Managing External Legal Resources

Richard Tapp, Company Secretary & Legal Director, Carillion plc, United Kingdom

In today's world, obtaining the best legal support from both internal and external resources is a constant challenge. During the past ten years it has become the norm for this to be provided by partnering arrangements of both internal and external lawyers in some form of service provision. Increasingly, it is important for in-house lawyers to review the needs and future requirements of their organisation, to procure them in a defined and documented way, and to take account of a number of options for the future. The market for the provision of legal services may now be at a critical point, with the possibility of alternative providers and structures becoming possible, and in-house lawyers will wish to consider what their options may be for the future.

Carillion plc is one of the UK's leading support services and construction companies, employing over 40,000 people. We have annual revenue of around £4bn and operations across Britain and in Europe, Canada, the Middle East, North Africa and Caribbean.