A new service tailored to the needs of GCs is giving NewLaw a run for its money.
Chis Dancey reckons he knows what GCs want, and it’s not always what private practice or NewLaw firms always spruik.
Augment General Counsel is a new model law firm, specialising in compliance, risk and governance. Dancey calls it a ‘hybrid model’, offering onshore and offshore services.
“We are actually providing a different type of legal service than the private practice law firms we see ourselves as first line corporate risk and legal services triages,” Dancey told Australasian Lawyer.
“If an in-house legal function wants help and support, they don’t always want the help and support a private practice law firm can give.”
The firm helps in-house legal teams operate more efficiently by offering two services:The first is an outsourcing service, Centre of Law Department Excellence in the Philippines, staffed by fully qualified attorneys.
The second is seconding former GCs to businesses needing to upscale legal resources, work more flexibly or to businesses not yet big enough to warrant hiring a whole legal department.
“I think the skill set for in-house counsel is quite different,” Dancey said.
“You might not know everything there is to know about superannuation but what you do know is how to deal with triaging the day to day business legal issues that a corporation will come up against.
“And putting those sorts of legal issues to a private practice law firm isn’t always possible and also doing it all yourself isn’t always possible if you’ve got an in-house legal function.”
The firm opened its doors in Australia back in November and will be tackling the Singapore market next following strong demand.
“We know the mindset of a general counsel because we are in that mindset and we’ve been in that position ourselves,” Dancey said.
