Law firm brand success calls for leadership, education and structure!
Brand is such an important asset and so fundamental to the success or failure of every law firm that it is a strategic, not an operational or administrative, issue. It is therefore surprising how few firms invest in developing a common firm-wide understanding of brand and a supporting strategy – or put in the effort […]
Playbooks Aren’t Just for Coaches!
For those of you who have had the patience (of Job!) to read my previous articles on law-firm differentiation and client-experience innovation, you have heard me extol the virtues of a “law-firm playbook.” Team sports coaches create playbooks to write down on paper the tools, strategies, and methods their players will use to defeat their […]
Driving Growth and Sustenance in Competitive Economies
Higher Brand Loyalty, Stronger Client Relationships and Brand Positioning for Better Sustenance and Growth The Indian legal Industry is going through a phase of re-organization. With growth rates dropping to single digits across the globe (Including India), most firms have recognized that a larger market share, consolidation, deepening client relationships and enhancing loyalties are the […]
Individual Lawyers Attract New Clients, But So Can Law Firms
My client shared with me recently the “insight” that “clients hire lawyers, not law firms . . . ” If I had a bitcoin for the number of times I’ve been on the receiving end of that comment . . . well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be writing these articles. I don’t mean to […]
India Proposes To Open Arms to the Global Legal Profession
India is finally gearing up to permit foreign law firms to conduct business within its borders. As Edge International’s principal in India, I would be more than happy to assist firms that are interested in exploring possible future opportunities for entering into this exciting new market. A Decade of Working for Change The admission of […]
Business Development: An Introduction to the 2-4-8 Model, Revenue Gaps, and the Relationship Bell Curve
The 2-4-8 Model This model compares revenue against time allocation, helping us to make informed decisions around clients, productivity and sustainability. Identify each of your clients in descending order by revenue ($) or profit margin (%). Place each client into the grid below, inserting your highest value client at number one and so on. You […]
Law Firm Differentiation and Delivering A Signature Client Experience
“We insist on excellence”; “We staff matters leanly”; “We understand your business”; “We always put the client first”; etc. These are just a few of the yawning refrains of law firms trying to appear “different” in the marketplace – we all can agree that marketing pablum is not in short supply! The truth is that […]
Big Firms in Small Cities: Go Virtual!
Eversheds Sutherland! Norton Rose/Chadbourne Parke! Arnold & Porter/Kaye Scholer! If it’s such a bad idea to get bigger to create scale and capability, why are so many smart leaders at so many leading firms doing it? As a regional or mid-market full-service firm, it’s easy these days to feel pretty un-validated by all of this […]
Don’t Manage Expectations. Modify Expectations
The conventional wisdom about “managing expectations” is that you should determine what someone’s expectations are, and then surpass them. Theoretically this is supposed to please them. It’s an interesting approach but I believe it is misguided. Why? Because the client’s expectations are often flawed in the first place. If you contemplate the origin of expectations, […]
Build Conversational Momentum to Set the Table for the Pitch
To their credit, lawyers are results-oriented professionals. When we practice our craft, we think in terms of objectives, and the activities necessary along the way to achieve those goals. Clients pay for results and lawyers want to deliver on those expected results. Generally speaking, this is a great bias to have as a professional services […]