For context:
Fortune 500 companies each have legal departments. The legal professionals working in those departments are the in-house legal team.
When in-house counsel faces an overflow of legal work, they seek the expertise of outside law firms to help manage the caseload, creating a strategic partnership.
Then take inventory of how well your firm answers one question.
Let's review the what, who, and how from today's webinar recap.
Have you ever been referred because of your expertise in law? Let's say you are sought after because you know sweepstakes law.
Start here:
Moving forward: Keep discussions precise, ask thoughtful questions, and deliver a feasible roadmap to victory.
If your emails are concise and easy to digest, you’re off to an amazing start. Keep the momentum going!
Here’s how:
With today’s economy, there’s added pressure to achieve best outcomes with fewer resources and more frequent leadership changes (this is likely true for larger organizations).
An ounce of empathy and a pound of active listening opens the door to clear and open communication.
Can you resist temptations to make assumptions about in-house counsel’s issues?
They are strategic partners for their internal clients. Their job is to find solutions to business and legal issues and stay updated on regulatory changes.
Building and maintaining strong relationships is crucial to the success of any engagement.
One story shared this truth.
In-house counsel was working with an outside attorney who had a record of doing well but suddenly became less responsive. In-house counsel spoke with the attorney to address those issues. After, an email was sent to the founding partners.
Then, the firm took ownership of their engagements, created a plan, and staffed projects accordingly.
Partnerships built on a foundation of trust and respect make providing competent legal services easier to do.
When supporting disputes, avoid the pitfall of being an unnecessarily aggressive attorney.
During the webinar, Traci asked panelists:
Eric specifically prefers outside counsel to handle all engagements with professionalism.
And shared past instances of outside counsel aggressively litigating and inflaming disputes.
When providing counsel, act as if, you share any negative consequences.
Then ask yourself,
- “What are the ramifications of acting on my guidance?”
- “How would this be perceived by their management chain?”
When working with an in-house team, being practical and pragmatic is a surefire way to prove the kind of strategic partner you are.
Panelists agreed the most important element of a successful client relationship is having effective communication.
They expressed desire for outside counsel to engage in open communication and responsiveness.
Acknowledging receipt of an email – within 24 hours – is perfectly suitable in certain situations.
Afterward, it’s wise to include the date a request will be handled. This sets realistic expectations moving forward.
In-house counsel needs confidence outside counsel understands the assignment, can staff a project properly, and manage all deadlines.
If your firm does, take a moment to congratulate yourself – you’re performing sound acts of legal services.
Panelists demonstrated an abundant willingness to continue learning about industry and practice group updates. They shared which associations contribute the most value to their professional growth.
Eric mentioned what a valuable resource the Association for Corporate Counsel (“ACC”) continues to be for him.
Venessa shared her sources of information.
Laurie shared how helpful “chips” or the ChIPs Organization has been for her professional growth.
Our core belief is “pay it forward.” No one achieves success on their own—those who can give back must do so, driving increased equality, diversity and inclusion in our industry and society.
Laurie has been part of the organization’s growth in her membership.
All panelists expressed gratitude about how their current business relationships invest in their continued growth. They also appreciate all efforts by firms to provide business and industry updates, wise counsel, and offers to webinars, roundtables, and other marketing events.
They continue to reiterate great emphasis on the importance of continued learning that happens between them and all their valued relationships.
What does this mean for you?
Do what makes sense for you.
Those moments are truly priceless (until accounting receives your reimbursement forms).
Ideally, successful relationships (of any variety) are void of unexpected and harmful surprises.
Eric shared how he recently met attorneys at their firm’s marketing event.
Eric greatly appreciated their efforts to invest in him and his continued growth. As a result, Eric regards them as friends – not just colleagues.
Then, Venessa recounted her story of delight.
“ Outside counsel treated us as if we were their only client.
When our administrative assistants or paralegals had questions, they always communicated respectfully – always responsive and informative.
They treated all team members the same.”
The webinar revealed the greatest missed opportunities firms like yours can capitalize on.
That concludes the webinar recap. Thank you for reading!
(PS: I wrote this article and created Harbard University in 24 days)
Learn more about me here: harbarduniversity.com/about-brian-keleman/
Curious about Harbard University? Read more here: harbarduniversity.com/about
Join the Legal Marketing Association here: https://legalmarketing.org/Join-LMA
Enjoy a beautiful day,
Brian H. Keleman
Legal Marketer