Texas Lawbook: What are the biggest or most initiatives you are handling now?
Rich Walsh: I would say I am spending a fair amount of time trying to address the nuclear verdicts that are significantly threating the integrity of our legal system and ultimately increasing costs for consumers for everything from food and fuel to home and auto insurance. Consumers cannot afford to have runaway verdicts layering on to the costs of everyday life.
Lawbook: What are the critical factors you consider when deciding about hiring outside counsel and what are the biggest mistakes that outside counsel make in their relationship with in-house counsel?
Walsh: We have a very sophisticated legal team, and it is not uncommon for outside counsels that are coming in to shop their wares to assume our legal team are lacking sophistication.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
Walsh: I follow the cup-and-saucer approach to outside counsel. I expect my in-house team to be the cup — they need to carry most of the liquid. The outside counsel is more of the saucer — they are there to catch the spills and overflows. But both are always at the table together.