Corporate clients purchased fewer hours from law firms in 2013 than they did the year before, even as they paid more for what they bought. Hours were off by 1.3 percent, while fees were up by 1.6 percent. The revenue gain was powered by a 5 percent year-over-year increase in collections during the fourth quarter of 2013. These are among the most telling results of the latest LegalView Legal Market Index, which is produced by TyMetrix, the giant electronic billing clearinghouse and data analytics...
A report released Thursday by ALM Legal Intelligence, ALM Media's provider of business information to the legal industry, showed more corporate clients using alternative fee arrangements in 2012 to determine how to pay outside counsel. The survey found that 19 percent of corporate legal departments used AFAs for more than half of their legal work, a 12 percent increase over 2011, and 51 percent said the volume of AFAs increased in 2012. To download the report, go to http://at.law.com/AFAReport..