The Mad Clientist

My friend, and longtime collaborator, Dr. Silvia Hodges Silverstein, asked me to share ideas with her thought-leading members of Buying Legal Council on how they can cut costs while adding more value. We discussed a broad range of ideas in a highly engaging panel discussion with top buyers of legal…

So many events just in the last week remind us this thing isn’t over yet. The next normal is here. And the next, next normal will arrive soon enough. The pandemic can change things in the blink of an eye, and volatility is part of it all. This begs the…

Fear can be healthy. It prepares you for imminent danger. It can help you improve your response to a potentially dangerous situation. Fear is especially healthy for the BTI Fearsome Foursome. These are the firms top legal decision makers do not want to see on the other side of the…

Clients are taking a stand on litigation now and into 2021. Despite an unpredictable world — clients are charging ahead with definite plans and budgets for the biggest component of their budget. The law firms able to catch this wave and dodge the dips will enjoy unusually higher rewards. Here…

The largest legal spenders are hiring law firms with new expectations. Each and every hiring decision is subject to these new demands. The biggest of these new demands — using more associates on their new matters. 40% of clients are including use of associates in their final hiring decisions. An…

Going remote is stealing all the thunder. While the world talks about the very real pressures and issues thrust upon us all, top legal decision makers still have to manage their legal issues and caseloads. They tell us they really only have a few choices. These include: Using Leverage to…

Law firms are doing a good job empathizing with associates. 60% feel understood, looked after, and kept in the loop. The remaining 40% don’t share the same enthusiasm. Here is what some of the 289 associates we surveyed told us about their law firms. The empathetic firms: “We are having…

It’s nothing personal. 55% of clients actively dislike sitting through law firm pitches, and another 35% say they merely tolerate them. This leaves a scant 10% of clients liking law firm pitches. This insight frames your pitches in a whole new way. They have to want to sit through your…

Sales. Selling gets a bad rap. Not just from attorneys. Selling has a long history of being maligned – going back to its beginnings as the Germanic word “sala” interpreted at the time as “to grasp or take”. Who wants to grasp or take anything – especially from clients? The…

Rarely do so many executives agree about anything. But, the pandemic did it. Fully 80% of top legal decision makers are exceptionally proud of their in-house legal team’s performance so far. This sense of pride provides a critical source of emotional reward, motivation, and helps each in-house counsel know they…