Project Counsel

Managing major projects with reduced legal budgets and reduced in-house attorney staff is a recurring issue for General Counsels of major corporations. Thomas Vega-Byrnes has the legal management experience and skills to assist corporate counsel by playing the key role of project counsel, overseeing the hiring and supervision of additional outside law firms, local counsel in multiple jurisdictions, and the overall legal team coordination of the contract negotiation process. He has extensive experience working alongside company staff and external consultants, such as project developers, engineers, insurance and finance professionals, in multi-disciplinary project teams.

Mr. Vega-Byrnes understands that his clients are interested in optimal results at a reasonable cost. His move from a large firm to his own small firm is driven in part by a desire to eliminate the pressures big firm partners face to generate a high level of associate billable hours that do not always translate into added value for the client. Due to his lower overhead, Mr. Vega-Byrnes is able to offer his clients a lower billing rate that is generally 15% to 25% lower than big firm partners with comparable international project experience.