simmonds - Indianapolis

John Smarrella - South Bend

Melissa A. Vallone - Chicago

Heather H. Willey - Indianapolis

Donald E. Williams - Indianapolis

Steven Merkel
Chief Operating Officer

Accounting

Daniel E. McCann
Chief Financial Officer

Diversity and Inclusion / Professional Development

Dawn R. Rosemond
Partner and Director of Diversity, Professional Development and Inclusion

Kelly Atkinson
Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator 

Human Resources

Jesse Reeves
Director of Lateral Recruiting

Debby A. Usher
Director of Integration and Special Assistant to the Chairman

Savannah Robinson
Director of Legal Personnel

Information Technology

Tim I. Shaw
Chief Information Officer

Legal Operations

Jared Applegate
Chief Legal Operations Officer

Marketing and Business Development

Allen C. Chichester
Chief Marketing Officer 

Amber Bollman
Director of Client Service Initiatives 

Susan Haag
Director of Marketing Services 

Karen Smith
Director of Communications

Office Operations

Debi A. Mitchell
Director of Operations

Barnes & Thornburg has built relationships over the years with various regional, national and international groups that provide our attorneys with important networks of service. These alliances provide our attorneys with more resources in meeting client needs.

ThemeVision

ThemeVision LLC provides trial consulting, graphic design, and opinion research services to law firms, businesses, and government. Our consultants are social-science Ph.D.s who also hold advanced degrees in law or legal studies, as well as graphic designers and animators. We have the responsiveness you would expect from a boutique consulting firm, but we also enjoy the resources typically associated with the largest consulting firms.

TerraLex

The mission of TerraLex is to help member firms serve their clients' legal needs and business interests through a worldwide network of quality law firms that meets high professional standards. As a voluntary association of independent law firms, each TerraLex member retains the right to work with any law firm or client. Member firms operate as separate enterprises, responsible for their own staff and work products.

TechLaw

TechLaw Group, Inc. was formed in 1986 by five large U.S. law firms. Their mission was unique to the rapidly evolving practice of technology law: share best practices, provide a mechanism for referrals when it was mutually advantageous to do so, and build membership carefully so as to preserve a small group of non-competitive firms so that lasting and productive relationships can take root. From there, the organization has grown to include 24 law firms with more than 8,400 lawyers and offices in more than 35 countries. Currently, a Barnes & Thornburg attorney serves on the board of directors.

SCG Legal

SCG Legal is a seamless global network of 148 of the profession’s preeminent independent law firms with more than 11,000 attorneys located in 82 countries around the world.

TechPoint

As Indiana's initiative for the state's technology-based economy and growing entrepreneurship, TechPoint is known for its ability to identify and empower high-growth Indiana technology companies through education and networking programs, government advocacy and strategic economic development initiatives. TechPoint represents Indiana's entire technology community, including publicly-traded companies, private businesses, colleges and research universities, and local economic development organizations.

Barnes & Thornburg is committed to maintaining positive connections and lifelong relationships with our lawyers and alumni.

Our alumni community connects all of our lawyers, past and present, to the opportunities and resources that help contribute to a fulfilling and successful career. We strive for excellence and to cultivate a network of the prestigious group of professionals that comprise our alumni to foster connection, engagement and continued advancement. We are proud to call our alumni “family.”

Through the Barnes & Thornburg Alumni Community, we provide opportunities for alumni to connect with other alumni and current Barnes & Thornburg lawyers, engage with training and development initiatives, and benefit from industry insights.

If you are a Barnes & Thornburg alumnus or alumna and are not currently receiving our emails or regular updates from us about the program, please complete the following survey so we can ensure we have your proper contact information.

Barnes & Thornburg Alumni Survey

Delivering uncommon value for our clients starts with building a firm culture that attracts top-tier legal and administrative professionals; professionals who live their lives with passion and purpose.

Today there’s a lot of talk about “diversity,” “inclusion” and “work-life balance.” We go beyond the buzzwords to create a work place where all backgrounds, experiences, and opinions are valued. We know our clients want diverse perspectives. We know that our commitment to diversity and commitment to our communities make us better lawyers, strengthening our ability to serve you.

Our professionals are committed to supporting nonprofit organizations in the communities where we work and live.

We actively encourage participation on boards, committees, bar associations and other volunteer opportunities. Many of our professionals serve in leadership positions for established nonprofits while others have supported new organizations or events to address unmet needs.

In addition to the thousands of hours of volunteer service donated by our professionals each year, Barnes & Thornburg also extends its support to organizations in underserved communities through sponsorships and donations; including schools, health providers, legal clinics, food banks, and many more.

We understand the fundamental truth that business is about serving people. It is our responsibility to start in our local communities making a difference and contributing to the common good.

A true dedication to diversity and inclusion requires action. That is why we have made the deliberate commitment to align the business of diversity and inclusion with the business of the firm.

Through conscious programming, engaged sponsorship and the continual internal and external investment of time, talent and resources, we are building and sustaining an inclusive, respectful, and open culture made up of accomplished individuals of all backgrounds.

Diversity and inclusion initiatives in the legal industry abound. At Barnes & Thornburg, however, diversity and inclusion is not just an initiative. It is not simply a program. Instead, diversity and inclusion are both a part of our long-standing core values, fully and deliberately integrated into the way we do business – from recruiting to staffing to the assembly of client service teams, procurement, promotion and advancement. In fact, effective October 1, 2016, Barnes & Thornburg doubled-down on its commitment to real change – to “better” – by creating an executive-level Director of Diversity position reporting to the Firm Managing Partner, and empowering one of our longstanding and active equity partners to fill the role full-time. According to the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, roughly only 20% of law firm diversity directors are law firm partners and roughly only 40% operate in the role full time.

Barnes & Thornburg is “all in” when it comes to diversity and inclusion. And our mission is simple: to hire great talent from all backgrounds and then work together as a team to create an environment of inclusion that fosters retention, training, promotion and empowerment such that all are positioned to succeed.

We will continue to aggressively set goals to that end, because when we achieve them, the entire firm, our clients and the communities we serve win.

• We strive to reflect the clients we serve and the communities in which we have the privilege to practice law.
• We define, promote, and embrace diversity broadly to foster authentic inclusion.
• Our commitment to diversity and inclusion permeates every aspect of how we conduct business.
• We are responsible stewards of our resources, taking care to use our influence, brand, purchasing power, and thought leadership to drive diversity and inclusion growth outside the walls of our firm.
• We proactively seek out and pursue opportunities to better support, empower, and promote our talent.
• We continuously look for innovative solutions to remain effective, relevant, and in tune with our clients’ values and business objectives.

Barnes & Thornburg has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion as part of its core values. Our diversity and inclusion strategic platform works to make sure these core values permeate every aspect of our operations, inclusive of our supplier engagements.

Our diverse supplier program promotes value-driven stewardship and creates opportunities to expand our business relationships with diverse suppliers. The program also helps us to better benefit our clients and the communities we are privileged to serve by continuing to create equal opportunities of consideration for all suppliers in our buying processes.

Definitions

• Diverse Business Enterprise (DBE): A diverse business enterprise is an organization that is at least 51% unconditionally owned and controlled day to day by one or more individuals who are members of a socially or economically disadvantaged group. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals who are ethnically or racially diverse, female, disabled, part of the LGBTQ community, and/or a military veteran.
• Certified DBE: A certified DBE is one that is formally approved by a state or governing agency signifying that the business is actually owned, controlled, and operated sufficient to qualify as a DBE. Certifications vary across the country. Typical certifications include Minority-owned Business Enterprises (MBE), Women-owned Business Enterprises (WBE), LGBTQ-owned Business Enterprises (LGBTBE), and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprises (DVBE); however, there are many more. We welcome and encourage all certified DBEs to explore work opportunities with Barnes & Thornburg, and only ask that you provide proof of your particular certification during the registration process. 

Supplier Expectations

Barnes & Thornburg expects all businesses interested in working with the firm to provide only the highest quality goods and services. This expectation requires the supplier to be, at a minimum:  

• Ethical in all transactions, having integrity and a commitment to honoring the firm’s confidentiality
• Innovative in approaches to meeting the needs of the firm
• Knowledgeable and capable within the enterprise’s area of expertise
• Dedicated to delivering top-quality goods and services (without defects or errors in performance or products)
• Competitively priced
• Timely in delivery of service or products
• Compliant with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations
• An equal opportunity business with inclusive values 

Supplier Registration

To register as a potential vendor, please email SupplierRegistration@btlaw.com for a password and hyperlink to our registration database. Be sure to include your company name, contact name, and the email address you’d like us to use for a response email.

We invite all suppliers to register as a potential vendor for consideration in our future buying decisions. With each new decision, Barnes & Thornburg will speak with and endeavor to get at least three prospective vendors, with at least one being a Certified DBE. Firm purchasers will use the internal database created from all registered vendors and will evaluate all applicable vendors, factoring in prior experience, references, value, quality, diverse classification, client relationships and all other factors relevant to each buying decision to further promote the firm’s commitment to excellent service.

The Barnes & Thornburg Diversity and Inclusion Committee is composed of the following personnel:

• Bob Grand, Co-Chair
• Dawn Rosemond, Co-Chair

Atlanta

• Christina Baugh

Chicago

• Michael Carrillo
• Christine Hollis
• Denise Lazar 
• Gray Mateo-Harris
• Tejas Shah
• Debby Usher

Columbus 

• Laing Akers
• Kelly Atkinson
• Katrina Thompson

Dallas

• Matthew Agnew
  

Fort Wayne

• Mark Kittaka
• Savannah Robinson
• Apryl Elizabeth Underwood

Grand Rapids

• Erika Weiss

Indianapolis

• Lauren Box
• Karoline Jackson
• Brian Jarman
• Monica Lockard
• Ladene Mendoza
• Steven Merkel
• William Padgett
• David Wong

Los Angeles

• Amber Bollman
• Salvador LaViña
• Melanie Mawema

Minneapolis

• Autumn Gear

South Bend

• Michael Durham

Washington, D.C.

• Michael Battle
• Michelle Mikol

Wilmington, Delaware

• Tom Hanson
• Jesse Reeves

As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity, we are pleased to offer a 1L Diversity Scholarship for a summer position in our Indianapolis, South Bend/Elkhart and Chicago markets.

Candidates must be a first-year law student with a demonstrated commitment to positive change on the diversity, inclusion and equity front and to contributing meaningfully to the diversity, inclusion and equity goals of Barnes & Thornburg and the legal profession. The scholarship recipient will have a paid position in the firm’s summer associate program. At the completion of a successful first summer, including receipt and acceptance of an offer to return to the firm for a second summer, the scholarship recipient will receive $5,000. Scholarship recipients who return for a second summer will receive $5,000 at the completion of a successful second summer, including receipt and acceptance of an offer to join the firm as an entry-level associate. Scholarship recipients that accept an entry-level associate offer will receive an additional $5,000 when they join the firm.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a first year (1L) law student in good standing
• Demonstrate excellent academic and personal achievement; and
• Demonstrate tangible commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity and to the advancement of same in the legal profession

How To Apply

• Complete online application:
  1L Diversity Scholarship – Summer Associate – Indianapolis – Position Filled
  1L Diversity Scholarship – Summer Associate – Chicago – Position Filled
  1L Diversity Scholarship – Summer Associate – South Bend/Elkhart – Position Filled
• Submit a cover letter
• Provide current resume (including undergraduate and law school GPA)
• Submit a personal statement (separate and distinct from the cover letter), describing aspects of your background, personal attributes, characteristics, experiences, etc. that you feel best demonstrate your commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity and how such will contribute meaningfully to Barnes & Thornburg and to the legal profession as a whole.

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

Can eligible applicants apply for a scholarship in multiple markets?

Yes. If you choose to do so, please note such in your cover letter.  Further, understand that you can only be selected in one market.

If not selected as a 1L Diversity Scholarship recipient, can I still be considered for a 1L summer position with the firm?

Yes. Indeed, we often consider our scholarship applicants not selected for 1L slots if and/or when other summer slots become available.

If not selected as a 1L Diversity Scholarship recipient, can I later apply for a summer position with the firm as a 2L?

Yes, you are free to and in fact, strongly encouraged to apply for a general summer associate position as a 2L. We often continue to recruit impressive candidates who interviewed but were not selected for a Diversity Scholarship for such 2L summer positions.

If I am selected as a scholarship recipient, have a successful summer, accept an offer for a 2L position and then decide not to come to Barnes & Thornburg, do I have to return any scholarship payout(s)?

Yes. The goal of this scholarship is to grow Barnes & Thornburg’s diverse demographics.  We wholly respect your right to take advantage of opportunities you may be afforded, but if you choose to forego such relative to Barnes & Thornburg, the scholarship payout must be returned to the firm immediately.

A Talent Resource Group (TRG) by definition, is a "group formed around a shared interest or common goal." For us at Barnes & Thornburg, they serve as yet another way for us to care for our most valuable asset – our talent – and to deliberately cultivate a work environment that is diverse, aware, authentically inclusive, and empowering for all. Further, investing in this core value benefits our talent, our clients and the communities we serve. We currently have five active TRGs: BTAPA, BTBEmpowered, BTLatinx, BTPride, and BTWomen.

BTAPA

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our Asian Pacific American teammates and allies

BTBEmpowered

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our black and African-American teammates and allies

BTLatinx

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our Hispanic and Latinx teammates and allies

BTPride

Barnes & Thornburg's network for our LGBTQ teammates and allies

BTWomen

Barnes & Thornburg's network for our female teammates and allies

BTAPA 

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our Asian Pacific American teammates and allies

BTAPA aims to provide professional development and networking opportunities to our Asian Pacific American (APA) teammates and allies through support of business and community events, especially with both local and national Asian Pacific American Bar Association events. We take the lead in fostering a community of support, respect, and advancement of the APA talent within Barnes & Thornburg while also broadening cultural awareness in our organization and beyond. Additionally, relative to our APA teammates, we advocate for engagement in recruitment, targeted retention efforts, and advancement opportunities.

For information about BTAPA, please contact BTAPA Co-Chairs Mark Kittaka and David Wong.

BTBEmpowered

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our black and African-American teammates and allies

BTBEmpowered exists to foster community among our black and African-American teammates and to boldly empower them to win as individuals, as part of Team Barnes & Thornburg, and as members of the legal community at large. We are committed to:

• Encouraging our black and African-American talent to be their authentic selves at work and to shine a light on their collective and individual experiences as members of the firm and the legal profession generally
• Facilitating business development efforts so that our black and African-American employees are empowered to generate and participate in business opportunities both with one another and more broadly across the firm
• Promoting the professional and personal growth of our members and their networks through educational opportunities and networking
• Helping members develop a cadre of supporters and allies across Barnes & Thornburg to help drive their personal and professional success
• Advocating for issues affecting black and African-American communities to ensure we are engaged in issues critical to our membership
• Partnering with firm leadership to increase recruitment, retention and advancement efforts, including through outreach and mentorship, as well as tackling areas of improvement relevant to our members

For information regarding BTBEmpowered, please contact co-chairs Gray Mateo-Harris, Michael Battle, Elizabeth Underwood or Melanie Mawema.

BTLatinx

Barnes & Thornburg’s network for our Hispanic and Latinx teammates and allies

The purpose of BTLatinx is to serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas and information relevant to the advancement, support, and empowerment of our Hispanic and Latinx teammates. Our aim:

• To empower our Hispanic and Latinx talent (and allies), and to promote the professional and social development of our diverse attorneys and staff while advocating for the needs of our community
• To provide our Hispanic and Latinx talent with a network of support to help them develop their careers and thrive both personally and professionally
• To create and help drive practices that result in the increased recruitment and retention of Hispanic and Latinx summer associates, interns, lawyers and business professional talent
• To bring our unique perspectives and tie them into the firm's overall commitment to real progress in diversity and inclusion

For information regarding BTLatinx, please contact BTLatinx Co-Chairs Katrina Thompson and Ladene Mendoza.

BTPride

Barnes & Thornburg's network for our LGBTQ teammates and allies

Big picture, BTPride wants to ensure that Barnes & Thornburg is a place where all of our talent feels comfortable bringing their complete identities to work, including being out as LGBTQ if they so choose. We also want to support the larger LGBTQ community, which includes countless numbers of our friends, relatives, clients, and future teammates. We are working to do this by:

• Building community and culture
• Promoting inclusion through education
• Promoting community engagement and service
• Advocating for supportive firm policies
• Raising issues of concern with firm management when necessary

For information regarding BTPride, please contact BTPride Co-Chairs Brian Jarman or Amber Bollman.

BTWomen

Barnes & Thornburg's network for our female teammates and allies

The purpose of BTWomen is to serve as a forum for exchanging ideas relevant to the unique experiences and success journey of women at Barnes & Thornburg. We strive to:

• Empower our women talent and their allies to bring their whole selves to work each day
• Promote the professional and social development of our women talent within the firm
• Advocate for the needs of all women in the communities we serve
• Provide members with a network of support to help them develop their careers and thrive both personally and professionally
• Assist in both recruiting and retaining women at all levels in part by cultivating relationships with women’s bar and community organizations

Barnes & Thornburg has a long tradition of pro bono service nationally, regionally, and at the local level to persons of lesser means and to nonprofit organizations. The time our attorneys devote to legal and civic pro bono work is valued equally with standard legal services provided to traditional clients.

The variety of pro bono work performed by Barnes & Thornburg attorneys is significant, ranging from appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals for indigent individuals, domestic violence matters for abused women, and formation and counsel to scores of nonprofits across the country.

All attorneys are encouraged to provide at least 25 hours of legal pro bono services each year – separate from individual volunteerism efforts and board involvement. The firm also gives billable hour credit to associates for up to 50 hours of approved legal pro bono work. In addition, the firm and our attorneys also provide substantial financial support to many providers who perform legal services for those who cannot afford them.

Barnes & Thornburg is a member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, a national nonprofit organization comprised of leading national firms committed to pro bono legal services. Beyond being a member of that organization, the firm is also a signatory to the Pro Bono Pledge, through which the firm strives to devote three percent of the firms’ billable hours to pro bono services.

We are consistently ranked in the top 150 of firms by The American Lawyer pro bono rankings. Moreover, in recent years, the firm has received pro bono recognition awards from the Heartland Pro Bono Council, the Indiana Bar Foundation, and the Indianapolis Bar Association.

Creating a sustainable alliance with our clients.

Corporate legal departments are being challenged to deliver on a growing mandate to play both offense and defense: provide practical legal advice to support day-to-day business activity and proactively and collaboratively engage with outside counsel.

With head-count, technology and budget pressures at play, legal departments need true partnerships from outside counsel who understand these challenges and have the expertise to assist.

We’re Here to Help

BT ValueWorks is our suite of innovative legal operations solutions that bring greater value, efficiency and predictability to the delivery of legal services. Barnes & Thornburg is building something better by bringing together in-house legal executives collaborating with our attorneys and full-time legal project management professionals, pricing professionals, and technology products to address day-to-day business and legal operations challenges.

Collaboration Starts Here.

Barnes & Thornburg brings together the right tools and teams for your needs.

Cost certainty

Engaging with clients at the matter level to determine pricing, timing, outcomes and process expectations.

• Thorough matter scoping – defined scopes of work on matters so all parties understand what is “in scope” vs. “out-of-scope” at onset
• Better budget control and forecasting – the product of thorough scoping
• Alternative Fee Arrangement (AFAs) – including fixed fees grounded in scoping reality

Ease of engagement

Creating a “no-surprises experience” based on proven processes and technology – and lawyers trained on their use.

• Time savings – systematic approach to proposing solutions, plus launching and executing engagements
• Improved communications – designed around your preferences, both formal and informal
• Reporting that works – simple and easy reports that allow you to see legal spend and value achieved by your outside counsel

Continuous improvement

A holistic approach to client service.

• We listen and respond – formal client feedback surveys, end-of-matter debriefs, annual interviews and management discussions
• Collaboration meetings – designed to dig deeper and build relationships, putting both in-house teams and outside counsel on the same page about objectives, strategies and next steps
• Value-adds – industry knowledge, CLEs and secondments, as well as customized offerings in response to your unique challenges.

Recent examples of client needs and our solution:

A Fortune 50 client faced a significant class action suit with an out-of-control legal spend looming.

To provide predictability in legal spend, we developed a fixed fee by phase with success fees for accomplishing procedural milestones, such as defeating class certification. The matter was scoped out to understand the components of each phase and billing was arranged in equal monthly installments to control cash flow and impact on overall legal budget. This matter was monitored using our matter management software and managed by the lead partner, who had biweekly calls with the team resulting in increased efficiency and improved communication.

A global pharmaceutical company sought consistent service across multiple practice areas, collaboration and partnership with panel firms.

A global pharmaceutical company was in need of consistency in service and maximized value. To do this across practice areas, we designated one relationship partner and an operations staff resource who work directly with client stakeholders to keep a pulse on issues and emerging needs. Together, they maximize internal efficiencies and service through streamlining communications, addressing issues quickly, organizing key resources and establishing service goals. Regular calls are held with the team to discuss client organizational business objectives, structural and staffing changes, emerging issues and key provisions in the outside counsel guidelines. Additionally, we ensure that we are delivering on our firm’s commitments to specified value-added services, proposing new ideas for enhanced service delivery and advancing diversity and inclusion.

A global food manufacturer was seeking greater spend predictability in its employment litigation cases.

Our client was challenged with the unpredictable spikes in legal spend related to their employment litigation matters. For this particular client, we developed an annual fixed fee to handle their entire single-plaintiff employment litigation portfolio. Using historical data, we were able to craft and provide a fee arrangement that is payable two-times a year. We handle early case assessment, all motion practice through summary judgement and if necessary, the appeal of summary judgement. This agreement has been greatly successful in addressing the client’s pain points of uncertainty regarding when a spike in litigation would hit their budgets.

A long-standing publicly traded intellectual property client was seeking budget certainty.

For long-time clients who require a fairly consistent level of work in a specific practice area, we have crafted annual retainers. For this particular client, we developed an annual retainer that increased budget predictability in patent prosecution and portfolio management. Based on the average number of hours spent on these services over the last several years, we devised an alternative arrangement: The firm would handle all of the client’s preparation, prosecution, clearance and opinion work for an annual retainer to be paid on a monthly basis. This agreement has greatly enhanced the client’s ability to predict fees and meet budget pressures. The retainer agreement has remained in place for four years and is considered to be a success by both parties.

A new client sought predictability after years of errant spend from previous outside counsel.

This company was searching for new outside counsel due to the current counsel’s inability to help manage its legal spend. We provided the general counsel with a number of alternative fee arrangements for consideration on a major lawsuit. Together with the client, our attorney team and the BT ValueWorks team crafted a sophisticated budget for the preliminary injunction phase of this lawsuit, along with a collar pricing agreement, sharing both risk and reward of the total cost predicated by the budget. At the completion of the preliminary injunction phase of the lawsuit, the general counsel was so happy with the collar pricing agreement that we were retained to handle multiple new cases under similar fee arrangements.