Thomas Sager’s efforts to shake up the way law firms do business are generally hailed as visionary now. But back in the early 1990s, when Sager, then an associate general counsel at E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, first began pitching some of his proposed reforms to outside firms, they were hardly an instant hit. “Nobody was jumping up and down saying, ‘Great idea!’” says Sager.
Luckily for cost-conscious in-house departments everywhere, the lack of enthusiasm didn’t stop Sager. He instituted a new way of managing litigation and other matters, widely known as the DuPont Legal Model, that has become a template for driving efficiencies and innovation in the legal industry. In addition, he pushed DuPont’s outside firms and its legal department to be more inclusive, and became one of the most effective champions of diversity in the profession.
