Self-sufficient in-house counsel who do not have support staff

The seven lawyers who work for Synnex, the $7 billion IT information provider, have one support person. Hence, in the words of Simon Leung, the general counsel, who spoke to 8-K, Vol. 4, Fall 2008 at 12, “Most of my [department’s] attorneys do all the work themselves – type their letters, copy their own documents. It’s a very flat, egalitarian organization.”

Two reactions. The first is that one lawyer for every billion dollars of revenue is an amazingly low ratio, especially in a legally intensive industry like technology. (The profile makes no mention of the amount Synnex pays outside counsel.) Second, that anorexic ratio of lawyers to revenue stands out even more if the few, harried lawyers have to send their own faxes and make their own travel arrangements. It sounds penny wise and pound-foolish.