What Clients Want from Law Firms

Häftad, Engelska, 2025

Av Ian White, Adrienne Gubbay, Terezka Zabka, Claire Rason, Joanna Day, Paul Roberts, Helen Hamilton-Shaw, Thomas Santram, Robert Dilworth, Heidi K Gardner

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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.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2025-01-13
Mått156 x 234 x 10 mm
Vikt430 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor199
FörlagGlobe Law and Business Ltd
ISBN9781837230617

Tillhör följande kategorier

Juristyrken inom Juridik
Juridisk kompetens och praktik inom Juridik

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