Engagement options
We consult with you, identify your needs, and then tailor a solution. Typically, your needs will be met by one, or a combination, of the following engagement options. Sometimes a traditional engagement based on an hourly rate is all that is needed. Sometimes a traditional engagement based on a fixed fee or employing value-based pricing principles is appropriate.
Where you need more integrated support, are looking for certainty of cost and do not want to increase headcount, a retainer or a secondment is a flexible, cost-effective way to get access to top-tier expertise on an on-call, short-term or project-specific basis.
Fixed or capped fees
A fixed or capped fee arrangement works well when cost certainty is paramount. Our lawyers will work with you to understand the precise scope of your needs and will then fix or cap a fee to provide the certainty you need.
Traditional engagements
While much attention has been given to the death of the hourly rate, when you know and trust your lawyer, sometimes a traditional engagement based on agreed hourly rates is all that is needed.
Retainers
When you need ongoing legal support and want to contain cost, a retainer arrangement delivers the comfort of certainty around billing and an on-call lawyer who is intimate with and committed to your business.
Retainer clients can increase or decrease their retainer level as frequently as they wish, maintaining certainty as they scale or navigate conditions that might require more or less advice.
Secondments
A secondment arrangement may work best if you’re looking for short-term or project-specific legal support from a lawyer who is on-site. Clients commonly second a Nexus lawyer to scale up their team temporarily, cover a team member’s absence or for a specific scope of work. A secondment provides certainty of cost and gives access to an in-house lawyer on-site, without increasing employee headcount or on-costs. Our lawyers are available for short or long-term placements, tailored to meet your needs.
Benefits of engaging Nexus
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Easy scalability
Scale up your in-house or project team with a lawyer who has exactly the right seniority and expertise for your needs.
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Right lawyer for your team
We’re not a recruitment agency that grows by placing lawyers they don’t know; we’re a law firm with a moderated network of specific skill sets. Our lawyers do this as part of a practice they are growing for themselves, not moving from one contract role to the next.
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One lawyer, 250 experts
Whether working from your office on secondment or on a retainer, a Nexus lawyer has ready access to the firm’s 250 experts globally, collaborating across every practice area, all of whom share our innovative mindset.
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Seamless cover
If you have a lawyer going on leave, a seconded lawyer can step into their role, desk and telephone number. No one internally has to learn a new skill or process.
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Ready access, better relationships
Embedding a lawyer in your office or in your business on external retainer makes them readily accessible and more responsive to your needs, as their understanding of your business deepens over time.
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Risk management
Our lawyers are part of a firm, covered by professional indemnity and legal professional privilege, with full back-office support. It is a very different firm from what has gone before, a firm that is ready for the future and able to adapt fluidly. We have achieved that by redesigning the firm, not by loosely connecting unknown lawyers to clients.
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Flexible
Retain or second a lawyer for only as much time as you need them, adjusting the amount of time up or down as often as you like.
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Recruitment and head-count
A retainer or a secondment doesn’t add to headcount or recruitment costs. Either option is an easy and cost-effective way to assess capability and requirements. They are often as cost-effective as employing a lawyer.
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Global alliances
Our global alliance of far-sighted and like-minded law firms connects you to local expertise around the world.
