Baker Donelson has been selected by Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental and car sharing services, to partner with the company to support its business and legal operations through a law firm convergence program designed to drive efficiency and deliver cost savings.
Baker Donelson is one of seven law firms selected as a result of a comprehensive multi-year legal transformation effort that profoundly changed the manner by which Avis Budget Group's legal function works to efficiently manage outside counsel, in-house counsel, legal operations and the deployment of technology to deliver legal services to the company.
"Baker Donelson is exceptionally proud to have been selected by Avis Budget Group as part of this law firm convergence program. This program demonstrates how companies are increasingly looking for more effective and creative ways to control their outside legal spend and manage their legal portfolios," said Baker Donelson Chairman and CEO Ben C. Adams. "Our firm has been an industry leader in developing and offering our clients systems and tools that lead to more systematic planning and budget accountability in the management of legal matters. We look forward to bringing those skills and experience to this new partnership with Avis Budget Group."
Avis Budget Group's legal transformation efforts were focused on creating cost savings to the company through sustainable, dynamic and effective management of its outside legal spend, efficient and cost-effective insourcing of legal work and measurable management of the company's legal operations. Designed to drive efficiency throughout the organization and deliver savings, these efforts dramatically reduced the number of law firms that represent Avis Budget Group around the globe from approximately 700 to a panel of seven firms.
"Contrary to many law firm convergence programs that focus predominantly on creating savings to the company by imposing blanket discounts to law firms' billing rates and making panel firm members continually compete against each other for work, the ABG Model was designed to balance Avis Budget Group's business goals with the business objectives of each of our panel firm members. We use technology, improved tracking and management processes, efficient use of in-house and outside human resources, actionable metrics, and creative bespoke fee structures to produce and share benefits between the company and the panel firms," said Michael K. Tucker, executive vice president and general counsel, Avis Budget Group. "Our program is based on a 'win-win' model that not only reduces our legal spend, but also provides our panel firms the ability to effect a preferred financial recognition for their services by providing them with the ability to manage their partner-to-associate utilization ratio on matters, leverage technology and incorporate project management tools to increase their profitability while increasing the efficiency and quality of the legal services provided to the company."
Avis Budget Group's panel of law firms will provide legal counsel based on their expertise in several substantive areas of the law, including, but not limited to, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, lobbying and government affairs, labor and employment, regulatory and compliance, intellectual property, environmental, tax and data protection.
The panel was chosen after a multi-year effort by the company that utilized prequalification questionnaires, requests for proposals, presentations to senior management and interviews to identify the best firms that the company believes shares its commitment to effectuating a change in the way that legal services are provided, with a focus on innovation, technology, use of alternative fee arrangements, diversity, client engagement, proactive counseling and the use of sophisticated metrics to measure performance.
About Avis Budget Group
Avis Budget Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of vehicle rental services, both through its Avis and Budget brands, which have more than 11,000 rental locations in approximately 180 countries around the world, and through its Zipcar brand, which is the world's leading car sharing network, with more than one million members. Avis Budget Group operates most of its car rental offices in North America, Europe and Australia directly, and operates primarily through licensees in other parts of the world. Avis Budget Group has approximately 30,000 employees and is headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey.
About Baker Donelson
Recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For," Baker Donelson is among the 50 largest law firms in the country, with more than 800 attorneys and public policy advisors representing more than 30 practice areas to serve a wide range of legal needs. Clients receive knowledgeable guidance from experienced, multi-disciplined industry and client service teams, all seamlessly connected across 24 offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C.