Our client, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, was
not at the point financially or from a headcount standpoint where a large legal
and/or compliance team was justified. As a result of this, the overworked
general counsel, the sole member of the client’s legal/compliance team, triaged
much of the company’s legal work to a network of outside law firms. While the
general counsel appreciated the excellent advice and responsiveness provided by
his AmLaw 100 law firms, he knew that this model was not sustainable in terms of
financial cost. He needed to ensure that the company’s legal work was
accomplished in a thoughtful and financially efficient manner, but he was not
in place to make a permanent hire.
Utilizing his general counsel network, the client spoke with
colleagues to discuss solutions for his dilemma. One colleague who had worked
with Major, Lindsey & Africa’s Interim Legal Talent team in the past
suggested that the client consider us.
Based on his friend’s suggestion, the client called Interim
Legal Talent and relayed his issue: He needed to get the work accomplished in a
thoughtful manner but could not continue to pay outside counsel rates. Asking
the client pointed questions and walking through his needs, the Interim Legal
Talent team diagnosed the client’s need, presented potential solutions and candidate
phenotypes to fill that need, and benchmarked the costs for the use of an
interim transactional attorney and a contract to hire paralegal.
Following that diagnostic call, Interim Legal Talent
presented slates of interim transactional attorneys and paralegals within one
week. Our client hired one of each and, after just four months, converted both
to permanent employees.
By using interim legal talent, the client was able to hire
the right consultants to complete the necessary work at a fraction of the cost
of outside counsel. As the company grows and gains FDA approvals, they will
continue to rely on our interim resources to fit the ebb and flow of their
business needs.
This company has since been using our resource on a
full-time basis to support its M&A group. They have also asked us to assist
them with finding a labor and employment attorney.