Use our market knowledge and awareness of the tricks and pitfalls to benefit your business
For over 20 years we have advised clients and lawyers about hourly billing practices, alternative pricing arrangements and best practices in legal matter management. We have a background as cost lawyers, reviewing lawyers’ files and work practices and understanding what issues give rise to lawyer/client disputes. Our knowledge of the market and our extensive experience informs our advice on what is realistically achievable, the options and the pitfalls.
Projects
Examples of projects we have worked on:
- Consulting on resource matching of legal department
- Review of panel arrangements
- Scoping fixed fee pricing in particular areas of work
- Negotiating Value pricing arrangements
- Establishing benchmarks for use in value pricing arrangements
- Monitoring performance against billing guidelines
- Providing advice on RFPs (including acting as procurement officer on tenders)
- Project Management of large scale litigation
Our clients include multi-nationals, insurers, government departments and large private companies, and come from industries as diverse as finance and banking, insurance, client services, building and construction, and technology.
Principle Consultants
Elizabeth Harris
An accredited cost law specialist with a Diploma in Law Practice Management, and more than 20 years experience as a lawyer, Liz has unequalled knowledge of the legal market and best law firm practices in matter management. She is regularly engaged as an expert witness on legal cost and litigation management issues, having been involved in some of the most significant litigation around including the Federal Court case involving the closure of the C7 sports channel.
She sits as a Taxing Officer of the fees of Bankruptcy Trustees, is a sessional member of the VCAT Legal Practice list, joint editor of Butterworths Legal Costs Victoria, member of the Costs Lawyers Committee of the Victorian Law Institute, and Chair of the Cost Law Specialist Accreditation Advisory Committee.
Helen Jens
With a diverse background ranging from law practice manager, to dealing with practitioner/client cost issues at the Law Institute of Victoria, Helen has experience to benchmark engagement arrangements and external law firm best practice, and assists in analysis of internal and external legal spend.
Robert Allen
A former Chartered Accounting Practice partner who went on to complete his MBA and specialise in business analysis and development and client relationship management. His strong financial background results in practical commercial advice on how law department legal spend management impacts on the business bottom line.
John Harris
John’s background is in management of public policy communications and government relations with some of Australia’s largest public and private companies. His expertise in management of cultural and organisational change, corporate image and reputation management and analysis of the cause and nature of failures in organisational processes, enables him to assist law department in developing strategic communication programs to help drive organisational change, whilst bridging the gap between corporate practice and objectives.
