Keep Things Moving for Clients

As part of my LinkedIn Series #ItsNotASecret, I recently shared this quote from an in-house associate general counsel: “In a law firm, you are always expected to deliver 100% and A quality work. In house, every test is pass or fail and you don’t know the curve. It’s all about knowing the line for each project. Finding outside counsel that is comfortable with that perspective and able to pivot accordingly are key to a successful relationship for us.”

What it means:
Lawyers are trained to perfect things and find wrong. Clients are trained to prioritize and keep things moving. Inside a company, the standard shifts depending on urgency, business context and risk tolerance. Something that feels like an A minus (or even a B minus) to a law firm may be exactly what the client needs to keep the business moving. The real skill is recognizing where the line is for this matter, this client and this moment.

Outside counsel who succeed aren’t just excellent lawyers. They read the room. They calibrate. They understand when precision is essential and when progress matters more than polish. They ask enough questions to know the role the client wants them to play, not the one they assume they should play.

One thing you can do today:
Before diving into your next project, ask your client:

• What outcome matters most here?
• What level of detail or depth is necessary?
• Which risk levels are acceptable and which are not?
• What role do you want me to play so we stay aligned and efficient?
• Besides getting to our goal, what else matters?

The goal isn’t to guess. The goal is to understand. When you calibrate your approach to the client’s priorities instead of your default instincts, you become a partner who is practical, commercial and growth minded, not a lawyer who slows things down.