Designs panel structures, defines firm selection criteria, runs right-sourcing analysis, and assesses coverage gaps for in-house legal teams building or formalising their outside counsel panel. Panel design is not panel review. Design asks: what should the panel look like? Review asks: is the panel performing? This skill builds the framework. Panel-review-rationalisation (Skill 8) measures against it.
panel-design-selection
OCM Skills Plugin — Skill 2 of 8
Status: Complete — Phase 1 and Phase 2 tested
What this skill does
Designs panel structures, defines firm selection criteria, runs right-sourcing analysis, and assesses coverage gaps for in-house legal teams building or formalising their outside counsel panel.
Panel design is not panel review. Design asks: what should the panel look like? Review asks: is the panel performing? This skill builds the framework. Panel-review-rationalisation (Skill 8) measures against it.
Modes
| Mode | Trigger | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Panel Design | "Design our panel" / "How many firms do we need" / "Panel structure" | Panel Design Document + GC Briefing Note |
| 2 — Selection Criteria Framework | "Firm selection criteria" / "How do we choose firms" / "Weight the criteria" | Selection Criteria Matrix + GC Briefing Note |
| 3 — Right-Sourcing Analysis | "Right-sourcing" / "Are we sending work to the right firms" / "Do we need BigLaw for this" | Right-Sourcing Analysis + GC Briefing Note |
| 4 — Coverage Gap Analysis | "Panel gaps" / "We need a firm for [area]" / "Too many firms" / "Consolidate" | Coverage Assessment + GC Briefing Note |
Key design decisions
Dual-use criteria framework. The selection criteria matrix (Mode 2) is designed for both RFP evaluation (rfp-pitch-management) and ongoing performance measurement (performance-scorecard). The criteria you select firms on should be the criteria you evaluate them against. If the framework is used once for selection and then filed, it has failed.
ABC tiering for right-sourcing. Mode 3 classifies work into three tiers — Complex/Strategic (A), Specialist/Substantial (B), Routine/Volume (C) — and maps current provider allocation against them. The most common mismatch is Tier C work at Tier A providers. That's where the financial impact sits.
Relationship dimension flagged. Right-sourcing recommendations that affect a firm the GC has a strong relationship with are explicitly flagged. The analysis is about the work, not the firm. The GC decides how to act on it.
Pilot-first reallocation. Right-sourcing recommendations include a recommended pilot scope rather than wholesale reallocation. A pilot produces evidence that makes the case for broader change.
Benchmarks by spend. Panel size recommendations are anchored to annual spend benchmarks rather than abstract best practice. Under £2m: 3–5 firms. £2m–£10m: 5–10. Over £10m: 8–15+.
Placement in the OCM lifecycle
| Stage | Skill |
|---|---|
| Billing rules | engagement-terms-billing-guidelines (Skill 1) |
| Panel design | panel-design-selection (Skill 2) ← this skill |
| Firm selection | rfp-pitch-management (Skill 3) |
| Fee arrangements | fee-arrangement-structuring (Skill 4) |
| Matter instruction | matter-allocation-instruction (Skill 5) |
| Invoice review | invoice-review-compliance (Skill 6) |
| Performance management | performance-scorecard (Skill 7) |
| Panel review | panel-review-rationalisation (Skill 8) |
Cross-skill connections
| Skill | Connection |
|---|---|
| rfp-pitch-management (Skill 3) | Panel structure and selection criteria feed directly into RFP design and evaluation. |
| engagement-terms-billing-guidelines (Skill 1) | Panel tier determines OCG intensity. Strategic partners may have negotiated terms. |
| performance-scorecard (Skill 7) | Selection criteria framework is the baseline for ongoing performance measurement. |
| panel-review-rationalisation (Skill 8) | This skill builds the framework; Skill 8 assesses the panel against it. |
| matter-allocation-instruction (Skill 5) | Panel structure determines which firm gets which type of matter. |
Testing
Phase 1 and Phase 2 test prompts and assertion sets are in the build log.
Files
panel-design-selection/SKILL.md— skill instructionspanel-design-selection-README.md— this document
Licence
Apache 2.0 — LegalOps Consulting Limited