Santa Clara, Calif. – Sun Microsystems Inc., the world’s fourth-largest maker of server computers, has dropped dozens of law firms from its roster and named nine to provide the bulk of its legal work in an effort to cut legal fees.
The firms Sun chose to provide most of its legal advice include Chicago-based DLA Piper and Kirkland & Ellis, and Crowell & Moring and Hogan & Hartson, based in Washington, according to a Sun spokeswoman.
In recent years, companies such as General Electric Co. and DuPont Co. have consolidated their lists of outside legal providers to forge closer relationships with the remaining firms and to save on legal costs.
Sun has cut the number of law firms it uses from about 400 in April 2004 to about 100, and earlier this year took further steps to trim the number.
