Canadian Lawyer

22 M A Y 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m or project basis to allow more flexibility, depending upon the caseloads they were servicing for their corporate clients. It also caused firms to focus more on nurturing client relationships, says Michael Rynowecer, founder and presi- dent of The BTI Consulting Group. The U.S.-based client research company found large legal clients want more and are will- ing to pay for it. The days of maximizing the number of clients a firm has are gone, he adds. "Traditional wisdom is proving to be no longer the prevailing wisdom in today's market. You can develop sub- stantially more business by focusing on a small group of clients and putting more into that group," he says. Rynowecer suggests marketing should focus on client-specific projects such as webinars and information sessions. He also says there needs to be a focus on in-depth research to identify trends and anticipate clients' needs so lawyers can present clients with direction, solutions, and alternatives. That might include devel- oping a list of regulatory and due diligence issues the client might face and providing them with the tools to deal with them. One approach could be to tap the firm's group knowledge by having lawyers and staff make one suggestion specific to that client. The result could be a list of best prac- tices specific to that client's needs. The best way to keep on top of clients' demands is to simply ask them if they're getting what they want, says Rynowecer. And that's something most law firms don't do. In last year's Canadian Lawyer Cor- porate Counsel Survey, more than 83 per cent of respondents said their law depart- ments had not been asked by their top law firms to complete a written, telephone, or in-person satisfaction survey in the last year. "Most companies develop feedback about their law firms. Most companies don't share that with their law firms. If you're a law firm and you don't ask, then you're at risk. Because clients are assessing you," says Rynowecer. Allison C. Shields, a lawyer who started New York-based Legalese Consulting Inc., which assists lawyers and firms on devel- opment and productivity, agrees. "A lot of law firms make the mistake of think- ing that they know what their clients are thinking or they're thinking that their clients must be happy if they haven't left yet." Just because they're still there doesn't necessarily mean they're happy or there isn't room for improvement. Shields suggests oral or written feed- back become a systematic part of the interaction with the client. One idea is to include a form in the engagement pack- age, allowing the client to fill it out as he file progresses. Feedback can be sought at strategic times, by a third party, or through a questionnaire or survey obtained from an online service, many of which are free. They should be short and easy to fill out. Ask the clients if they're getting what they want and need from the legal service and the relationship in a way that works for them. "My whole point is to not make it a separate and disruptive event. It's sup- posed to be integrated into the regular handling of the matter." Positive feedback should be shared with the team as a motivating factor and may well be used in the lawyer's marketing material. Nega- tive feedback needs to be acknowledged, Because business issues are legal issues. So if you want to get ahead in business, get the degree that gets you there faster. ONE YEAR – PART - TIME – NO THESIS FOR L AWYERS AND NON - LAWYERS law.utoronto.ca/ExecutiveLLM GPLLM Global Professional Master of Laws [Get a Master of Laws] Untitled-1 1 2015-02-25 8:38 AM

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