PARSIPPANY, N.J. (February 23, 2017) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has been selected as one of seven law firms that will partner with the Avis Budget Group to support its business and legal operations. The panel of seven law firms was selected as a result of a comprehensive multi-year legal transformation effort that profoundly changed the manner by which Avis’ legal function works to efficiently manage outside counsel, in-house counsel, legal operations and the deployment of technology to deliver legal services to the company.

The panel was selected as a result of a comprehensive multi-year legal transformation effort that focused on creating cost savings to Avis through sustainable, dynamic and effective management of its outside legal spend, efficient and cost-effective insourcing of legal work and measurable management of the company’s legal operations. Designed to drive efficiency throughout the organization and deliver savings, Avis’ legal transformation efforts dramatically reduced the number of law firms that represent the company around the globe from approximately 700 to a panel of seven firms. 

The Company’s panel is comprised of the following law firms:

• Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz
• Bryan Cave
• Dentons
• Eversheds
• K&L Gates
• Littler Mendelson
• Reed Smith

“Contrary to many law firm convergence programs that focus predominately on creating savings to the company by imposing blanket discounts to law firms’ billing rates and making panel firm members continually compete against each other for work, the ABG Model was designed to balance the Company’s business goals with the business objectives of each of our panel firm members. We use technology, improved tracking and management processes, efficient use of in-house and outside human resources, actionable metrics, and creative bespoke fee structures to produce and share benefits between the Company and the panel firms,” said Michael K. Tucker, executive vice president and general counsel, Avis Budget Group. “Our program is based on a ‘win-win’ model that not only reduces our legal spend, but also provides our panel firms the ability to effect a preferred financial recognition for their services by providing them with the ability to manage their partner-to-associate utilization ratio on matters, leverage technology and incorporate project management tools to increase their profitability while increasing the efficiency and quality of the legal services provided to the Company.”

Avis Budget Group’s panel of law firms will provide legal counsel based on their expertise in several substantive areas of the law, including, but are not limited to, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, lobbying and government affairs, labor and employment, regulatory and compliance, intellectual property, environmental, tax and data protection. The panel was chosen after a multi-year effort by Avis that utilized prequalification questionnaires, requests for proposals, presentations to senior management and interviews to identify the best firms that the Company believes shares its commitment to effectuating a change in the way that legal services are provided, with a focus on innovation, technology, use of alternative fee arrangements, diversity, client engagement, proactive counseling and the use of sophisticated metrics to measure performance. 

About Avis Budget Group

Avis Budget Group, Inc. is a leading global provider of vehicle rental services, both through its Avis and Budget brands, which have more than 10,000 rental locations in approximately 180 countries around the world, and through its Zipcar brand, which is the world’s leading car sharing network, with more than one million members. Avis Budget Group operates most of its car rental offices in North America, Europe and Australia directly, and operates primarily through licensees in other parts of the world. Avis Budget Group has approximately 30,000 employees and is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. More information is available at www.avisbudgetgroup.com.

About Littler

Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,200 attorneys in over 75 offices worldwide. Littler represents management in all aspects of employment and labor law and serves as a single-source solution provider to the global employer community. Consistently recognized in the industry as a leading and innovative law practice, Littler has been litigating, mediating and negotiating some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record for 75 years. Littler Global is the collective trade name for an international legal practice, the practicing member entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms.