Hiring settlement counsel involves retaining an attorney for the sole purpose of attempting to resolve a dispute. The practice is not new, and articles about settlement counsel go back more than twenty years. However, clients often exhibit a reluctance to hire settlement counsel for a role that has traditionally been filled by their corporate or litigation attorneys. Given the many benefits of using separate settlement counsel — time and money being not the least of them — it is somewhat surprising that the concept has not been more warmly embraced.
This article will look at the role of settlement counsel and the benefits of employing this type of legal representation to handle disputes...
