2019 LEGAL PROCUREMENT AWARDS

Buying Legal^© Council, the international trade organization for Legal Procurement, announced the winners of the 2019 Legal Procurement Awards. The winners and runners up are pioneers in Legal Procurement.  They are setting the stage for sweeping transformation of engagement, process cost, and deployment of legal services:

2019 AWARD WINNER PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: Pearson plc

Pearson plc created a truly transformational Transaction Services Center: Together with an external provider who is part of the service delivery chain, Pearson leveraged technology and used standard processes, workflow and templates, to deliver legal services for its multinational business. The creation of the Center consolidated multiple legal teams and streamlined service delivery. It provided a department-wide technology platform for intake, service delivery/management, and reduced costs by over 35%. The project moved Pearson from a concierge service to one that is process and technology driven at substantially lower costs.

Runner-up: Coote O’Grady

2019 AWARD WINNER COLLABORATION & TEAMWORK: NetApp

NetApp reduced legal spend on immigration services – its top area of legal spend (other than litigation) – by 30% through collaboration of HR, the Global Strategic Sourcing (GSS) organization, Finance, and Legal. The company simplified its processes, created efficiencies, and deepened complex relationships across the company as well as externally. This included process redesign, leveraging technology, and moving to fixed fees based on activities that could be coded, allowing for automation and saving the time of experienced attorneys. By asking firms to deliver services in a different way, NetApp was able to strengthen relationships and drive efficiencies for internal and external stakeholders.

Runner-up: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

2019 AWARD WINNER DIVERSITY & INCLUSION: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

One of GSK’s core values is to embed Diversity & Inclusion in its workplace. To partner with outside counsel who share similar views, GSK’s Procurement and Legal teams jointly developed a process that differentiates firms who propose an inclusive and diverse attorney team to work on GSK’s matters. This initiative not only rewards firms simply on the number of diverse attorneys a firm proposes, but by the diversity of thought put forward by a balanced team. Since implementation, firms working for GSK have increased the proposed percentage of diverse/women lawyers to 56%--more than twice the average level of diversity. 

2019 AWARD WINNER PRICING: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

GSK has developed, implemented and embedded a robust process to place 85% of all external spend with outside counsel and ancillary service providers under alternative billing arrangements (ABAs), and provides budget owners with a clear methodology on how savings are achieved. This process has also become a personal performance measurement for GSK managing attorneys.

About the Legal Procurement Awards

The Buying Legal^© Council has awarded winners for three years. Winners in legal procurement continue to innovate and set the stage for even greater collaboration and efficiency.  

“Our goal is to identify and acknowledge best-in class leaders in legal procurement,” says Dr. Silvia Hodges Silverstein, executive director of the Buying Legal^© Council. “Each award winner and runner-up not only succeeded in their respective area, but also surpassed the current status quo of the discipline. These leaders in Legal Procurement are at the forefront of new developments. Their advances inspire all of us and we all do well learning from them.”

Submissions for the awards were entered in a blind peer-review. All decisions were made unanimously among the judges, all of them experienced legal procurement professionals.

2018 Legal Procurement Awards

2018 AWARD WINNER PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: Walmart (Alan Bryan), Runner Up: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

2018 AWARD WINNER INNOVATION: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Runner Up: BT/Elevate Services

2018 AWARD WINNER COLLABORATION: General Mills & BanyanRFP, Runner Up: Turkcell

2018 AWARD WINNER BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY: DXC Technology & UnitedLex, Runner Up: Jaguar Land Rover/Onit

2018 AWARD WINNER TEAMWORK: NetApp, Mitratech & Keesal, Young & Logan (KYL), Runner Up: CLEP (Collaborative Law Enforcement Procurement) & Proxima

2017 Legal Procurement Awards

2017 AWARD WINNER PROCESS IMPROVEMENT: Vandana Dhamija for Harman

2017 AWARD WINNER INNOVATION: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

2017 AWARD WINNER COLLABORATION: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Runner Up: ABB

2017 AWARD WINNER BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)/Onit

2017 AWARD WINNER TEAMWORK: Vodafone, Runner Up: Boehringer Ingelheim