Who is going to tell you if your law firm is oversubscribing with your legal research providers?
And yes, oversubscribing is an actual word:
“To subscribe for (something) in excess of available supply.”
As customers to Westlaw, Lexis, BloombergBNA, etc., how often does your sales representative ask if you feel you’re oversubscribing or spending too much money? Are they being transparent about your usage? Are they really thinking about what is best for you?
There are law firms that have good relationships with their vendors and that is important. However, you still need to ask yourself, are your vendors’ interests aligned with yours?
- Are you buying the product or service because there is a need?
- Have you talked to others who have used this product or service?
- How will it affect your current contract terms if this product or service is added?
- If you must have this product or service, do you know the true value?
- Who will be your point of contact after the purchase?
These are some of the questions I would suggest asking before moving forward with purchases. It is easy for your costs to increase but it takes a major effort to bring those costs down. When you are making a decision to add to your legal research content, due diligence will go a long way.