Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not think it would be unusual. UCC, for example, which came up today,has inhouse legal advisers but gives a lot of work out to different law firms. The HSE invites companies to tender for its work. I do not think it has an inhouse legal team. A lot of private companies have inhouse legal teams but a lot of work also goes out. It depends on the nature of what is involved. Legal work has now become sub-specialised. If you do not have the expertise inhouse it is therefore probably safer to farm it out to a place where that expertise is available.