Source & Select

Award work
on value.
Not habit.

Most outside counsel selection is relationship by default. PERSUIT gives you two ways to select the right firm — both backed by $22B+ in real benchmarking data. Works alongside your existing matter management and ERP systems — not instead of them.

See it in action
Mode A
Competitive Request
Multiple firms respond to a structured Request. Proposals evaluated side-by-side against market benchmarks. Award on value — price is one input, not the only one.
Mode B
Single-Sourced SOW
Going direct to a trusted firm? PERSUIT's benchmarking data arms you for the negotiation — so you know what you should be paying, not just what you're being asked to pay.
Proposal Comparison — Commercial Litigation Matter
Persi active
Firm
Total Fee
vs. Benchmark
Value Score
Clifford Chance
$380,000
–12% below
94 / 100
Award
Freshfields
$420,000
At market
81 / 100
Reserve
Linklaters
$465,000
+8% above
76 / 100
Decline
◈
Clifford Chance scores highest on team quality and benchmark value. Note: lowest bid does not win here — Linklaters was cheapest last cycle but underperformed on timeline. Recommend Clifford Chance.
The Real Problem

Legal teams don't have a sourcing problem. They have a decision problem.

  • Firms selected on familiarity, not fit — the panel defaults to whoever worked the last matter
  • Competitive processes reserved for the largest matters — 80% of work goes out on a handshake
  • Proposals evaluated on price alone — no structured way to compare quality, team experience, or strategic fit
  • Benchmark data drawn from 12-month-old surveys — stale before it's even published
  • Award rationale undocumented — no record of why this firm, this rate, this structure
  • Single-sourced matters negotiated without market context — the relationship survives, but the value leaks

The problem is not that legal teams lack good judgment. The problem is that good judgment has no system supporting it. PERSUIT builds the system — so decisions are visible, defensible, and data-backed.

See it in action
What It Does

Both routes.
One platform.

01

Competitive Requests

Structured Requests sent to multiple firms simultaneously. Configurable question sets, required scope responses, and fee structures — so every proposal is comparable. 40,000+ Requests published through PERSUIT.

◈ Persi drafts the Request from matter intake data in minutes
02

Single-Sourced SOW

Going direct to a preferred firm doesn't mean going in blind. PERSUIT's benchmarking data shows the market rate for this matter type, practice area, and firm tier — before you sit down at the table.

◈ Persi surfaces the benchmark and drafts the SOW scope for negotiation
Firm Comparison View
03

Proposal Evaluation

Side-by-side comparison of every proposal — fee structure, team quality, experience, and benchmark position. Value scoring built from your criteria, not a gut call. The lowest bid wins only 48% of the time.

◈ Persi scores proposals, highlights outliers, and recommends the award
04

Benchmark-Backed Negotiation

Every negotiation backed by real data — not surveys from 12 months ago. Rate benchmarks by practice area, firm tier, geography, and matter type from $22B+ in real proposal data.

◈ Persi prepares the negotiation brief with comparable matter rates
Panel Scorecard
05

Firm Recommender

PERSUIT's recommendation engine surfaces the right firms from your existing panel and from 4,800+ verified firms on the platform. Recommendations based on experience, performance history, panel status, and rate position. Built from $22B+ in actual market data.

◈ Persi cross-references firm recommendations with your panel and past performance
06

Award & Onboard

Work awarded through PERSUIT with a documented decision rationale. Agreed team, rates, and scope flow directly into Pricing & AFAs — no re-entry, no version confusion, no surprises.

◈ Persi notifies the firm, confirms the team, and initiates the pricing stage
Competitive Request Dashboard
Why It's Different

Stop choosing firms on memory. Start choosing on merit.

Traditional Firm Selection
✗
Relationship-based selectionWork goes to whoever's familiar — no structured evaluation of fit, value, or past performance.
✗
Proposals compared on pricePrice is the only variable that's easy to compare — quality, team, and strategy are too unstructured to evaluate.
✗
Survey-based benchmarksBenchmark data from 12-month-old surveys — stale, generic, and disconnected from your actual spend.
✗
Single-sourced = unquestionedGoing direct means accepting the first number — no market context, no negotiation leverage.
✗
Award rationale lostNo record of why this firm was chosen, what was evaluated, or what alternatives existed.
PERSUIT Source & Select
✓
Data-backed firm recommendationPersi recommends firms based on matter type, complexity, jurisdiction, and historical performance — not just who's on the panel list.
✓
Value-scored evaluationProposals scored on price, team quality, approach, timeline, and benchmark fit — so the award goes to the best firm, not the cheapest.
✓
Live transaction benchmarks ($22B+)Real pricing data from 40,000+ Requests — current, specific, and drawn from your peers' actual transactions.
✓
Single-sourced = informedGoing direct with full market context — know what the rate should be before you negotiate, so the relationship stays strong and the price is fair.
✓
Documented decisionEvery award captured — firms evaluated, scores recorded, rationale preserved. Audit-ready from day one.
26%
Average savings per matter on first competitive Request through PERSUIT
48%
of the time the lowest bid wins — value evaluation changes outcomes
40,000+
Requests published through PERSUIT across 200+ enterprise legal teams
Single-Sourced Matters

Going direct?
Go in with data.

Not every matter needs a competitive process. Trusted relationships, time pressure, and specialist expertise all justify single-sourcing. But "I trust them" and "I know the rate is fair" are two different things.

PERSUIT arms you with the second one — so the relationship stays strong and you're not leaving money on the table.

Live Rate Benchmark — M&A Partner, US, Mid-Market Deal
Market median rate
$680 / hr
Your preferred firm's rate
$790 / hr
Top-quartile efficient rate
$610 / hr
Comparable matters (last 12 months)
847 transactions
◈ Persi: Your firm is 16% above market median. Recommend rate negotiation to $710–720 range before engagement. I can draft the ask.
Common Objections

We've heard the pushback. Here's what actually happens.

Our firms won't participate in competitive processes.
They already do. Over 3,500 law firms actively respond to Requests on PERSUIT — including most Am Law 100 and Magic Circle firms. Firms prefer structured processes because they compete on quality, not just price. The ones who resist usually come around once they see they're losing work to firms who do participate.
Competitive processes take too long for urgent matters.
Not with PERSUIT. The average competitive Request on PERSUIT completes in 5–7 business days. Persi drafts the Request from matter intake data in minutes. For truly urgent work, single-sourced SOWs give you market context without any delay — you still negotiate direct, just with better data.
We have a small panel — what's the point of competing?
Small panels benefit the most. When you only have 3–5 firms, every award decision matters more. PERSUIT's benchmarking data shows you where each firm sits versus market — even on single-sourced work. Panel size doesn't limit the value of informed selection; it amplifies it.
This will damage our firm relationships.
Transparency strengthens relationships. Firms consistently tell us they prefer PERSUIT's structured process because it's fair, clear, and merit-based. The firms that win know exactly why they won — and the firms that don't get actionable feedback. That's better for everyone.
Persi — Built into PERSUIT

The right firm at the right price — every time.

Persi knows the right firms for each matter, drafts the Request or SOW, compares every proposal against real market data, and recommends the award. Whether you're running a competitive process or negotiating direct, you go in with the full picture.

See everything Persi does →
Smart agent. Wise counsel.
Persi
Persi — Working with you
We need a firm for this IP dispute — happy to go with our usual panel. What rate should I be aiming for?
Benchmark ready Your panel firm's current rate is 14% above market median for IP litigation at this complexity level. Recommend targeting $580–610/hr. I've found 3 comparable matters where that rate was accepted. Want me to draft the ask?
◈ Part of PERSUIT
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Structure Pricing & AFAs
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