Every week, sometimes several times a week, CMS offices across Europe resound to the flurry of activity of a panel review or a client setting up a panel for the first time.
Of course many clients still rely on a “horses for courses” approach or long established personal relationships, but selecting a panel is a trend that undoubtedly has increased in recent years. The fact that it is a trend however, doesn’t mean it’s a straightforward or trouble-free path to tread.
A bit like a major expedition, the objective may be relatively easy to describe, but success will depend on many factors; like the right amount of planning, having the right team with the right experience, giving yourself enough time in sometimes hostile conditions and having a good enough sense of direction.
It got us wondering whether there was any guidance out there, a map and compass for in-house lawyers setting out on the panel trail? And we discovered that there was very little.
We then surveyed a significant number of our clients about their plans and processes for outsourcing legal work and we asked the question “would you find such a guide helpful?” and 90% of them said they would…
…so we got to work and here it is.
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