There is more than one way to bring change to law firms — Vince Cordo is doing it from the demand side. As the first Global Sourcing Officer at Shell, Vince brings his experience of managing client value at Reed Smith and Squire Sanders to the task of controlling what Shell spends on its more than 100 outside law firms. According to 2014 Fastcase 50 honoree Casey Flannery, “Vince is at the vanguard of a movement to systematically use buying power to shape law firm behavior on pricing, process, and technology.” He is data driven and has developed metrics to track and reward firms for investments that add value beyond legal matters. Vince has moved many of Shell’s matters to fixed fee or alternative fee arrangements, saving more than $20 million in legal spend, and he has changed the structure of Shell’s relationship with outside counsel, incorporating negotiation in the initial selection process. And in the true spirit of the Fastcase 50, Vince has embarked on a multi-year series for the ACC Docket outlining Shell’s approach, as a valuable resource for other organizations that are looking to make major changes in how they deliver and consume legal services.
