Filling an international resource gap

Companies operating internationally face a challenge when seeking consistent advice and service but in far-flung parts of the world. The challenge is greater when the organisation wants resource for short-term projects rather than on an ongoing basis.

The challenge

Premier Oil is an oil and gas company operating in the UK, Asia, Africa and Mexico. It had project-related resourcing needs in the UK, Falklands and Vietnam, but wanted to source their needs from one supplier.

They were facing a particularly busy period and wanted to top up their use of Pinsent Masons with three full time but short-term lawyers.

The solution

Pinsent Masons’ flexible service Vario was able to supply three experienced lawyers with the right skills and in the right locations to meet Premier’s needs. A Singapore-based lawyer was able to travel to Vietnam to meet Premier stakeholders.

This approach allowed Premier to take advantage of the fact that Vario has people in place all over the world who have already been through its robust assessment and assignment management processes.

The result

Premier was able to put the resource it needed in place very quickly, with a significantly reduced timescale compared to hiring permanent lawyers. The international nature of Vario’s service meant that it did not have to compromise on where the resources were based or on its need for a relationship with a single supplier.

It was able to meet its needs without incurring employment overheads and it had the flexibility to extend the arrangement beyond the initial planned six month duration.

The three Vario lawyers have alleviated significant workload demands on Premier Oil’s legal team.

Legal manager for Premier Oil John Murray said: “Vario has fast become my go-to provider for legal consultancy. We have been impressed with the high quality of the personnel we have worked with and really appreciate the user-friendly approach of the Vario offering.”