April 25, 2007 – Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association (CCCA) release the third annual In-House Corporate Counsel Barometer, an online survey created in conjunction with Ipsos Reid to uncover the opinions and attitudes of Canadian in-house corporate counsel.

The survey was distributed in February 2007 to CCCA members from a variety of organizations and industry sectors.  Over 700 members participated in the survey.

Since the survey began in 2005, notable trends and changes include:

• General counsel’s number one role is still seen as an advisory one (vs. management or legal)
  Regulatory compliance is still the top issue for general counsel
• The perception that it is important to have law firm experience before becoming an in-house counsel is stronger than it was two years ago
• Keeping overall costs down is an increasingly important challenge for in-house corporate counsel
• An increasing proportion of in-house corporate counsel are recognizing the value for money offered by outside counsel
• The use of fixed fees and percent discounts in their dealings with outside counsel is becoming more prevalent among in-house corporate counsel

In 2007, the survey explored several new topics.  Highlights include:

• "Enhancement of business skills" was added this year as a business-specific advantage to working as in-house counsel, this item ranks third in the overall set
• Most in-house corporate counsel are working in organizations against which at least one legal dispute has been filed in the past year.  And of those, one in three have been exposed to class action litigation over the past year
• One third of in-house corporate counsel say that the amount of litigation their organizations have faced in the past five years has increased; more expect further increases in the next five years
• The level of communication/responsiveness of the firm and its lawyers appears to be the most important consideration in choosing outside counsel  
• The most common cost saving measures implemented over the past two years by in-house legal departments include “brought more in-house” and “require less service from outside counsel”

Click here to view the full 2007 In-House Corporate Counsel Barometer.

 

CCCA provides a national forum for corporate counsel to advance the development of their practice of law, professional skills and careers as corporate counsel.  There are now over 8,400 regular and associate members and 11 regional chapters across Canada.

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP is focused on business law and is consistently ranked by independent rating agencies as a market leader in each of the firm's core practice areas. With more than 235 lawyers in Toronto, Montréal, New York, and an affiliate in Paris, Davies manages complex and sophisticated commercial and financial matters, regardless of borders.

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For information, contact:

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg:
Gary Nurse
Manager, Marketing
Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP
Tel: 416-367-6902
Fax: 416-863-0871
E-mail: gnurse@dwpv.com
http://www.dwpv.com/

Canadian Corporate Counsel Association:
Silvie Kuppek
Executive Director
Canadian Corporate Counsel Association
Tel: 416-869-0020
Fax: 416-869-0946
E-mail: skuppek@ccca-cba.org
http://www.cancorpcounsel.org/