Head of a team of 1,300 people at Allstate, Ms Lees suggests that discussions about making billing more flexible in the legal sector have not been fulfilled in reality. She says: 'It used to be tough to explain, but it’s gotten incredibly difficult to explain fees to business people.'

Billable hours

For all the talk about moving away from the billable hour, Ms Lees believes that it still forms the basis for much charging. Allstate has 20 law firms on its preferred supplier list, including Dentons, Kirkland & Ellis and Seyfarth Shaw. Source: Bloomberg Business of Law