Client Q&A: A WPG Conversation with Brad Chambers

Brad Chambers is the General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer for Lonestar Electric Supply in Houston, Texas, a position he assumed after a long career at Baker Donelson. Lonestar Electric Supply is a rapidly growing electrical distribution company with operations across the U.S. In this conversation, Brad shares candid perspectives on what has changed since moving in house, what he values most in outside counsel, and how law firms must rethink value, relationships, and strategy in an AI‑enabled legal market.

Q: What has changed most in your perspective since going in house?

A: The lack of peers. In a law firm, you work with peers all the time—associates, partners, paralegals—you all speak a common language. As general counsel, that changes. There’s a great lack of peers. My only real peer in the organization is the CFO, and we don’t even speak the same language. I don’t speak accounting, and he doesn’t speak legal.

Q: What do you most value in outside counsel today?

A: Solutions, strategy, and clarity. If I hand something off to outside counsel, I want it taken care of. Whether it’s litigation or a transaction, I want it handled. Communication is critical: clear, concise updates and responsiveness. When business leaders can’t reach outside counsel, that reflects poorly on me for having chosen them.

Q: Is that primarily an accessibility issue or a responsiveness issue?

A: It’s responsiveness. In this day and age, documents should be responded to within 24 hours at least to acknowledge and say, “I can’t get to it yet, but I’ll follow up.” Silence creates problems.

Q: Clients talk a lot about “understanding the business.” What does that actually look like to you?

A: I’ve been in this role seven months, and not one of our outside counsel—aside from Baker Donelson—has picked up the phone to ask to meet me, take me to lunch, or come see what we do. We spend about $3 to $3.5 million a year on outside counsel, and it is surprising the lack of client development going on. I don’t need to be wined and dined, but I would like to meet my outside counsel. 

If I were back at a firm, I’d tell lawyers to get out from behind their desks and go see their clients. Go understand what they do. Just ask, “Tell me what y’all do.” There’s an incorrect presumption attorneys think they’re bothering clients. Simply not true. At the partner/shareholder level, attorneys should spend at least half of their time talking and communicating with their clients. Not just emailing, but actual interaction.

Q: Have you seen that lack of outreach affect firm relationships?

A: Absolutely. With two firms we’ve used a lot in the past, we’re decreasing their usage. Part of the reason is we hear from their billing departments more than we hear from the lawyers. If your clients hear more from your billing department than they hear from you, it’s a problem. For example, I just received 28 invoices from a law firm and have yet to talk to their lawyers in seven months on the job. Nearly 200 invoices in seven months, and I have yet to actually speak to the people sending the bills. Admittedly, part of this is on me, but law firms should initiate the client interaction.  

Q: How do you evaluate value versus cost?

A: To me, value is everything. It comes down to trust and performance. To quote Churchill, “I’m very easily pleased by the very best.” Give me strategy. Help me develop solutions. Tell me you’re going to handle it, and explain why you’re doing things a certain way. I don’t need a play‑by‑play—I need confidence, clarity, and insight.

Q: How should firms be thinking about their value proposition today?

A: Strategy is where firms differentiate. If it’s a simple lease or basic document, with the advent of AI I can get a lot of that myself (and frankly faster). Where firms add value is in litigation and significant transactions, where judgment matters. Give me the reasoning, the structure, and the roadmap. That’s what I’m paying for.

Q: How is AI changing your expectations of law firms?

A: We’ve invested in AI internally for contract reviews. Everything goes into our playbook, generates redlines based on our preferences, and gets back to the business within an hour. It’s replacing a lot of common work. Firms that aren’t adapting are going to struggle. This change is going to make things harder, not easier. Part of this change is inevitably going to change the “hourly” model. Firms need to adjust. If AI can help me do a task, then it should be more efficient for a firm to do the task. If AI can complete a task, then I don’t need the firm. The firms who provide strategic wisdom will be the winners. 

Q: What best practices should law firms be thinking about right now?

A: Young lawyers should be generalists early in their careers. They need exposure to different areas so they can spot issues later. And lawyers need to understand this is a relationship business. You can be a great technician, but if you’re not building relationships, you’re going to have a problem. Finally, learn to develop relationships at all levels.

Q: What’s the most effective way for firms to help you understand their capabilities?

A: Start by listening. Ask, “What do you wish we (as a law firm) would do differently?” and really listen to the answer. Don’t try to ram your presumed solutions into my real world problems.

Q: What does effective relationship building actually look like in practice?

A: Come see us. Walk the warehouse. See how the business works. Understand what’s driving our growth, where the risks are, and what matters operationally. Even a short visit, not a lunch, makes a real difference.

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing your business right now?

A: Scaling. We’re growing so fast our ability to scale is the most pressing challenge.  

Q: How would you like law firms to gather feedback from you?

A: The method doesn’t matter. Send a form, call me, or have someone else follow up. Just do it. Nobody asks anymore, and they should.