RPC has launched a management consultancy business in a bid to ‘help senior in-house lawyers improve their operational efficiency and personal effectiveness.’
Dubbed RPC Perform, the consultancy is headed by Julia Chain, who joined the firm last year from JSC Associates and is formerly managing director of Huron Consulting. Prior to that Chain served as general counsel of T-Mobile.
The new venture, based in the London office, will offer three core services to in-house lawyers including strategic and operational efficiency, managing relationships with external law firms, and soft skills, including team, personal and leadership development.
In what was a rare move by a LB100 firm last year RPC established a new management consultancy business to target core insurance sector clients, and hired Rory O’Brien, the former global head of risk consulting and software at Towers Watson, to spearhead the venture.
Chain (pictured) told Legal Business she was surprised at how interested GCs are in getting the relevant support.
She added: ‘The differentiator is we are separate from the law firm. Although we work on multi-disciplinary projects we are independent. We practice what we preach – I always rally against hourly fees and am for a fixed or capped fee.’
‘The role of GC is currently so diverse – the real challenge is the role – which is a hotchpotch to date – is beginning to coalesce into something that manages enterprise risk, guiding the c-suite through choppy waters and really focusing on the strategic issues facing the business. GCs are now saying we need teams that can cope with the new responsibilities and add real value.’
Managing partner Jonathan Watmough added: ‘What’s clear is that, in an increasingly regulated and complex global risk environment, the role of the GC has changed immeasurably, with in-house lawyers these days needing to perform at a much higher level and across a significantly broader business landscape than before.’
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
