Next week will be the time to fire up the BBQ, have picnics, vacations, and enjoy the fireworks commemorating Independence Day. Thinking of the upcoming holiday and our forefathers’ fight for independence made me consider the unfair financial arrangements under which they suffered—and of this recent conversation.
While discussing a large, offsite records Request For Proposal project with a potential client, the Director of Information Services was telling me how the firm will be absorbing a number of Dewey & Lebeouf’s attorneys and their associated matters. As part of this conversation, this person also mentioned that her firm, who was receiving the matters, will be on the hook to pay the permanent withdrawal fees for the Dewey & Lebeouf files. And here’s the twist: these permanent withdrawal fees would be paid to the same offsite records storage vendor the firm currently uses for their offsite records storage.
In other words, this offsite vendor wants to charge this law firm to “permanently withdraw” the Dewey files and transfer them to her firm even though the files will neither be “withdrawn,“ will not even leave the facility, and, in fact, only would be transferred in name from one firm to the other. I was quite surprised that this offsite vendor would even try this move (of course dealing in this market, nothing surprises me anymore). I politely suggested to this potential new client that this should be totally unacceptable. However, it does bring up an interesting contractual point to be addressed in future negotiations.
I will keep you posted.
On a lighter note, I want to congratulate Carolyn C. Park, Regional Administrator of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC in Albany, New York who was our “Opt Back In” iPad winner. Opt Back In was Mattern & Associates contest for anyone who had opted out of our electronic Mattern Matters newsletter and Mattern Minutes and re-considered. We dedicate our email communications to providing relevant and useful information and hope to create an effective exchange of ideas with our colleagues.
Carolyn – We are happy to have you back. If you don’t feel like you are winning two (2) prizes (your iPad and our e-communications), I will send you another iPad.
Enjoy the holiday, all.
