Corporate Counsel to Candidly Evaluate Law Firms Using Value Index

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) will launch the ACC Value Index, a component of the ACC Value Challenge, at its 2009 Annual Meeting in Boston on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at the Hynes Convention Center. In these challenging times, law firms are increasingly under pressure to reduce costs while still performing at the level clients have come to expect, and in-house counsel are under equal scrutiny to monitor costs. The ACC Value Index will allow members of ACC to share ratings of law firms based on client satisfaction so that they can better meet company demands. Details for the launch of the ACC Value Index are as follows:

Who: Interview ACC Value Challenge Steering Committee Members Jeff Carr and Ken Grady, ACC Board Members Vince Gonzalez and Susie Flook, ACC President Frederick J. Krebs, and ACC Senior Vice President and General Counsel Susan Hackett.
What: Exclusive press demonstration of the ACC Value Index
When: Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 2:15 - 3 PM Eastern
Where: ACC Value Challenge Booth #240, Hynes Convention Center, Boston

The ACC Value Challenge provides resources to help both law departments and firms meet their unique challenges related to billing arrangements. Now, ACC is taking the next step in the Value Challenge, by introducing the ACC Value Index - a client satisfaction measurement tool where members share evaluations of the law firms they engage. It is also an instrument to help shape the thinking and dialogue between firms and in-house counsel about what constitutes "good value" in legal services. Using a five-point scale (1=Poor, 5=Excellent), members score their outside counsel on the following criteria --understanding objectives/expectations, legal expertise, efficiency/process management, responsiveness/ communication, predictable cost/budgeting skills and results delivered/execution. They also answer the important question: would you hire this firm again? Members will be able to browse or search the ACC Value Index based on firm name, matter type or office location.

About the ACC Value Challenge

The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Value Challenge is an initiative launched to reconnect value and cost for legal services. The Value Challenge develops methodologies and metrics that corporate counsel can use to assess the strengths and weaknesses of law firms; creates tools for in-house counsel and firms to share; and enhances awareness and communicates success stories in achieving value and alignment. The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) is the world's largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations and other private-sector organizations around the globe. With more than 25,000 members in over 70 countries, employed by over 10,000 organizations, ACC's community connects its members to the people and resources necessary for both personal and professional growth. By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel.®