© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(Sept. 3) – For the last 10 years, Dallas lawyer Patrick Keating thought there is a better way to deliver high-stakes litigation services.
He is now exploring that alternative. In July, Keating felt it was the right time to leave Haynes and Boone, where he had practiced for 20 years, and launch his own law firm in an attempt to provide the highest quality representation in the most efficient way possible.
“I’m happy to be a trial lawyer for a client, but I also like to be a business partner,” he said. “Clients are more interested in a lawyer that is interested in their long-term interests rather than a hired gun.”
Two weeks ago, Keating brought on Catherine Brandt, formerly of the Stanton Trial Firm, as his first lateral hire. He also has a flex-time lawyer on his team.
Keating is currently representing the owner of the Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco that was home to the biker gang shooting earlier this year in a number of pending lawsuits. He said his firm’s focus will be on business divorce cases and trade secret cases.
“Companies are willing to go to the mat to protect trade secrets to prevent the most important intellectual property from going out the door,” he said.
In addition to flexibility on rate structures, Keating says there are two key areas that have matured over the last several years that reduce overhead costs for a client in litigation: document review and “on-demand” lawyers.
The University of Texas School of Law graduate says outside vendors like Novus Law can perform large document reviews better, faster and cheaper than big law firms that handle document review in-house. On average, he says clients can save 70 to 80 percent by outsourcing document review.
“On-demand” lawyers, as Keating describes them, are lawyers who aren’t working full-time, but are available to be brought in for specific aspects of a case instead of its entirety.
Another way that Keating is using technology to serve his clients is by using encrypted cloud storage for case files. He says this approach is more convenient and secure than printing mountains of paper copies.
© 2014 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.