Delivered
Legal operations run by people who ran it in-house.
Every practitioner in the practice has operated inside a legal department, not only consulted to one, and the work runs inside your systems, against agreed service levels.
A managed, trained offshore bench provides round-the-clock coverage and cost-effective delivery where needed.
To stand up a PE-backed manufacturer’s first Project Management Office, which Swiftwater still runs today (case study).
First-year savings from an outside counsel and vendor management program for a Fortune 100 telecom (case study).
Engagement models: full managed, co-managed or project-based.
Minimum commitment. Many clients start project-based and expand.
Services Offered
Managed legal operations services, one engagement or all nine.
Many clients begin with one service and add others as the relationship deepens. Each service below is available as a standalone engagement or as part of a broader managed services program.
01
Managed Bill Review
Invoices reviewed against billing guidelines, agreed rates and matter scope, without replacing your panel.
03
Contract Operations
Intake, routing, negotiation support, execution tracking and obligation management.
04
Legal RFP Execution
Panel reviews and matter RFPs, from brief to selection.
05
Vendor Management
Outside counsel and legal technology vendors: performance reviews, rate negotiations, panel maintenance and guideline enforcement.
06
Third-Party Risk Management
Vendor risk assessments, due diligence workflows and regulatory documentation at scale.
07
Ongoing Matter Management Support
Matter tracking, status reporting and data hygiene in your ELM.
08
Reporting & Analytics
BI dashboards and spend analytics built and maintained by Hafid Karama.
The Practice Team
People who have run it,
not just advised on it.
Every practitioner in Swiftwater’s Managed Services practice has operated in-house, not only consulted to one. That experience shapes how they work, and why clients keep them.
Frequently asked questions
Do you provide legal managed services for Fortune 500 legal departments?
Yes. Swiftwater’s practitioners have delivered for Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 legal and IP departments, and our managed services team brings in-house operating experience from AT&T, Verizon, Home Depot and Cox. We also serve mid-market legal departments, and the same models scale down: many clients start with one service.
Which managed services cover spend management, contracting and litigation support together?
One team can run all three. Spend: managed bill review, vendor management and legal RFP execution. Contracting: contract operations from intake to obligation tracking. Litigation: eDiscovery support, litigation project management, and matter tracking, status reporting and data hygiene in your ELM, with outside counsel invoices reviewed against your guidelines. Reporting across all of it is built and maintained by our business intelligence lead.
How do you maintain regulatory compliance, transparent reporting and our internal governance?
We work inside your governance, and a well-run engagement increases control and visibility. Work runs inside your systems and your governance, against agreed service levels, with transparent reporting and dashboards maintained by our business intelligence lead. Regulatory and compliance requirements are built into the process design, and your team keeps decision rights while we carry the execution.
Who are your clients?
Corporate legal and IP departments, from the Fortune 50 to the mid-market. Published case studies include a Fortune 100 telecom, a Fortune 50 technology company, a global pharmaceutical company, a Fortune 1000 financial services firm, a global oil and gas company and a PE-backed manufacturer, whose PMO we still run. We do not name clients without their permission.
Is there a minimum commitment, and what engagement models are available?
Three models: full managed (we operate the function end to end), co-managed (we integrate with your team and fill specific gaps), and project-based (defined scope, such as an RFP execution or a contract operations launch). There is no minimum commitment. Many clients start project-based and expand as the value becomes clear.
Is this a staffing arrangement?
No. A staffing provider supplies a person and you manage the work. In a managed engagement, senior practitioners with in-house operating experience run the work with program methodology built in, bring trained SMEs and junior staff where the work demands it, and answer for the results.
Which managed service do clients usually start with?
Whatever hurts most. Managed bill review is a common entry point because it produces measurable savings quickly without disrupting counsel relationships. Program management as a service is the other frequent starting point, typically alongside a technology implementation already underway.
What would your legal department accomplish if the right people were focused on the right work?
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