What Clients Want from Law Firms

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 Contents:
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, KorumLegal 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, MyCustomerLens 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, LawNet 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