Barry Solomon

Barry Solomon has left Sidley Austin, where he served a six-year stint as chief marketing officer, to serve as president of the Chicago-based Foundation Software Group (FSG), a 6-year-old company that develops what it dubs as next-generation enterprise software solutions for law firms.

“I love being part of something great,” said Solomon, who began his career as a Sidley associate before leaving the practice of law to get into the legal marketing and sales business about a decade ago.

Solomon has startup credibility, having helped launch a customer relationship management (CRM) tool called InterAction 15 years ago and then sold it to LexisNexis. Also on that team was Nate Fineberg, who founded FSG in 2012.

Sidley, along with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, are among FSG's customers, Solomon said.

When he returned to Sidley as CMO in 2011, Solomon said he began looking for “key needs” that law firms have for developing business. He said he recognized that “knowing what you know and who you've done what for previously” was critical.

“That sounds easy, but for a large law firm, it's actually pretty difficult. It has been a dream of mine to create a solution,” Solomon said.

FSG's software platform aims to help law firms integrate multiple software systems, including those used for billing, pricing, human resources, and tracking client contacts. It then allow users to package and present information gleaned from the various systems in ways that are useful for client development, such as making bids with tremendous specificity.

Harris Tilevitz, chief technology officer at Skadden, confirmed his firm was among FSG's first customers. Although he hasn't run an analysis to quantify the financial benefits the new tool has provided the firm, Tilevitz said they have been obvious.

“It allows lawyers to easily put together pitches,” he said. Gathering all the data necessary for an effective and ultimately profitable pitch is a challenge for any firm, and that challenge grows with a firm's size, he noted. “Skadden is a big place,” Tilevitz said.