The Mad Clientist Archives - The BTI Consulting Group

Clients Hire Lawyers, Not Law Firms. Except When They Don’t.

Law firm leaders grew up on one of the industry's most sacred truths. So did more than 50% of partners. The fundamental truth coloring their world: Clients Hire Lawyers, Not Law Firms. This belief shaped almost everything we know about law firms, including: Origination credit Partner compensation Client ownership Lateral…

BTIConsultingAugust 26, 2026

The Mad Clientist

5 All-New Reasons Clients Single Out a BTI Client Service All-Star 2026

Today’s biggest client service risk isn't poor service. It's delivering yesterday's version of great service. The 256 BTI Client Service All-Stars don't follow the client service curve. They stay ahead of it. Corporate counsel face more complexity, relentless regulatory change, greater business pressure, and increasingly demanding CEOs – all without…

BTIConsultingAugust 18, 2026

The Mad Clientist

Clients Name 256 Attorneys Delivering the Absolute Best Client Service

It’s easy to be caught delivering yesterday’s client service. In the last year corporate counsel found the following key changes impacting their lives: CEOs more involved in legal decisions than ever Regulatory whiplash New and novel litigation claims More claims with potentially nuclear verdicts Must do M&A Geopolitical volatility Highly…

BTIConsultingAugust 12, 2026

The Mad Clientist

How Many Partners and Clients Will Bolt When PE Takes A Piece?

Every private equity transaction reaches a point where financial models stop driving the conversation. The returns work. Growth assumptions survive scrutiny. Now comes the real risk. A law firm's value walks out the door every evening. Its value lives in partner-client relationships. Lose either group and enterprise value begins eroding…

BTIConsultingAugust 5, 2026

The Mad Clientist

AI Isn’t Killing the Billable Hour. It’s Saving It.

AI was supposed to kill the billable hour. Clients aren’t buying it. We just asked more than 350 corporate counsel whether AI finally ends hourly billing. Their answer is decisive. 2.5 times more clients believe AI extends the billable hour’s life than ends it. Only 28.1% believe AI finally accelerates…

BTIConsultingJuly 29, 2026

The Mad Clientist

What Clients Say 30 Seconds After Your Pitch

Every law firm believes the pitch ends when the conference room door closes. Clients know the real pitch starts after the lawyers leave. While your team is busy replaying its performance, your client is answering one question: What did I just learn? Clients aren't judging how much your lawyers know.…

BTIConsultingJuly 22, 2026

The Mad Clientist

Clients to Law Firms: The AI Honeymoon is Over

It all started as a torrid love affair. Corporate counsel were captivated. Every promise sounded irresistible: better outcomes, faster answers, lower costs, and smarter legal strategies. Then reality arrived: promises had to be proven. Corporate counsel aren't giving up on better outcomes. They're giving up on the idea AI automatically…

BTIConsultingJuly 15, 2026

The Mad Clientist

89 Law Firms with the Most Improved Client Service

Inflation will do more to destroy a client relationship than it does to personal purchasing power. Inflation erodes purchasing power gradually. Poor client service destroys relationships immediately. In today's legal market, clients have little patience for firms failing to evolve alongside their business. Improvement matters because clients reward momentum. Firms…

BTIConsultingJuly 8, 2026

The Mad Clientist

The 113 Law Firms Clients Love Most

Clients prefer to work with firms they like. They will pour their hearts out about their deepest, most vexing problems to firms they love. The loved firms get first access to everything. Especially the plum work with the record-setting rates. Love easily eclipses satisfaction and trust – think client devotion.…

BTIConsultingJune 24, 2026

The Mad Clientist

The Law Firms Absolutely Best at Client Service

258 law firms stand out for delivering the best client service. 650 law firms are fighting it out to get new business from clients. More than 350 corporate counsel single out the law firms delivering the best client service on the 17 dimensions they use to assess the client service.…

BTIConsultingJune 17, 2026