How to Draft a Request for Proposal for Legal Services

In an effort to control costs amid pressures from internal client, legal departments are relying more and more on using request for proposals, or RFPs, to help control costs associated with outside counsel. But how should a legal department go about drafting such a request to ensure top-quality law firms draft responses? This article will tell you how to do just this, allowing your legal department to minimize their legal spend without sacrificing quality service.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Legal department
• List of law firms
• Budget
• Computer
• Paper
• Envelopes
• Postage
• Consultant (optional)

Drafting a Request for Proposal for Legal Services

1. Identify what type of work you would like to request proposals for. Some legal departments opt to draft RFPs for a type of matter while others draft such RFPs for a singular matter.
2. Calculate how much you are willing to pay a law firm to provide legal services for these types of matters or matter. This will help your legal department determine which candidates fall within your budgetary guidelines and which don't.
3. Devise a list of questions you would like to ask these law firms. This should include a combination of general information, such as size of the firm and alternative billing arrangements, as well as questions that are specific to the types of matters that you are requesting services for.
4. Consult your list of preferred providers in order to come up with the candidates you are sending the RFP to. If you do not have a preferred providers list or wish to deviate from this list, identify law firms that you believe will make prime candidates.
5. Review your list of questions prior to sending out the RFPs. Ensure that you keep open-ended questions to a minimum and that you are asking only the necessary questions. An overly long RFP rarely gets as many responses as one that is to the point.
6. Ensure that you have included your contact information in the event a law firm representative has a question regarding your RFP questionnaire.
7. Identify the proper recipient within each law firm to address the RFP to. This could be someone your legal department has had contact with in the past, the managing partner or someone within marketing.
8. Address your envelopes to the appropriate recipients.
9. Print out your RFPs and send them off.
10. Send an e-mail to the designated recipients informing them that you have sent them an RFP. Be sure to instruct them to let you know when they receive it.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to specifically ask about a law firm's alternative fee arrangements. This could be the best way for you to save money on legal services.
• Prior to selecting a winning law firm, sit down with the final candidates separately and feel them out face-to-face. After all, these are the people your legal staff will be working closely with.
• Do not ask too many open-ended questions in your RFP. It takes law firms hours to respond, and open-ended questions can make the process much more difficult for them.
• Do not send your RFP to too many law firms. That will only create a burden for you when it comes time to read the responses.