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"It's like American Idol. When you listen to Simon Cowell, he is real. He doesn't just say bad things to be sensational. He gives the people what they need to get the job done. This is the same thing." — SIMONE HUGHES, BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS LLP This is done nationally and organized in-house. "We parcel out and rank our clients over a three-year plan," says Hughes. "And if a client is deemed at risk, we will add it to the mix in order to better understand why those revenues are dropping off." The formal one-on-ones are done year-round and are conducted at a rate of about one a week. "We are aiming for two, but we have to bill hours, too!" says Hughes. BLG also developed a 10- to 12-question informal survey, used most often by practice groups. And soon the firm will commission an electronic survey by an outside company. The results of its client feedback are analyzed by the competitive intelligence section of the business development team. "They consolidate the information and make the trends, high points, and alerts available to the firm so everyone can learn and improve," says Hughes. Stock describes other ways in which firms obtain feedback, including setting up a client advisory committee and offering free seminars to groups of clients. "When you look at [Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP's] web site, for example, you can subscribe to about 20 publications and other resources. By doing so, you are telling them the kind of information you're interested in receiving." And like BLG, Stock places a high importance on the one-on-one interviews. "Your managing partner should visit the top 25 clients twice a year for an hour. So let's say 50 hours per year. That's nothing. They probably waste more time in dumb internal meetings. Going on the road is more fun, and this feedback is hugely rich because it is real, not theoretical." Consultant Monat, who is often asked to coach lawyers from one year before becoming a partner through many years of partnership, describes what it takes to get firms on board. "First there must be an agreement at the highest level that this is a change they are willing to make. Once management agrees that the team should improve their relational and business skills, then I can work with them. The firm also has to be willing to punish unacceptable behaviour." Monat is a big supporter of the "just ask" approach. She advises professionals to sit down with their clients on a regular basis and ask questions; to put their pencils down and actually look at them. "Tell them you want their comments on how you work together. And most of all, ask them how can you improve the relationship." Stock believes "90 per cent of people in firms have to work An in-person client interview by a managing partner is the most effective way to obtain client feedback because it is direct and removes the emotion that may exist between the client and the lawyer on the file. Be prepared to hear things you don't want to hear. And then work on how to improve. Turning your meter off is a great way to let clients know you are more than just a lawyer to them. An analysis, without recommendations, can cost less than $25,000 when conducted by an outside company. at getting business and it has nothing to do with expertise. It has to do with competition, feeding the kids, and in the past two years, there are more good lawyers available for less work. This has made people far more attentive to being client- centric, in different ways than they used to be. And whether this is codified and systematized across the firm, I don't think we're there yet, for the most part." He adds: "I think fewer than one in 10 clients receive a formal annual survey from their law firm. I'll bet it is even less than that." In fact, 72 per cent of respondents in Canadian Lawyer's most recent corporate counsel survey say their law department had not been asked in the last year to complete a written, over-the-phone, or in-person client satisfaction survey. Ridout & Maybee LLP is a firm that does not have a system for formal feedback. It relies on the traditional "just ask" formula and encourages lawyers to visit their clients. Says Ottawa-based partner Janet Fuhrer: "It is uncomfortable for lawyers to ask for feedback. There is an assumption that no news is good news. And sometimes it can be a problem choosing which clients to target for a formal feedback process. Partners can squabble over why one client is chosen and not another. As an IP firm, we have frequent and long-term contact with our clients, so our feedback is obtained informally." Fuhrer believes the informal approach is a more natural way for some firms to get feedback. "It's all very well for a firm to have policies on how things should be done but the reality is that each professional has his or her own personality and www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com M AY 2010 33