US-based trade organisation the Buying Legal Council and Australian legaltech startup Lawcadia have announced a formal collaboration to promote legal procurement in the Asia-Pacific region and support professionals tasked with the buying of legal services.
The partnership – which arises out of a series of successful forums run by the pair in 2016 – will focus on building an APAC legal procurement community, including legal operations directors and in-house counsel, said to be reflective of the growth of procurement and drive for greater value in the region.
While education and networking for in-house or client-side professionals is the main focus of the collaboration, it also involves working to increase the visibility and credibility of legal procurement and the Buying Legal Council through effective networking, partnering, and communications with stakeholders in the legal profession.
“Legal procurement is rapidly becoming ubiquitous in large organisations in Europe and North America and I see this trend also happening in Asia-Pacific,” said Dr Silvia Hodges Silverstein, executive director of the Buying Legal Council.
“The legal industry is changing quickly and professionals tasked with buying and managing legal services will be key drivers of this change. The Buying Legal Council together with Lawcadia will work to support and educate these professionals through research, advocacy, networking and communication.”
The flagship event for the collaboration will be the Legal Procurement Forum, to be held in Sydney later in the year.