Research shows that most lawyers think they know what their clients want – but their clients don’t always agree. How can lawyers and their firms truly understand the client perspective? How can they know what their clients are really asking for? What do lawyers need to know in order to get – and stay – hired?
What Clients Want from Law Firms combines the collective perspectives of clients in order to focus the lawyer’s mind on their end goal – providing a service that people want and will pay for. Exploring dynamic new approaches to the client–lawyer relationship, the contributors take on topics as broad as ESG, diversity, ethics, and AI, revealing what clients really want from law firms.
Written from the perspective of those who engage law firms in their business – and from sectors as diverse as banking, sport, and entertainment – this book explores the importance of client relationships, listening and understanding problems, and what clients really want from their trusted advisors.
Table of Content
Executive summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Chapter 1: What do clients want? Working effectively with the general counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
By Ian White, consultant, executive coach, mediator, facilitator, and trainer
Understand the business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Like the business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Independence is key (and becoming more important) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Likeability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Live up to what you say . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Don’t get it wrong – but if you do, own up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Listen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Shadow the general counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Read about and be interested in business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Giving back and the rise of ESG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Working with the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 2: Understanding your client’s business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
By Adrienne Gubbay, senior commercial lawyer
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
What does it mean to understand a business? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
How can you leverage your industry knowledge to benefit your in-house customers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
What steps can you take to deeply understand your in-house customer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
How does obtaining instructions from an internal legal team differ from receiving instructions from a non-legal customer? . . . . 15
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Chapter 3: How do GCs and law firm lawyers differ? Finding common ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
By Terezka Zabka, general counsel, San Diego Padres
Law firm and GC distinct roles and responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Prioritizing billable hours and revenue vs focus on cost savings and efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Expertise and ability to compel vs influence and persuasion at all levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Building a relationship and staying top of mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Chapter 4: Beyond law – business-critical skills to navigate the intersection of law, business, and technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
By Natasha Norton, Korum Legal
No more detached lawyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
A new definition of success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
The business context – lawyers as business partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Risk management and mitigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Adaptability and resilience – legal work in an era of rapid change . . . 29
Business- / client-centric thinking and communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Leadership and influence in the business world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Technological proficiency and legal tech expertise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Ethical responsibility – ethical decision-making in business . . . . . . . . . 33
Sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Leveraging legal expertise in the boardroom – bringing strategic value to corporate leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
The lawyer of the future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Chapter 5: How to stay front of mind – business development and relationship building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
By Claire Rason, Client Talk
Let’s explore what we mean by business development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Super skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
A model to practice – the Lawyer’s Coach Business Development Matrix© . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
In summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Chapter 6: The client view on ESG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
By Jenifer Swallow, strategic advisor and former general counsel
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
The state of play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
The legal profession and ESG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Who is the client? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
What is driving client maturity? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
What clients want on ESG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Chapter 7: What clients look for in panel selection – diversity and culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
By Joanna Day, commercial business leader
The need for diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Categories of work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Playing to strengths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
The auction process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Being realistic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
A good cultural fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Chapter 8: Effective panel and relationship management . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
By Joanna Day, commercial business leader
What is a panel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Panel management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Relationship management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Chapter 9: Fees and billing – a transparent approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
By Joanna Day, commercial business leader
Lack of clarity / failure to scope appropriately . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Help, it’s urgent! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Lack of effective relationship management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Billing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Disbursements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Added value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Cost management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Chapter 10: Matter management – collaborative working . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
By Dr Heidi K. Gardner, distinguished fellow, Harvard Law School and CEO, Gardner & Co and Csilla Ilkei, insights director, Gardner and Co.
Taking a step back – how legal needs are shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Increasing demands to “move up the value chain” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Necessity of in-house collaboration across four “vectors” . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Implications for external counsel – how firms can respond to stepped-up demands . . . . . . . . . 98
Top ten reasons clients value smarter collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Proving the point – outcomes of smarter collaboration for law firms and partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
If it’s so in-demand and lucrative, why is it still so hard? Challenges to collaboration in law firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Exceeding clients’ demands – practical, smarter collaboration how-tos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Looking ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Chapter 11: Active listening – do you know what your clients are asking for? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
By Claire Rason, Client Talk
The old way of client listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
What’s the new way? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Active listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
What lessons carry across from active listening into active client listening? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
What is it that clients want? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Tricks of the trade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Informal conversations and empathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Chapter 12: An empathy-driven approach to client listening . . . . . . . . . 125
By Paul Roberts, founder, My Customer Lens
The purpose of client listening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Traditional client listening lacks empathy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Designing a client program outside-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Listen differently – adopt an always-on approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Always-on client listening in action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Does AI automation reduce empathy? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Key takeaways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Chapter 13: The strategic necessity of personalized client relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
By Helen Hamilton-Shaw, member engagement and strategy director, Law Net
A client-centric culture – the foundation of personalized relationship building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Empathy and understanding – the human element in legal services . . 143
Building trust through transparent communication and efficient processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Leveraging technology to enhance client care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
The future of personalization in the legal landscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Chapter 14: Building lasting, positive relationships with clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
By Thomas Santram, senior vice president and general counsel, Cineplex
The trusted advisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Why do general counsel retain external counsel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
General counsel hire lawyers – not law firms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
How to develop, grow, and maintain a relationship with a general counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
You’ve received your first file – now what? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
What does success look like for general counsel? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Add value to the working relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Final thoughts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Chapter 15: Reimagining the law firm–client relationship in an age of AI ubiquity and data-centricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
By Robert Dilworth, managing director and associate general counsel, Bank of America
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Value in tectonic times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Mindset, skills, and formation in a VUCA world . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Demographics and diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Reimagining the law firm–client relationship in an advanced information economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Hallmarks of value in an age of AI ubiquity and data-centricity . . . . . 180
The role of the corporate law firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
About Globe Law and Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
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