Law firms suspected of ignoring cost control in relation to discovery

Lexakos, a consulting group that advises on governance, compliance, and risk management recently released is Chief Legal Officer 2008 Strategic Planning Survey.

Of the “over 100” chief legal officers who returned the survey, only 21 percent “trust outside counsel to manage costs and choose the best alternatives for document review.” Slightly more than half (54%) of the top lawyers “do not believe outside counsel has a vested interest in devising cost-effective document review strategies.”

Much mistrust exists out there in law department land regarding the bona fides of the natives of law firm land and cost control (See my posts of April 8, 2008: billing padding with 8 references.)