Strong client-firm relationships build loyalty and yield long-term results
Building relationships takes effort and time outside of the actual client work. Clients want to know their law firms are listening to them and learning about the goals of the business. Doing so allows a firm to provide additional value, anticipate legal needs and show that they listen.
December 21, 2014 at 07:00 PM
8 minute read
The following article is based on an interview with Lisa Sullivan, vice president, deputy general counsel, Intuit Inc. and Rodger Cole, partner and litigation chair, Fenwick & West.
It may come as a surprise to some of our readers to learn that many in-house counsel see strong, loyal relationships with outside counsel as a key building block to help a company reach its legal goals. To effectively build these relationships, it takes more than talking to a client every day during a big deal or case. Building relationships takes effort and time outside of the actual client work. Clients want to know their law firms are listening to them and learning about the goals of the business. Doing so allows a firm to provide additional value, anticipate legal needs and show that they listen.
“These relationships are vital to the success of the work we undertake together,” says Lisa Sullivan, “Criteria for selecting outside counsel must include expertise and experience, but the ability to create and maintain solid working relationships should also be a top criterion.”
Of her close relationship with Rodger Cole, she explains: “Rodger and I pretty much learned to be in-house counsel together when I came to Intuit 15 years ago. We partnered on everything that came in the door. We have remained in lock step all that time. It has been an amazing journey. Rodger and Fenwick exemplify the gold standard of legal practice.”
This attitude confirms what we hear from in-house counsel over and over—relationships matter. And if the expertise and experience meet a company's expectations, then relationships trump all else.
“Long-term client-firm relationships help ensure that outside counsel understands the company's goals and can get desired results,” adds Sullivan. For outside counsel, it is imperative to value client relationships and to let clients know you care about them and their business. “From my perspective, I will always value our relationship over the revenue associated with the legal work,” explains Cole. “The most important thing is doing what's right for Intuit, and that comes naturally from our long-standing, highly valued professional relationship and my understanding of their business, goals and expectations.”
To better understand what is important to clients, just ask. What we at Inside Counsel have learned through talking with clients is their three criteria they value when dealing with outside counsel: expertise and experience, relationship and teamwork, and business understanding.
“Teamwork and trust are inherent in a partnership like this one,” Sullivan notes. With Cole, she counts on solving problems together and working flexibly to complete tasks well. “We never sweat whose job it is; we just get the job done. Not once have we had to question a decision we've made together.”
Cole believes building strong working relationships like this one requires proactive effort, offering assistance when opportunities arise to add value, and models this approach for his team, “You teach by example,” he says. “If inside and outside counsel treat each other just as a commodity, neither is going to be fully engaged in the work. But if we both invest in the relationship, we'll do the job better.”
Sullivan agrees that role mdeling is important: “Rodger's team knows they don't just hand you a life vest and watch you row the boat to the other side. They get in the boat and row with us. The team knows what Rodger and we expect. We know they are in it all the way, and that's gratifying. Then we earn and share in the success together.”
Cole emphasizes that staying informed about a company's business priorities is part of maintaining that strong client-firm relationship. “To meet Lisa's expectations that we know the business, we stay on top of Intuit and the industry. We present to the law department regularly about what we see happening in the field. Intuit finds this helpful and important to know.”
The following article is based on an interview with Lisa Sullivan, vice president, deputy general counsel,
It may come as a surprise to some of our readers to learn that many in-house counsel see strong, loyal relationships with outside counsel as a key building block to help a company reach its legal goals. To effectively build these relationships, it takes more than talking to a client every day during a big deal or case. Building relationships takes effort and time outside of the actual client work. Clients want to know their law firms are listening to them and learning about the goals of the business. Doing so allows a firm to provide additional value, anticipate legal needs and show that they listen.
“These relationships are vital to the success of the work we undertake together,” says Lisa Sullivan, “Criteria for selecting outside counsel must include expertise and experience, but the ability to create and maintain solid working relationships should also be a top criterion.”
Of her close relationship with Rodger Cole, she explains: “Rodger and I pretty much learned to be in-house counsel together when I came to Intuit 15 years ago. We partnered on everything that came in the door. We have remained in lock step all that time. It has been an amazing journey. Rodger and Fenwick exemplify the gold standard of legal practice.”
This attitude confirms what we hear from in-house counsel over and over—relationships matter. And if the expertise and experience meet a company's expectations, then relationships trump all else.
“Long-term client-firm relationships help ensure that outside counsel understands the company's goals and can get desired results,” adds Sullivan. For outside counsel, it is imperative to value client relationships and to let clients know you care about them and their business. “From my perspective, I will always value our relationship over the revenue associated with the legal work,” explains Cole. “The most important thing is doing what's right for Intuit, and that comes naturally from our long-standing, highly valued professional relationship and my understanding of their business, goals and expectations.”
To better understand what is important to clients, just ask. What we at Inside Counsel have learned through talking with clients is their three criteria they value when dealing with outside counsel: expertise and experience, relationship and teamwork, and business understanding.
“Teamwork and trust are inherent in a partnership like this one,” Sullivan notes. With Cole, she counts on solving problems together and working flexibly to complete tasks well. “We never sweat whose job it is; we just get the job done. Not once have we had to question a decision we've made together.”
Cole believes building strong working relationships like this one requires proactive effort, offering assistance when opportunities arise to add value, and models this approach for his team, “You teach by example,” he says. “If inside and outside counsel treat each other just as a commodity, neither is going to be fully engaged in the work. But if we both invest in the relationship, we'll do the job better.”
Sullivan agrees that role mdeling is important: “Rodger's team knows they don't just hand you a life vest and watch you row the boat to the other side. They get in the boat and row with us. The team knows what Rodger and we expect. We know they are in it all the way, and that's gratifying. Then we earn and share in the success together.”
Cole emphasizes that staying informed about a company's business priorities is part of maintaining that strong client-firm relationship. “To meet Lisa's expectations that we know the business, we stay on top of Intuit and the industry. We present to the law department regularly about what we see happening in the field. Intuit finds this helpful and important to know.”
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