Category: Legal Business Development

Law Firm Business Development Directors Roundtable: A Unique Opportunity to Network and Learn from Your Peers

Large law firm CMOs are often asked to join executive roundtables. These programs provide a forum for discussing common needs, reviewing best practices and sharing experiences. Directors and senior managers with significant responsibility, on the other hand, usually don’t have access to similar forums. To meet this need, LawVision Group launched its inaugural Business Development Directors Roundtable, hosted this past April at Morgan Lewis’s Washington DC offices.

The BD Roundtable is a confidential forum, driven by the participants, where large law firm Directors of Business Development share best practices, discuss challenges and opportunities, talk about career advancement, and brainstorm new and innovative solutions. In order to attend, prospective attendees need to apply to the program. The Roundtable is an ongoing group in which colleagues meet twice a year and develop a peer-to peer networking and support group for day-to-day professional challenges.

Bringing Together A Peer Group from Across the U.S. and Canada

Per Steven Schroeder, Senior Director of Marketing at Perkins Coie LLP,  the best takeaway from the Roundtable is knowing that others are dealing with similar issues you face and hearing from others how their organization deals with those challenges. It is also helpful to make real connections with others in the group to share thoughts and ideas going forward.

Roundtable member Brandon McAfee, a Senior Business Development and Marketing Manager at Miles & Stockbridge,  also appreciated getting to know the group and observed that the participants had a good mix of experience. Elizabeth (Liz) Boehm, Director of Business Development at Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP, enjoyed meeting people in similar roles to her own from firms across the country. She also found it interesting to hear about the range of responsibilities of others in the group and how those roles vary greatly, particularly in relation to size of their firm.

Lawvision Roundtalbe
Day 1: Law firm business development directors at the Lawvision group’s roundtable.

Law Firm Business Development Is Growing and BD Professionals Wear Many Hats

The new roundtable is timely as budgets at law firms for BD and the hiring of professionals to fill these roles is growing. According to a joint Legal Marketing Association and Bloomberg Law® research study this past April, two-thirds of law firm partners interviewed regularly engage BD professionals. And the attorneys surveyed favor senior BD professionals, which this survey considered to be professionals with more than four years of legal marketing experience. The roles for BD professionals across firms varies widely, but the survey noted some consistency in the role. Fifty-nine percent of senior BD staff initiate client outreach, and 52% participate in client pitch meetings. Additionally, 36% of senior BD staff conduct client feedback interviews, and 44% also participate in client meetings with attorneys.

Where are we now graphic
Graphic from Where Are We Now? Revealing the Latest Trends in Legal Marketing and Business Development, a joint research study by the Legal Marketing Association and Bloomberg Law® (April 2018)Graphic from Where Are We Now? Revealing the Latest Trends in Legal Marketing and Business Development, a joint research study by the Legal Marketing Association and Bloomberg Law® (April 2018)

Topics Addressed at May’s Business Development Directors Roundtable

Roundtable members discussed the different roles within the BD umbrella and also touched on  issues related to:

  • The challenges of building a firm-wide experience database and tips that worked to drive this process
  • How to maximize the firm’s capabilities and legal market education, as well as how to enhance team building to facilitate cross-selling opportunities at firm retreats
  • Building and communicating a firm’s identity and brand
  • Attracting and retaining top talent
  • Key BD metrics to use and how to best use them to improve client value and firm profitability, key tools and techniques used to gather data, and metrics members wished they could access.
  • Industry-focused initiatives, such as how to form and execute firm-wide sector initiatives and how to create industry outreach systems within a practice group structure.
  • Recommended vendors

In addition to the participant discussion sessions, experts were brought in to address some of the issues identified in advance that were of concern to the participants. Bill Crooks of Priority Search International led an interactive session on what law firm leadership is looking for in a CMO/CBDO. Darryl Cross of LawVision discussed building diverse teams. And Patrick Fuller, VP of Legal Intelligence at ALM, outlined emerging law firm trends and AI and the legal market. Capping off the first day was a wonderful rooftop networking dinner with a great view of the Capitol, bringing the participants together in a less formal environment.

view from reception
The view from the rooftop dinner and networking reception.

Roundtable members across the board appreciated the networking opportunities. Per Liz Boehm:

“Because we were seated in a roundtable arrangement and given plenty of time for open dialogue, it was easy to get to know one another. I also enjoyed the evening networking session and dinner overlooking the city and talking more about our backgrounds.”

At the next Roundtable meeting, which will be at Orrick’s office in San Francisco on September 13 and 14, the participants will focus more on solutions-oriented approaches. The group will add specific case studies for the group to work through, learn from, and analyze.

Steven Schroeder probably summed the event up the best:

“In our fast-paced daily world, it is hard to find time to brainstorm solutions to the various challenges we face. The Law Vision Roundtable provides the vehicle to learn from others and ultimately make you more effective in your role. Be prepared to participate. The value the group receives is based on the active engagement of all the individuals in the room.”

If you are interested in applying for the fall session, please contact Craig Brown.

Copyright ©2018 National Law Forum, LLC
This post was written by Jennifer Schaller of the National Law Forum, LLC.
For more legal marketing news, check out the National Law Review’s Business of Law page.

10 Trailblazing Female Lawyers Who Shaped American History

In a world where less than 36% of working attorneys are women, it can be tempting to dwell on the long road ahead in achieving equal footing for women in the legal profession. While continuing along this road to equity in representation not only between women and men in law, we must remember that the foundations for this path are already in place. This road, although by no means complete, was paved by many trailblazing women who fought and endured to show the world just how preposterous it was to think only men could be lawyers. Listed chronologically, here are ten female lawyers who refused to remain silent about their passion for the law, and who in turn set up a foundation for the countless brilliant rising women lawyers to come.

  1. Margaret Brent

In 1638, Margaret Brent became the first woman to practice law in colonial America when she was named the executor of the estate of Lord Calvert, who was the governor of the Maryland Colony.  Records indicate Brent’s practice included more than 100 court cases in Maryland and Virginia. Amazingly, there is virtually no record of another female attorney in America until the mid-1800’s; covering a span of over two hundred years.

  1. Myra Bradwell

After founding the “Chicago Legal News” a widely circulated and regarded legal newspaper in 1868, Myra Bradwell was an early pioneer for women practicing law. She wrote a well-received column on “Law Relating to Women,” highlighting hot-button topics such as suffrage, but her most significant contribution came in 1873 when Bradwell appealed to the United States Supreme Court in what many believe to be the first sexual discrimination case in American jurisprudence.

In Bradwell v. Illinois, Myra Bradwell argued she was qualified to practice law in her home state of Illinois because she was a United States Citizen. At issue was the question of whether the right to receive a license to practice law is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to all American citizens. Not surprisingly, the answer was no; the Supreme Court held that states could statutorily deny women the right to practice law.

  1. Lemma Barkaloo

Lemma Barkaloo was the first woman to apply for admission to Columbia University Law School when her application was rejected in 1868. Two other women applied and were also immediately denied entry.  George Templeton Strong of Columbia wrote at the time: “Application from three infatuated young women to the law school.  No woman shall degrade herself by practicing law in New York especially if I can save her ‘Women’s Rights Women’ are uncommonly loud and offensive of late. I loathe the lot.”

The following year, Barkaloo was accepted to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and begins as a first-year law student. Unfortunately, she didn’t last long; after enduring a year of non-stop harassment from male classmates, she left the school. Barkaloo passed the Missouri bar exam but died soon after during a typhoid epidemic in 1870 and was unable to fulfill her dream of practicing law.

  1. Lettie Burlingame

In 1886, Lettie Burlingame, a stanch suffragette, started an organization at the University of Michigan called The Equity Club. Originally intended solely for female law students and law alumnae, the organization grew, making it the first professional organization for women lawyers. Burlingame eventually went into private practice and was regarded as a highly skilled lawyer until her death in 1890.

  1. Lyda Burton Conley

In 1910, Lyda Burton Conley became the first Native American female lawyer in America. Her motivations were pure; she taught herself the law to protect her tribe’s cemetery burial land located in Huron Park Indian Cemetery from being sold. Unfortunately, she lost her case, and the U.S. Supreme Court refused to rehear it; however, Conley had raised enough public support through her efforts that the House of Representatives Indian Affairs committee finally banned desecration of the cemetery in 1912.

  1. Genevieve Rose Cline

Genevieve Rose Cline was the first woman federal judge in America, nominated in 1928 by President Calvin Coolidge to the U.S. Customs Court, where she served for twenty-five years. Cline earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1921 and then entered private practice with her brother. In addition to her legal prowess, Cline was an early advocate for consumer protection, women’s rights, and the suffrage movement.

  1. Sarah Tilghman Hughes

Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in 1961 via a recess appointment by John F. Kennedy, Sarah Tilghman Hughes was confirmed the following year by the United State Senate. Her roots in public service ran deep, beginning her career as a police officer helping prostitutes and runaway girls get their lives back on track. While living in a tent by the Potomac River, Hughes attended George Washington University Law School at night. Upon graduation, Hughes entered private practice in Dallas, Texas, and also served as an elected state representative before opting to sit as a state judge from 1935-1961 on the Texas District Court. In the frenetic aftermath of President Kennedy’s assassination, Sarah Tilghman Hughes was called upon to administer the oath of office to Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson, making her the only woman in U.S. history to swear in a United States President.

  1. Sarah Weddington

Few lawyers can match the professional debut made by Sarah Weddington. The late 1960’s were not necessarily an inclusive environment for women lawyers, so she had her work cut out for her. Luckily, she became interested in a case that caught her eye and agreed to take it pro bono. Sarah Weddington was only 26 years old when she became the youngest person ever to argue and win a Supreme Court case. You may have heard of the case; the caption was Roe v. Wade.

  1. Sandra Day O’Connor

After earning her law degree from Stanford in 1952 and serving two terms in the Arizona state senate, Sandra Day O’Connor worked her way through the legal system as an attorney and ultimately a judge. Two years after winning election to the Arizona Court of Appeals, President Reagan appointed her to the United States Supreme Court in 1981, making her the first woman justice to serve on the Supreme Court in its 191-year history. She served for twenty-four years, during which she established herself as one of the most influential voices on the Court until her retirement in 2006.

  1. Janet Reno

In 1993, Janet Reno became the first female Attorney General of the United States. She went on to serve for both terms of Bill Clinton’s presidency, making her the longest-serving Attorney General in U.S. history. Reno’s tenure was not without controversy; she took full responsibility for the 1993 botched raid of the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, Texas.

Another high-profile case involved the deportation of a 6-year-old Cuban boy named Elian Gonzalez, who was the only survivor of an escape attempt by twelve Cubans on a small boat. Despite intense pressure from Cuban exiles in South Florida, Reno was personally involved in the case, which culminated in Immigration and Naturalization Service agents storming the home of the boy’s relatives and taking him at gunpoint. A photo of the young child hiding in a closet being discovered by heavily armed agents made the front page of every newspaper in America, but Reno stood her ground based on her belief that she was upholding the rule of law. Janet Reno died in 2016 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Final Thoughts

These comprise just the tip of the iceberg of the countless women whose contributions to the field of law were invaluable. While history has done them the disservice of forgetting too many of these sacrifices, the spirit of these gifts is kept alive by the women who choose to pursue the legal profession every day. The road has been tremendously difficult and excessively long. However, the spirit, resilience, and brilliance of these determined legal giants have shown countless young women that it is one they are entirely capable of traveling along.

 

© Copyright 2018 PracticePanther.
This post was written by Jaliz Maldonado of PracticePanther.

How to Ensure Your Business Development New Year’s Resolutions Become Reality

It’s mid-January – already halfway through the first month of the year.  By now, according to John Norcross, author of Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing your Goals and Resolutions, about half of us have already given up on at least one of our resolutions.

The University of Scranton Journal of Clinical Psychology reports that 45% of Americans usually make some kind of New Year’s resolution but only 8% achieves success.  The reason, says Baba Shiv, Stanford Neuroeconomist, is that most people use the wrong part of their brain when attempting to keep resolutions.  We rely on willpower and resolve rather than forming new habits using cognitive thinking, planning and rewards.

At LawVision, our mantra throughout the year is that we teach habits rather than steps.  Let’s face it, business development principles are not nearly as complex as the rules of evidence or the tax code. Our clients, with some well-planned training, can eventually grasp the nuts and bolts of how to go about business development. The real challenge is finding the time to do it and that requires building habits.

Neuroscientists and Psychologists agree.  Shiv claims in his often quoted study, “Heart and Mind in Conflict” that willpower springs from a part of the brain, in the prefrontal cortex that is easily overloaded and exhausted. When the cognitive parts of the brain responsible for prioritizing and making real choices becomes stressed, the resolve weakens.

Rather than simply making a resolution, a better approach is to tie that resolution to a plan for building a new habit.

USA today listed John Norcross’s top six strategies for turning hollow resolutions into new habits that stick. They (still) apply to anyone focused on building out a great book of business this year.

1) Make changes to your behavior. Changing a routine can bring different results. Instead of trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different outcome, modify behaviors.

2) Define SMART goals. When setting targets, use the SMART acronym: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-specific.

3) Track your progress. A calendar, a pipeline tool a contact list, a business plan, a smartphone app… whatever it is, find something to keep track of and measure your progress

4) Reward small achievements. When you reach a portion of your goal, be kind to yourself and recognize the accomplishment.  This will help keep you focused and excited to move forward.

5) Make it public. Make yourself accountable to your family, your network and social circles.

6) You are human. Chances are you may slip up once or twice during this process. It’s OK. According to Norcross, seventy percent of successful goal-setters said that their first slip actually strengthened their resolutions. Adopt the outlook, “I’m human. Let me learn from it, and let me keep going.”

Content copyright 2017 LawVision Group LLC All rights reserved.
This post was written by Craig Brown.

2018 LMA Tech West Conference at Hotel Nikko in San Francisco

Registration is open for the 2018 LMA Tech West Conference on January 31 –February 1, 2018 at the Hotel Nikko. This premier marketing technology educational event will bring together more than 300 marketing and business development professionals from across the country for a day and a half of innovative programming and networking.

LMA Tech West Ad Square

Through a variety of session formats, including hands-on workshops, roundtable discussions, TED Talks and panel presentations, LMA Tech West is where some of the most innovative thinkers in our industry provide examples, inspiration and takeaways that attendees of all levels can apply to the challenges and opportunities we face in our roles, in our organizations and in the industry.

The programming for the 2018 conference will include the latest trends and issues affecting the legal marketing technology landscape in all stages of the legal sales cycle in areas such as social media, big data, artificial intelligence, experience management/lead management, CRM, web site, SEO, content marketing video, marketing automation and much more!

Learn more about the LMA Tech West Conference Agenda.

2017 Legal Marketing Technology Conference Midwest

The Legal Marketing Technology Conferences are the largest conferences dedicated to technologies that law firm professionals use to identify, attract and support clients. They provide the premier forum to learn from and network with thought leaders and colleagues. The National Law Review is proud to be one of this years Megabyte Sponsor’s!

This year’s LMATech Midwest conference theme is Collaboration That Works.

The event will be held on September 25th and 26th at the University Club of Chicago.

 

 

For more information on this years conference go to: https://www.legalmarketing.org/page/midwest-tech-2017

#LMA17 Keynote Speaker Zoe B. Chance Twitter Recap

Day one of the Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference featured Keynote Speaker Zoë Chance, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Yale School of Management. Zoë teaches one of the most sought-after MBA courses, Mastering Influence and Persuasion. This morning, she shared her expertise on behavioral bias with LMA and how it applies to the law firm environment.

4 Ways Attorneys Can Connect with Today’s Legal Consumers

attorney legal consumerLast year, an Avvo survey of 1,000 consumers who purchased legal services provided some important insights into what attorneys need to know about the modern legal consumer.  The Avvo study offered a three-point description of today’s legal consumers. They are:

Informed — access to legal information online has made consumers more savvy than ever about the options available to them. They read legal articles, research their particular legal issue, research an attorney and visit legal forums online.

Connected — people now have immediate access to other legal consumers online and they are reading reviews about others’ experiences with attorneys. An overwhelming 95% said that online reviews were important when choosing a lawyer. Of those who received a referral, 45% still researched attorneys online.

Picky — legal consumers know there are a number of different ways to purchase services, including online forms, fixed fee options, etc. They are increasingly attracted to unbundled services, an a la carte solution for their legal issues. In fact, 76% said they prefer fixed fee billing arrangements.

To connect with legal consumers today, attorneys must:

Have a strong online presence. When it comes to online marketing, you should focus on two things: (1) go where your potential clients are, and (2) implement what you can measure. You have to be able to measure your success (or failure) to discover what works for your area of practice and to be able to build on those successes. When it comes to social media, Facebook is a must for consumer attorneys. One of the most powerful features of Facebook is ad targeting, the ability to layer targeting options on top of one another to create a highly specific audience. This enables you to target locally and get your ads in front of people who need your services now. Facebook ads are low-cost, so you can experiment to see what resonates with your potential clients and then repeat what works.

Encourage online reviews. Attorneys need to create a process for making reviews happen. Always look for those moments in your relationships with clients to create a review opportunity – when you have won a case for a client, when you have helped someone avoid litigation – all opportunities for you to generate a great review. Make it easy for clients to review you by emailing them a link to post a review on Google. Better yet, create an autoresponder email with a built-in Google review form and send it to them at the appropriate time. When you have receive good reviews or testimonials, post them on your website, in your e-newsletter and anywhere else that potential customers are likely to stumble upon them. And be sure to ask whoever provided you with that great review if they would also submit it to Google so it shows up in search.

Offer unbundled services. There are millions of people who download legal documents off LegalZoom or Rocket Lawyer for business and personal use. And it shouldn’t surprise you to know that many of them still want a real live attorney to review those documents (which is why the online legal service providers refer customers to attorneys now from their websites). Consider offering unbundled services like online legal document reviews, especially for business clients — the initial fees may not be much, but could lead to bigger things down the road. Remember, many people are looking for a la carte options.

Provide fixed fee options. To be successful with fixed fee billing, firms need to conduct extensive research into their case files going back several years in order to arrive at pricing that will protect profitability.

ARTICLE BY Stephen Fairley of The Rainmaker Institute

© The Rainmaker Institute, All Rights Reserved

Register for LMA Midwest Chicago CMO Panel Luncheon – February 22nd

Click here to register

February 22, 2017 | 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

Presenters:
John C. Albrighton, Jim Durham, Jill Himelfarb, John R. Neidecker and Stacy Rowe

We should know by now that it’s not about your attorneys or your firm; it’s about your clients! As clients have increased their demands and expectations of law firms, the one-size-fits-all client experience has become obsolete. Clients have become catalysts for greater changes in the legal industry and to stay competitive, it’s imperative that firms have a strategic, tailored approach to client engagement and service.

Three Chicago-based legal marketing leaders and a well known consultant and former CMO will candidly share their experiences implementing “client-centric” business development initiatives. Our panelists will share their perspectives on the following topics and how they relate to their current client experience management (CEM) strategies:

  • Where Marketing & Business Development Meet – Developing Marketing Strategies that Support Business Development
  • Teams and Resources – Aligning both to support CEM Strategies
  • Revenue Generation – Evaluating Opportunities and Developing Pursuit Strategies
  • Cross-Selling – Overcoming Barriers and Fostering Success
  • Business Intelligence + Client Feedback – Using Information to Drive Action

In a nutshell, “client experience management” describes the process by which firms attract and retain a greater number of clients by validating business strategy and improving the value brought to individual clients and prospective clients through services rendered, relationships and targeted and optimized engagement.

Location:
Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP
2 N. LaSalle Street
Suite 1700
Chicago, IL 60602

Lunch will be provided.

$40 LMA Members
$60 Non-Members and any registrations after February 20th
Note: You must be logged in to the LMA website to receive the member rate.

Strategic Planning in Law Firms: Essential Steps for Success

Law firms doing the “same old thing” isn’t going to work anymore. Despite all the legal industry changes discussed in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, 66% of Managing Partners report that their law firm’s strategy has not changed.  It is imperative for today’s law firms to have a strategic plan that evolves with the firm and changes in the market; however, only 24% of law firms report having strategic plans, even though 71% of Managing Partners report that having a strategic plan improved their firm’s performance.

Strategic PlanningWhat makes a strong strategic plan?

Successful strategic planning is an ongoing process; the first step is creating the plan, but just as crucial is the follow-up. Steps include:

  • Implementation
  • Review
  • Making changes as needed (and things can change fast)

When drafting a strategic plan, it’s important to think about the process–and to incorporate measurable capabilities.  The tenets of good goal setting should apply–keep things simple, realistic, and achievable, looking ahead three to five years with annual goals.  As you create the plan, build it with the knowledge that it is a living document that must change, because the world is changing.  It should function as a sort of guiding principal, and it reminds your firm of your priorities when crisis situations arise.

Chart, Data

With rapidly changing technology, crises and unexpected opportunities, keeping in mind your strategic objectives is a good way to keep your firm focused on your priorities.  When surveyed, Managing Partners indicated the most important strategic objectives were Marketing and Business Development, Succession Planning, Firm Growth and improved lawyer productivity.

Where should a law firm allocate Marketing and Business Development resources?

With Marketing and Business Development as one of the most important pieces of the strategic plan; it’s important to describe what a solid strategy looks like.  For many firms, marketing and business development is not a top priority–it should be.  The research for Re-Envisioning focused questions on trends in allocating marketing resources in the following seven areas:

  • Website and Internet Marketing
  • Firm Events & Seminars
  • Organizational Involvement
  • Charitable Contributions
  • Rankings and Directories
  • Marketing Staff
  • Lawyer Sales Training

When asked about 2015 investments v. 2016 investments, it was clear that most firms are continuing to do what they have done before.  According to Re-Envisioning, “firms are doing the same old things because ‘we’ve always done it this way,’ budgets are set by equity partners unwilling to support marketing expenses, or there is a ‘let’s wait and see what the other firms are doing’ attitude.”  Investing in Marketing & Business Development can pay off in a big way, but of the firms surveyed, only 25% of them invested more than 4% of their revenue in Marketing  & Business Development.   To successfully move forward, law firms need to change their perspective and to truly innovate in terms of their Marketing and Business Development practices.

A good place to start is with the clients your firm already has–and wants to keep.  Break them into A list, B list and C list–so you can identify who may be happier working with a competitor, and who you want to make sure stays with your firm.

What should a law firm consider when developing a business development model?

Beyond an inventory of current clients, it’s important to develop a BD model–representing how your firm views business development and how it works for your firm’s situation.  Your model should answer the following questions:

  • Why do people buy?
  • How do they buy?
  • What are prospects and clients motivations and fears?
  • What is the process for finding prospects and transitioning them into clients?
  • Where does business come from?
  • How does your business development efforts focus on building relationships?
  • How does your firm become a trusted advisor to your clients and community?
  • What differentiates your firm and your lawyers, and how do those differences align with your clients’ needs?

Asking questions like this can help your firm ensure that your marketing and business development resources are going in the right direction–and can help your firm create a deliberate way forward, with an integrated approach to ensure goals are met and resources are not squandered.  Additionally, creating a plan with measurable tenets can help your firm track return on investment so it’s clear what’s working and where additional investment might be warranted.

How does a law firm achieve buy-in for the marketing and business development plan?

Another area to consider is asking individuals in the firm–partners and associates– to create a personal business development plan.  By asking individuals to think about marketing and business development, your firm is demonstrating its commitment to these principals.  Additionally, asking partners and associates to think about how they can best contribute to business development encourages accountability and personal reflection, so individuals can find a way to contribute that is best for them, increasing the likelihood that the commitment will be lasting.

These changes may be around the corner, many law firms are incorporating them already.  Brent Turner, Client Development–Peer Monitor & Thought Leadership at Thomson Reuters, comments, “For the first time in many years, we’re seeing healthy acceleration in the marketing and business development budgets of US Law Firms, let primarily by AMLAW 200 firms.  We’re also seeing evidence that these investments are starting to pay off in a big way.” Terry Isner Jaffe PR Law firm business development

 

 

ARTICLE BY Eilene Spear & Jennifer Schaller of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

Copyright ©2017 National Law Forum, LLC

What It Takes to Make It Rain: Rainmakers Now, and Rainmakers of the Future

rainmakerIn the rapidly changing legal industry, it is no surprise that broad conceptions of what it means to be a rainmaker are also evolving. Dr. Heidi Gardner, Lecturer and Distinguished Fellow at the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School, has been conducting research over the past decade on collaboration in law firms. Her findings have also revealed insights into rainmakers: what makes them successful, how their roles changed over time, and how the next generation of rainmakers can be primed to succeed. She will be presenting her findings on the myths and realities of rainmakers at the Thomson Reuters 24th Annual Marketing Partner Forum.

Successful Rainmakers: Extroverts, Introverts, and Cultural Understanding

A common discussion regarding rainmakers, and leadership in general, is whether they are born or made. Based on her decades long research, Dr. Gardner’s answer to whether rainmakers are born is a resounding no. What makes someone a successful rainmaker is their ability to exhibit other sides of their personality, or other strengths and traits, depending on their audience. Rainmakers are typically discussed as being highly extroverted—charismatic, forceful, possessing great salesmanship skills. However, these traits themselves don’t make rainmakers successful, but rather it is their enormous ability to connect with whomever the buyer of their services. Because buyers are not a homogeneous group, most successful rainmakers are able to adjust or adapt their style appropriately.

Introverts are therefore not precluded from being successful because of their commonly thought of as “quiet nature”. In fact, introverts may make better rainmakers in some regard. Dr. Gardner points out that introverts tend not to think out loud and consider what they’re going to say before they say it. They often take time to reflect and appropriately listen to the person that is sitting across the table. This makes introverts very adept at identifying the buyer’s underlying issues and thinking through what it takes to connect the dots inside their firm to help clients solve complex issues. Dr. Gardner also points out that “Many buyers of legal services are also introverts, and they will appreciate someone who has similar a demeanor—not salesy or pushy.” Great rainmakers who are introverts are chameleons. It likely takes more energy for them to be outgoing and interact with strangers in a bigger setting, but they will have developed the capacity to be gregarious enough to make those connections.

Successful rainmakers have a foundation of being highly empathetic and have a strong motivation and interest in understanding other clients—it’s part of what makes them so successful. Dr. Gardner posits these skills are the “basic building blocks for being able to communicate across cultures” and make rainmakers more equipped to be successful with buyers from other countries. What’s required is an additional measure of cultural intelligence; successful rainmakers take part in and study the behavioral mimicry of their buyers in addition to having an appreciation for why different people approach different problems from different perspectives in general.

Evolution of Rainmaker: Toward Collaboration

During the course of Dr. Gardner’s research, she has discovered an interesting trend, or rather non-trend, in the legal industry: the rainmakers at law firms are largely the same people. During the past ten to twelve years, firms have moved away from mandatory retirement. Partners are staying longer than ever, so the rainmakers at firms now are the same ones from a decade past.

There is a new generation of rainmakers coming in now, but there is a lot of frustration in the profession regarding the structure and effectiveness of succession planning (which will be discussed further below). Despite the fact that the legal industry is currently dealing with the same cast of characters, one profound change Dr. Gardner has observed in the last decade involves a simultaneous broadening and narrowing of the role of the rainmaker.

According to Dr. Gardner, “clients increasingly expect a level of industry expertise” that requires attorneys to identify their practices with more specificity than ever. An attorney can no longer be an “environmental attorney”, but must become “an environmental attorney with a focus on extractive industries”, or an “intellectual property lawyer” must be an “IP attorney who specializes in the patent prosecution of computer hardware”. However, because clients’ problems are becoming increasingly complex, rainmakers are less able to be seen as the single go-to person for a particular client who puts together a team of experts in a single discipline, but rather as needing pull together teams of multidiscipline experts. So along with the narrowing of the rainmaker’s own field of expertise, successful rainmakers are broadening their ability to pull together diverse teams to tackle their client’s problems. The rainmaker is the conductor; as Dr. Gardner states: “The client counts on them to be a broker to all of the kind of experts that exist within the firm.”

In order to be successful going forward, rainmakers of the future need to be more collaborative as far as seeking out complementary experts to serve clients. A common obstacle that prevents rainmakers from being successful in this is the reliance on bringing in the “obvious suspects” as a matter of prestige in front of the client. But when called upon to do work on the case, these attorneys are nowhere to be found. Dr. Gardner believes that a key to building a successful team will be to find the hidden gems at the law firm—rainmakers should seek out attorneys who are hungry for client service opportunities. She acknowledges that doing this can be a risky. It’s easier to put someone in front of your client who has an existing reputation as a guru in their sector, but their value to the process is limited if their participation is not complete.

People who are truly intent on becoming successful rainmakers should be investing the time and the energy on others who are not necessarily thought of as the “obvious suspects”. They must access the deeper well of talent that exists and bringing them through the system so that they become committed, loyal, deeply engaged attorneys who are serving the client. To continue to be successful, rainmakers will need to take the risks and bring different kinds of people on board; as Dr. Gardner stated “The legal industry is too fragile to rely on just small pool of experts.”

Rainmakers – The Next Generation

As stated previously, Dr. Gardner has found that effective succession planning in law firms has been found wanting. Even though this generation of rainmakers has been around longer than ever, it is critical for the continuing success of firms to take a hard look at bringing up the new generation of rainmakers on deck. The most effect way to begin doing this is through mentorship. Dr. Gardner states, “People need to accept responsibility for developing a pipeline of talent.” She experienced some of the effective mentoring while she was working as a consultant at McKinsey’s Johannesburg office. She worked under a partner that would take her to all the important meetings, where she wasn’t expected to participate, but allowed to observe. During her time under the tutelage of this partner at McKinsey, she learned a tremendous amount about the ins and outs of client handling. Today’s rainmakers need to make those types of investments in people that will eventually come after them.

Up-and-comers also need to be willing to take responsibility for the trajectory of their career. Too often, Dr. Gardner has encountered partners who have tried to give junior partners or associates the opportunity to participate in learning experiences, who are asked “Can I bill the time?” This is the incorrect mindset to have on the road to becoming a successful rainmaker. Dr. Gardner elaborates: “If you’re trying become a successful rainmaker, you have to invest some non-billable time in your own development as well.” Both the willingness of existing rainmakers to mentor and the tenacity of of rising rainmakers will be what dictates the success of the next generation of rainmakers.

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ARTICLE BY Nicole Cudiamat Minnis of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

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