ABSTRACT
There are two main categories of charging within the library and information service at CMS Cameron McKenna: charging for time and charging for information. CMS Cameron McKenna is an international law firm, and the library and information service (LIS) serves the information needs of the whole firm. At CMS Cameron McKenna only client chargeable time is recharged; time spent on research for practice development, such as marketing information, is recorded for statistical purposes, but treated as an overhead. CMS Cameron McKenna uses a specific form - this time in triplicate for ease of administration. The target market for the LIS within a law firm is well defined: the firm and its clients. However, promotion is still important. Internally, every contact with a fee earner is a marketing exercise, illustrating what the LIS can do for the firm. Online searches have long been an easily identifiable cost and one of the first areas where charges were passed on in most libraries.
