Category Archive for: Lab Insights

Client Service Team Lesson #1: Listen to your clients

My first job was at TJ’s Big Boy Restaurant in Rochester, New York. It was here, at the age of 16, that I received my first formal training in client feedback. As a hostess, when customers came up to pay their bill, it was my responsibility to collect and track feedback by asking, “How was…

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Have you hugged your dog (I mean client) today?

Everything I know about business I learned from my dog Star A “Friday lite” look at law firm marketing and business development The weather has been getting warmer, so Star has taken to sleeping by herself on the bed in the guest room. But every morning around 5 a.m. she jumps on our bed, crawls…

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The Case for Law Firm Client Teams

If it is true, as I believe, that value-driven legal services and profitability are not mutually exclusive, then law firm client teams offer a first step toward achieving both. Client teams come in many shapes and sizes. When I use the term Client Team, I am referring to an organized, disciplined approach to strengthen and…

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It’s a Dog’s Life: Making the Connection

When conducting business development, the first rule of thumb is to find a way to make a connection. That connection can be anything… even a dog like Star. A few months ago I attended a fundraiser to support the San Diego County Law Library Justice Foundation. I was assisting the Law Library Board of Directors…

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Normalizing Disruptive Technologies

Until I went to work for an electronic discovery company a few years ago, I never understood the concept of disruptive technology in the legal profession. It never occurred to me that lawyers would perceive as a negative something that has the potential to improve the way they do business. Coming from a background in…

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It’s A Dog’s Life: The Art of Discipline

Everything I know about business, I learned from my dog Star My husband and I are both in training. Steve is running the Chicago Marathon with hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon next April. I’m running in the America’s Finest City half marathon here in San Diego with the hopes of … finishing. Star…

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Lawyers as Technologists: Making the Most of Legal Technology Tradeshows

I’m heading up to Legal Tech West in Los Angeles today. Shows like these always remind me of the importance technology plays in demonstrating value to clients. Legal technology tradeshows tend to be full of vendors and law firm IT staff. There is a lot of knowledge in these rooms. Too often, however, the crowds…

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Everything I know about business development I learned from Star

My dog Star is a 90-lb lab who stands close to five-feet tall when fully erect. That’s typically how you’ll find her if you visit my house. She likes to stand with her front paws on the porch wall, so she can seek out a neighbor or passerby. We always know when she’s found someone…

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Taking the First Steps Toward Value-Based Billing

At the center of the discussion about building a value-based law firm is the topic of fee arrangements, specifically the desire to move away from hourly based billing toward alternative fee arrangements. Although firms seem to be taking baby steps toward “value-based” billing models, it is clear –with apologies to Mark Twain—that reports of the…

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The Birth of Law Firm Transitions

In 2007 I left my position as firmwide marketing director at Heller Ehrman. At the time I certainly knew the firm was in trouble, but I never once believed the challenges it faced would be insurmountable. I feel like Pollyanna saying this now, but I believed in Heller’s core values, in the integrity of the…

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