City firm brings in McKinsey to develop relationship management course for partners

Allen & Overy (A&O) has drafted in McKinsey & Company to train its partners to build stronger client relationships by providing 'off-deal' strategic advice, after a client survey found the firm's lawyers were too focused on technical aspects.

The programme, which has been rolled out to 100 partners holding the firm's most important client relationships, will focus on encouraging them to assist clients on strategic issues unrelated to deals.

The course – the first of its kind McKinsey has run for a law firm – will see partners attend two three-day workshops over the next six months in Amsterdam, Hong Kong, New York and Germany, where they will receive intense personal coaching to hone their client relationship skills.

A&O approached McKinsey after conducting client research which found that the firm's clients sometimes felt partners were too focused on the technical side of the relationship, and were not being sufficiently involved in their wider business.

Global corporate co-head Sietze Hepkema, who helped build the programme with McKinsey, said: "Partners at this stage of their career are much more well-rounded than that, and knowledgeable in wider areas than just the transactional side of things. On this basis, our clients have emphasised the importance of being approached on a relationship basis rather than just when a deal is to be done.

"The training really focuses on ensuring that partners feel comfortable in having off-deal strategic conversations with clients. It is not about broadcasting to the clients, but about listening to them."

The firm declined to disclose how much McKinsey had been paid for the training, but said that the largest cost to the firm was the loss of billable hours in keeping 100 of its most profitable partners away from fee earning for six days.

Hepkema said: "It mounts up to a lot of billable hours spent but that is also a reflection of the commitment from the firm's side. Partners appreciate this with very few failing to turn up to sessions."

A&O had talked to several leading business schools and some of the big accountancy and consultancy firms before deciding to work with McKinsey to develop the course. It is planning to roll out the programme to a new round of partners next year.