The Corporate Counsel Show: Briefing individuals, not firms

When selecting external providers, in-house teams may soon have to move away from thinking of certain firms as a “one-stop shop” and instead be more deliberate in choosing great lawyers to make up a legal services panel, argues one GC. On this episode of The Corporate Counsel Show, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Sydney Fish Market (SFM) general counsel Michael Guilday to discuss SFM’s recent court success, why he looks more closely at individual lawyers in firms rather than the firms themselves when deciding who to brief, identifying the standout individuals with whom one might want to work, the existence of unconscious bias in briefing decisions and whether big firms have been allowed to rest on their laurels in remaining on legal services panels. Mr Guilday also outlines market fragmentation and the proliferation of BigLaw lawyers starting their own boutique firms and how that can impact briefing decisions, his non-negotiables for the constitution of his legal services panel, whether the mindset of looking to brief individuals rather than firms is mainstream yet, how best to shift one’s mindset, and if he thinks “brand name” will ultimately have any bearing on the constitution of legal services panels in the future. If you like this episode, show your support by rating us or leaving a review on Apple Podcasts (The Lawyers Weekly Show) and by following Lawyers Weekly on social media: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you have any questions about what you heard today, any topics of interest you have in mind, or if you'd like to lend your voice to the show, email editor@lawyersweekly.com.au for more insights!