Eversheds’ launch of its Agile contract lawyer offering in Asia is another sign that companies in the region might be ready to embrace newer ways of consuming legal services
Australia’s AdventBalance and the United States’ Axiom Law now have company in Asia: law firm Eversheds is bringing its contract lawyer service, called Eversheds Agile, to the region. Agile, which is set to be rolled out in Hong Kong and Singapore during the summer, places lawyers within in-house legal teams on a temporary, contract basis. Already boasting an impressive global clientele that includes GE Lloyds Banking Group and Volvo, Agile’s foray into Dubai last year yielded Middle East clients such as Abu Dhabi Airports Company and the Qatar Foundation.
While law firms have launched similar services in the UK – Berwin Leighton Paisner’s Lawyers on Demand and Pinsent Masons’ Vario are two notable examples – this kind of offering backed by an established law firm would probably be the first for Asia and serves as an important test on how receptive companies in the region are to new models of legal services. Eversheds, however, is confident of a strong start. “Having spoken with clients, we expect the initial demand to be in the financial services sector, for example banking and transactional lawyers,” said Graham Richardson, the head of Eversheds Consulting, in an email. “This is where the bulk of the UK demand is.”
Certainly it appears to be a good time to be offering a service like this, and for a number of reasons, particularly the cost factor. While local companies have always been cost-conscious, regional legal teams of multinational entities are also being asked to extract maximum bang for the buck from external service providers, as they beef up internally and place more responsibilities on the shoulders of senior legal personnel. Services like this don’t just cut costs, they also offer fee certainty, which in-house counsel prefer. Secondly, Asian clients, much like clients around the world, like the idea of lawyers who are available to them all day. In turn, lawyers gain a much better idea of the business and are thus able to provide more focused advice.
Additionally, the connection with an established law firm might also be something that prospective clients value. “This link to Eversheds is a key differentiator and will add value to the clients who see taking an Eversheds Agile lawyer as a long-term investment in an overall relationship with the firm,” said Richardson. “We envisage that our Eversheds Agile lawyers will have practising certificates and be employees rather than independent contractors, so we aim to achieve a situation where they are able to provide legal advice. Again, we think this is different from offerings via recruitment agencies or pure consulting offerings.” Take all these into consideration, and it’s enough to give traditional legal-service providers some food for thought indeed.
