How Some Law Departments Are Winning Law Firm Rate Negotiations? (Presented by Above the Law)

Maui Gevero, Senior Manager | Legal Advisory, Persuit

Maui Gevero is the Senior Manager of Legal Advisory at PERSUIT®, where he leads the Legal Advisory Team and applies deep expertise in legal pricing, data analytics, and outside counsel management. Before joining PERSUIT, Maui served as a Senior Financial Analyst on the pricing team at Latham & Watkins, where he led complex client pricing engagements and built analytical programs, and earlier worked as an analyst in the Compliance and Investment Management divisions at Goldman Sachs. His passion for data and analytics has shaped his approach to transforming pricing strategy and transparency across the legal industry. Maui is a frequent contributor to discussions on legal pricing innovation, AI’s impact on legal services, and market-based negotiation strategies, sharing insights through podcasts and industry events.

Legal Focus

• Legal pricing strategy and analytics
• Outside counsel management optimization
• Market-based rate negotiation and transparency
• Data-driven decision-making in legal spending management

Professional Experience

• Senior Manager, Legal Advisory — PERSUIT (leads Legal Advisory Team)
• Senior Financial Analyst, Pricing Team — Latham & Watkins (pricing analytics, client engagements)
• Analyst — Goldman Sachs (Compliance and Asset/Investment Management divisions)

Credentials & Leadership

• Leads Persuit’s Legal Advisory Team, advising corporate legal departments on pricing and negotiation strategy
• Recognized voice on legal pricing, analytics, and emerging industry trends through podcast contributions and speaking engagements

Education

• University of Nevada-Las Vegas – College of Business

Select Media & Speaking

• Guest on Innovative Legal Leadership podcast discussing legal pricing disruption, AI in legal services, and the future of the billable hour
• Featured in PERSUIT podcast episodes on legal pricing, client-firm relationships, and arbitration challenges

Representative Engagements

• Speaker at industry conferences on legal pricing and outside counsel cost strategies (e.g., Corporate Counsel Conference circuits)
• Contributor to PERSUIT insights on law firm pricing dynamics and analytics-based negotiation models

Ken Callander, Founder | Value Strategies

Ken Callander is the Managing Principal of Value Strategies LLC (now part of UpLevel Ops) and specializes in helping corporate legal departments get greater value and budget predictability from their outside counsel relationships—often by transitioning matters from hourly billing to valuebased fee arrangements. He previously served as Head of Legal Operations and Chief of Staff to the General Counsel at Uber Technologies, and earlier was Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Business Development at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. Before that, he held operations and marketing leadership roles at Hewlett Packard, where he was considered an expert in pricing professional services. Ken is a Certified Pricing Professional (CPP) and earned a degree in Physics/Physical Sciences from Stanford University.

Legal Focus

• Value-based pricing for legal services and replacing the billable hour with outcome-aligned fee models
• Outside counsel management focused on value, efficiency, and budget predictability
• Legal spend strategy and matter pricing designed to reduce total cost and administrative friction

Professional Experience

• Managing Principal, Value Strategies LLC (Value Strategies by UpLevel Ops)
• Head of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff to the General Counsel, Uber Technologies
• Chief Marketing Officer & Director of Business Development, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
• Operations/Marketing Executive roles, Hewlett Packard

Credentials & Leadership

• Certified Pricing Professional (CPP)
• Founder/Leader of Value Strategies within UpLevel Ops’ value-based legal spend solutions

Education

• Stanford University — degree in Physics/Physical Sciences

Select Media & Speaking

• Co-author, Above the Law: “Why Value-Based Pricing Is Here To Stay” (Feb. 6, 2025)
• Featured guest: UpLevel View episode on value-based pricing with UpLevel Ops leadership
• Podcast guest: episode discussing law firm pricing, AI, and value-based fee arrangements

Representative Engagements

• Advises corporate legal departments on shifting outside counsel engagements from hourly fees to value-based arrangements, with reported reductions in total legal spend (stated range: 20%–50%)
• Client experience described as spanning large companies in ride-sharing, money transfer, social media, internet search, plus multinational conglomerates and the largest U.S. university system

I. Reactive negotiation to proactive negotiation| 1:00pm – 1:20pm

This segment examines the shift from reactive rate pushback to proactive pricing strategies that shape outcomes before costs escalate. Leading legal departments are setting guardrails, benchmarks, and approval structures in advance rather than negotiating after the fact. Drawing on broad market data, the discussion highlights why traditional negotiations often produce higher total spend despite apparent “wins.” Attendees will learn how structured governance and data visibility create greater predictability, consistency, and control over outside counsel costs.

II. Which levers work in 2026 | 1:20pm – 1:40pm

This segment explores which negotiation and governance levers are delivering real impact in 2026 as rate dispersion widens and partner rates climb. The panel will examine practical tools such as standard-rate discipline, defined timekeeper roles, senior lawyer approvals, and staffing controls. Emphasis will be placed on how portfolio-wide visibility strengthens leverage and consistency across firms and geographies. Attendees will learn to distinguish cosmetic concessions from strategies that meaningfully influence long-term spend.

III. Practical roadmap for modernizing outside counsel management and improving cost control | 1:40pm – 2:00pm

The final segment delivers a practical roadmap for modernizing outside counsel management while preserving quality and strong firm relationships. It outlines how to implement structured pricing governance, scalable processes, and portfolio-level analytics. Participants will learn how to replace ad hoc negotiation with repeatable systems that produce predictable, defensible outcomes. This segment focuses on strengthening cost control while maintaining flexibility and collaboration.