In recent interviews, clients have expressed great concern about the state of the associate ranks in their trusted outside firms. Concerns range from efficient and consistent staffing models to retention and succession planning. “I need exposure to their associates they are bringing up. They probably have them, and I just don’t know them. Getting comfortable […]
Wicker Park Group Friends: We have partnered with ALM Insights to better understand the state of client feedback in the legal profession today, and we would greatly value your insights. Please take a few minutes to respond to the brief survey or send to the appropriate person in your firm. Individual responses will be kept […]
My husband likes to tell people I serve as a “marriage counselor” for law firms and their clients. While it seems like an oversimplification, it is a pretty accurate description. When I reflect on the secrets of the many successful long-term marriages I’ve witnessed, including my parents’ 65-year marriage, they are the same things clients […]
Yearend is the perfect time to check in with clients to review the year’s work together, plan for the year ahead, seek feedback and most importantly discuss their top priorities. While talking about money can be uncomfortable, the attorneys who proactively address these challenges will have a competitive advantage. Clients say: Avoiding talking about bills […]
I haven’t traveled abroad in a very long time and took a long-planned, twice-postponed trip to attend a yoga retreat in Morocco last month. It was an amazing experience to explore such a dramatically different culture and an excellent reminder of the many benefits of travel. So many of the lessons I was reminded of […]
In recent interviews, clients have been raving about the return to in-person meetings and are encouraging their outside advisors to be more visible. One client told me they just met their outside legal and financial advisors in person for the first time after working together for more than two years on an IPO. The pitch, […]
I’ve just wrapped up three weeks in a row of travel to spend time with clients, host WPG’s Law Firm Leaders Roundtable and attend a conference. It’s been energizing to be face to face again, and while the logistics of traveling are still a little hectic, I love the uninterrupted time to read on airplanes. […]
At the upcoming CXps (Client Experience in Professional Services) Conference in Durham, North Carolina, on May 10-12, I’ll be facilitating a panel discussion with three very impressive CX (client experience) leaders in the accounting and consulting realm. The focus of our conversation will be to explore how three very different professional services firms approach the […]
We’ve been reviewing our client feedback research from 2021, and I was struck by a big shift in client sentiment and perceptions about how well outside counsel understand their businesses and industries. In 2019, 51% of the clients WPG interviewed felt their outside counsel exceeded expectations in demonstrating an understanding of their businesses or industries […]
I recently read that Warren Buffett spends 80% of his workday reading and reads up to 500 pages a day. It’s a trait he shares with many other successful people. The article went on to talk about the importance of taking time to reflect on the reading. There is not much in the news lately […]
The LMA 2021 Annual Conference happened! It was good to be with colleagues and friends face to face to learn and share our experiences. One benefit of lighter attendance was the opportunity for many discussion-oriented sessions. On Saturday morning I attended a great workshop, “No Longer Taboo: Helping Lawyers Embrace the Power of Selling to […]
Over the last two weeks, I attended my first in-person meetings at a law firm in 18 months. The groups were small, the rooms were large for extra distancing space and the attendees were diligent about wearing masks when not eating or drinking. It felt safe and it was really nice to be together. The […]
As Thames recently mentioned, we had a great discussion with James Kane this summer about getting “Unstuck.” In advance of the conversation, we all took this Stuck Quiz to find out how much we really know about getting “Unstuck.” Candidly we didn’t know much! So we learned a lot. One of my favorite takeaways from […]
We recently hosted a Zoom meeting for a group of clients, and as you would expect the conversation included return-to-office plans (or in some cases, the lack thereof) and strategies for employee, attorney and client engagement as we all contemplate “reentry.” While plans for going back to work are all over the place in the […]
Tara recently shared some great questions to uncover client priorities. By understanding your clients’ businesses and what has their attention, you are in a much better position to offer helpful solutions to their most pressing problems, make their lives easier, add value and position them for success inside their organizations. In the past two weeks, […]
In the past few weeks, I’ve interviewed several clients disappointed in their law firms’ efforts (more likely lack thereof) regarding succession transitions. While it’s not a new issue, it’s becoming more pronounced with COVID-related transitions and challenges. One client said, “I’ve never seen a law firm execute a good transition on retirement. It’s how firms […]
The start of 2021 hasn’t been the miraculous return to normal or dramatic improvement we’d all hoped for, but I’m still grateful for many things—including my oldest godchild delivering a healthy baby boy on January 1 and my team, the Crimson Tide, defeating Ohio State and setting a record for the most college football national […]
In the past few weeks, many clients I’ve interviewed have named “ease of doing business” as a key differentiator of their favorite law firms. The clients represent a variety of industries including manufacturing, private equity, banking and healthcare. While we have heard clients praise the firms and attorneys who make their lives easier for years, […]
My mother has advanced heart failure and mild dementia. Her care needs have increased in the past few weeks, and I’ve been spending a lot of time with her. The other day, television news reports of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing jolted my mother’s memories from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. She may not have […]
Wicker Park Group (WPG) and ALM Intelligence have released results of a survey evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on in-house counsel and legal departments. Responses from more than 130 in-house counsel from a wide array of industries, departments, and company sizes provided insights on the outlook of their businesses, departments, budgets, and outsourcing needs. The […]
My yoga studio has been offering virtual classes these past few months, and I’ve enjoyed rolling my mat out on the porch. I’ve been practicing regularly for more than fifteen years now and benefit physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. During a recent class, my favorite instructor directed us to be deliberate and intentional about connecting […]
We have been closely reviewing and analyzing the responses to the recent Impact of COVID-19 on Corporate Legal Departments survey we conducted in partnership with ALM Intelligence. More than 130 in-house counsel from a wide array of industries, departments and company sizes provided feedback on their law firm service experience during COVID-19. Most all agree […]
Over the past few months, we’ve been studying our 2019 client feedback research, conducting ongoing client feedback interviews via phone and Zoom for law firm clients and working with ALM on a survey to uncover how clients are being impacted by COVID-19. As we compared the views from last year to 2020, clients continue to […]
I’ll admit I’ve not been a fan of video conferencing until very recently. I’ve been working from a home office since 2005, traveling frequently to be face to face with clients. My amateur technology skills and frequently barking dogs along with the hassles of staging appropriate backgrounds and putting on “work” clothes and makeup always […]
In January, I was talking to an always inspiring attorney about his 2019 business development success and his plans for 2020. When I asked him why he felt like 2019 had been so successful, he credited three things: being more intentional in his efforts, creating better habits and getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Since many attorneys […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of its most popular blog posts. This article first appeared in 2018. Advanced technology was supposed to free us up to work less, spend time with our loved ones and pursue hobbies. Instead, these devices are just shackling us to work and creating blurred lines between our work and […]
Last year my stepdaughter took a class at her college’s January interim term called “Mindful Reading.” The class time and homework over the one-month minimester were dedicated to reading whatever books the students desired, discussing them and writing about them. That and a million other things about her college experience make me want to go […]
Every organization has a unique culture—the personality, values, beliefs and guidelines that dictate behaviors and shape decision-making. The cultural “norms” of an organization may be clearly dictated or more subtle, spoken or unspoken. Regardless, outside counsel who seek to understand their clients’ unique cultures and adapt their services accordingly are often better equipped to be […]
Happy New Year! Last week Nat challenged us to take action in 2020—to listen to clients in order to adapt servicing offerings and better understand their changing needs, preferences and pressures. As he points out, listening well requires skill, collaboration, an open mind, courage to ask the hard questions, a long-term view and time. That’s a […]
We get to work with really smart and insightful attorneys, and while we are often hired to help teach them new skills and client insights, the reality is we learn a lot from them. I walk away with different perspectives and ideas from each interaction. One of my favorite attorneys is really trying to retool […]
In the past few weeks, I have conducted a number of interviews with law firm clients who emphasized the importance of outside counsel working in collaboration with their own law firm service teams—the in-house legal department as well as other law firms, vendors and advisors. The organizations were very diverse, from large, sophisticated legal departments […]
“The partner made heroic efforts to step in and get things back on track and make things right. I appreciate the appropriate modifications being made quickly and was pleased with the outcome. That [frustrating experience] did not affect my willingness or inclination to use or recommend the firm in the future.” As we’ve written about […]
Many of you have probably attended a school orientation meeting recently. We moved our college sophomore into her dorm this weekend ahead of most students’ arrival because she will be part of the freshman orientation leadership team. This private liberal arts school does a really remarkable job of preparing hundreds of wide-eyed 18- and 19-year-olds […]
This is the third post in our 2019 Summer Reading Series. The first post, about driving client loyalty, can be found here. The second post, about improving meetings, can be found here. We’ve been talking a lot about the seven secrets to success and how to cultivate these skills in ourselves and in law firms. […]
This is the second post in our 2019 Summer Reading Series. The first post, about driving client loyalty, can be found here. Gatherings. It’s what we do. In the past three weeks, I have hosted seven sets of houseguests in our home. Most are friends and their families arriving in the mountains of Western North […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This post, one of the most read in the past year, was originally posted in September 2018. The fall back-to-school time has always been a better time for me to incorporate new habits or routines than January. But no matter your preferred time […]
A few weeks ago at the CXps 2019 conference in Durham, North Carolina, James Kane (always a crowd pleaser) spoke about the secrets to building relationships that will last. In his program, he previewed a simple framework for understanding loyalty that combines the latest research in neurology, anthropology and behavioral psychology with 100,000 years of human […]
One of the biggest struggles facing law firms today is differentiation. Smart, capable attorneys are everywhere, and firms only stand out when they offer more than proficiency. Offering a superior client experience is one of the best ways to differentiate in the marketplace, and one of my recent favorite resources for improving the client experience […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This is the fourth in a series of posts updated from 2013. The qualities explored continue to resonate with what clients are telling us they desperately need from outside counsel. So far, we have written about Zest, Grit and Self Control, Gratitude and Optimism and Social […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This is the third in a series of posts updated from 2013. The qualities explored continue to resonate with what clients are telling us they desperately need from outside counsel. So far, we have written about Zest, Grit and Self Control as well as Gratitude and […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This is the second in a series of posts updated from 2013. The qualities explored continue to resonate with what clients are telling us they desperately need from outside counsel. Last week, we wrote about Zest, Grit and Self Control. The character traits we […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This is the first in a series of posts written in 2013, which we will repost in the coming weeks. The qualities explored in these posts resonate with what clients are telling us they desperately need from outside counsel. A fascinating article in The New York […]
In recent conversations with newly minted law firm partners, I’ve noticed a sense of obligation to go forth, find a worthy organization and secure a “board” position. Many see their mentors and other senior lawyers in the firm serving on boards and view it as another box to check on the partnership career trajectory. Most […]
At two weeks into the New Year, some people are still diligently plugging away on resolutions to develop better habits, make healthier choices and cut through the “clutter” in their lives. And some have already given up on the effort. Some WPG team members, inspired by the new Netflix series, are Marie Kondo-ing their closets, […]
This time of year, you don’t even need to ask friends and colleagues how they are doing. You know what the answer will be: “I’m so busy.” “I’m slammed.” “I am so behind.” “I’m so tired.” Our society equates value with busyness. But one of the best gifts you can give your clients, your friends and […]
Some people love attending industry conferences and events to network, get out of the office and learn something new. Others dread the scene entirely. But regardless of your attitude, conferences can be a rare opportunity to connect with clients, prospects and referral sources all in the same place. Follow these six tips to make the […]
The fall back-to-school time has always been a better time for me to incorporate new habits or routines than January. I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. There is something about the shift from carefree, long and hot summer days to shorter, crisp fall days that seems to encourage a back-to-business attitude. So […]
Current news almost always creeps into the conversations during client feedback interviews. And lately, we are hearing a lot from sophisticated clients about the growing focus on managed services and the increasing legal professional headcounts in the Big Four accounting firms. As you would expect, it’s the tax and M&A folks in companies that have […]
Many of the attorneys we coach rely too heavily on “entertainment” as their primary business development activity. While sharing a meal, playing golf or attending an event together can be a very effective way to strengthen client relationships, random acts of entertainment will not result in business development success. Many clients bemoan any additional invitations […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This post, one of our most read last year, originally appeared in October 2017. Clients are increasingly asked to do more with less. They have greater responsibilities, have more work to do and often spend all day going from meeting to meeting or […]
At WPG, we read (and listen) a lot. We read online resources like business and legal publications and listen to podcasts and audiobooks. I personally like good old-fashioned books and just finished The Culture Code. In it, Daniel Coyle unravels the secrets of highly successful and high-performing groups and offers some great tips and tools […]
Advanced technology was supposed to free us up to work less, spend time with our loved ones and pursue hobbies. Instead, these devices are just shackling us to work and creating blurred lines between our work and personal lives. Everyone is just working more, and that’s especially apparent in our industry. In the past few […]
We’ve been traveling to see our clients a lot this spring, and I’ve been averaging two cities a week for a few weeks now. Last week, I noticed a change. There were more families, more packs of unaccompanied young people wearing college party t-shirts, more suntans and more frustrated business travelers navigating around people stopping […]
In anticipation of Valentine’s Day, I decided to take a look at WPG client feedback reports from the past few months to see what clients say they really love about their law firm relationships. Clients really feel the love when their outside counsel are generous, insightful, adaptable, consistent, collaborative, fun to be around, thoughtful gift […]
Building client loyalty—particularly in this legal environment—takes real effort. You need to design your clients’ experiences, and that must incorporate the voice of the client. This May 21-23, join Wicker Park Group in attending CXps 2018 (Client Experience in Professional Services) and learn how to design client experiences that succeed. Learn more and register here.
We’ve written countless blog posts about the importance of talking with clients “off the clock” to seek feedback and gain a better understanding of their businesses, strategic goals, preferences, priorities and pressures. The attorneys doing this well have seen the simple effort make a dramatic difference in the strength of their client relationships as well […]
Clients are increasingly asked to do more with less. They have greater responsibilities, have more work to do and often spend all day going from meeting to meeting or conference call to conference call. Email is often the best way to get messages to clients during hectic days, but their inboxes are on overload. Many […]
Last week, we spent two days facilitating business development workshops for two different groups of attorneys at one law firm. The participants came from different offices and practice areas, and there was a diverse mix of experience levels, comfort with business development and communication styles. At the end of each day’s learning, we asked participants […]
At WPG, we read a lot. In the spirit of back to school and reporting on “summer reading,” I share recommendations for two great books about the skills that clients we interview often describe as the traits distinguishing extraordinary from average legal service. Empathy, emotional intelligence, communication skills and the ability to cultivate relationships are essential […]
We will periodically revisit some of Wicker Park Group’s most popular blog posts. This one, originally posted in June 2016, was one of last year’s most read posts. At the recent Client Experience in Professional Services conference in Durham, North Carolina, Stan Phelps shared his insights about winning the hearts of customers and influencing positive […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the fifth article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here, the second article about the importance of preparation here, the third article about who […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the fourth article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here, the second article about the importance of preparation here and the third […]
The bar is low. Despite tremendous progress in the past 20 years, law firms continue to lag behind their clients’ industries and other professional service firms when it comes to innovation, client experience and client engagement. Again and again, we hear law firm clients say the attorneys and law firms that stand out from the […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the third article in the series. You can find the first article about how to choose clients for feedback here and the second article about the importance of preparation here. Most […]
Wicker Park Group is revisiting some of the essential processes around Client Feedback Interviews in a new series of blog posts called “Back to Basics.” This is the first article in the series. Check back regularly for updated entries. Unless you have unlimited time and resources, it is impossible to visit or call every single firm client […]
End-of-the-year travels have had me on more airplanes, staying in more hotels, eating in more restaurants and visiting more law firm offices than usual. During my travels, I experienced some of the best and some of the worst hospitality imaginable. On one trip, weather and travel delays typical of the season resulted in missed connections, […]
While I was talking to a law firm partner about one of her most significant clients last week, she said, “Every time we have face time with the client, we walk away with several new projects. But that is so hard because we are so busy just managing the work and their complicated financial reporting […]
I recently had the opportunity to perform my civic duty as a juror. While the timing was inconvenient and the case not all that interesting, the experience provided a great perspective on the dramatic impact of strong communication and meeting facilitation skills. The case was relatively short, and there were only three witnesses called. The […]
Summer reading has remained an ingrained habit from school days. At WPG, we are all avid readers and share book recommendations across genres. We read everything from current bestsellers and biographies to cookbooks and of course business books. Our 2016 summer reading focus at WPG has been on understanding the “client experience,” and we’ve all […]
At the recent Client Experience in Professional Services conference in Durham, North Carolina, Stan Phelps shared his insights about winning the hearts of customers and influencing positive word of mouth. Phelps is the author of What’s Your Purple Goldfish?, and his crowd-sourced stories resonated with the audience of engineering, design, architectural, construction, legal and financial […]
“When I select attorneys to handle a matter, I really look for a team. I want the leader to be familiar with the case and giving people direction. I don’t expect him to get in the nitty-gritty from day one, but you do really need a very smart guy to be in the details and […]
As the weather warms, I find myself wanting to do household spring-cleaning chores while also dreading the effort. I long for a day to pack away winter coats and make room for lighter, brighter clothes in the closet, to replace storm windows with screens and to clean outdoor furniture in preparation of porch sitting. Then […]
In some businesses, clients view their lawyers as impediments to making things happen. Those clients often work with outside counsel who throw up roadblocks and tell them why something won’t work instead of seeking a solution to the challenge. The roadblocks can be anything from regulatory hurdles to plain old risk aversion or analysis paralysis. […]
January 17 has been designated Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day because that is about how long most people who make resolutions actually stick with them. According to research conducted by Statistic Brain, only 8% of resolution makers are successful with their resolutions. That’s a pretty sad success rate. According to Timothy Pychyl, a professor of psychology […]
Rare is the in-house counsel who will swiftly and directly confront outside counsel about minor annoyances or even major frustrations. While there are exceptions, most clients just don’t have the time, bandwidth or interest to proactively offer course corrections. Many attorneys are by nature conflict averse and indirect. So if you aren’t picking up on […]
“That lawyer does not take on each problem by rote but brings a renewed activism and discipline to the need to find the solution. That lawyer ‘listens’ rather than just ‘hears.’” –Client interviewed by Wicker Park Group While hearing and listening both require using our ears, the words have very different meanings. Listening […]
I recently attended a meeting of the Customer Experience Professionals Association (CXPA) at the new PIRCH store in Atlanta to learn more about how the appliance store has created a customer-centric culture and earned a top 25 spot on the Forbes list of “America’s Most Promising Companies.” Granted, PIRCH offers $48,000 custom French ovens in […]
“In every business, there are employees who are the first point of contact with the customers (attendants at airport gates, receptionists at doctors’ offices, bank tellers, executive assistants). Those people can come across either as agents or as gatekeepers. An agent makes things happen for others. A gatekeeper sets up barriers to keep people out.” […]
Interview with Sarah Rosen, Associate Legal Counsel Union Square Hospitality Group Union Square Hospitality Group, founded by Danny Meyer, is the parent company to some of New York City’s most beloved restaurants, including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke and Shake Shack. The company also includes Union Square Events, a catering and events business, and […]
In its 2014 “Global Trust in Advertising” report, market research giant Nielson Company found that 92% of consumers worldwide trust recommendations over all other forms of advertising. That is up 18% since 2007. Based on Wicker Park Group’s body of client feedback interviews from the same time period, it is likely that an even higher […]
Restaurateur Danny Meyer has been delighting diners in New York City since he opened Union Square Cafe in 1985. Thirty years and 15 restaurant concepts later, he and his team at Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) have perfected the art of “enlightened hospitality.” Their mission is simple: “To delight our guests through such unparalleled hospitality, […]
More likely than not, you gave or received a valentine this weekend. It may have been wildly extravagant or the simplest of gestures, but regardless you made or were made to feel special, cared about, valued and loved. A couple I admire attributes the longevity and happiness of their 50-plus-year marriage to treating every day […]
A few weeks ago, I participated in a law firm practice group retreat. In preparation for the meeting, I spoke to the practice group leader about his goals for the group’s time together and specifically my program on client opinions, preferences and trends in client feedback. A bit skeptical of consultants in general, he was […]
Interview with Joe Benage, Vice President, Insurer and Employer Services Quest Diagnostics Quest Diagnostics provides crucial diagnostic information that supports and enhances decisions people make to improve patients’ health. The company offers a wide range of products and services that benefit patients, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical medical device companies, life insurance companies and employers. Q: In […]
At the LMA Southeastern Chapter conference in Nashville, Tennessee panelists shared best practices for strategic planning in law firms. While everyone agrees it’s critical for law firms to have a strategic plan, one panelist—the managing partner of a mid-size law firm—advises not to bother “creating one more nice notebook to put on the shelf” unless […]
“Mistakes will be made. If you make a mistake, figure out what you did, own up to it, figure out how to correct it and then learn from it so you don’t repeat it. In my mind, a successful lawyer or successful employee is one who knows how to take that mistake and make a […]
We all love to walk out of a client interview with a zinger: a big relationship problem, a previously hidden opportunity in a new area or a major client challenge we can solve. In fact, some clients don’t think their client feedback programs are effective unless there are big surprises at every turn. The reality […]
The majority of clients interviewed by Wicker Park Group have significantly more praise for their outside counsel than criticism. In fact, most complaints about law firm relationships typically result from failing to manage client expectations or other common communication breakdowns. On those rare occasions when you do receive surprising negative feedback, it is always better […]
In a fascinating article in The New York Times Magazine I read that several educators across various socioeconomic backgrounds are trying to measure and improve the character of their students. The idea is that by improving character, particularly “performance character,” the students will be better prepared to face the challenges of college and adulthood. Based on the […]
As we wrote in our previous post, we are exploring seven character traits of high achievers that also translate into great success for client relationship management and business development. In this post, we are covering zest, grit and self-control. ZestWhen we hear the term zest used within a professional context, a lot of us imagine […]
In our ongoing look at the seven character traits of high achievers, we are devoting this post to an important one: social intelligence. Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and expert in social intelligence, explains in an article for the Harvard Business Review that neuroscience research has shown us the high value of social intelligence and its impact on […]
In our final blog post exploring the traits that lead to successful client relationships and business development, we’re talking about curiosity. The article in the New York Times Magazine that inspired this series discusses the KIPP charter schools, which focus on seven character traits that they believe will foster success. Per KIPP’s site, a curious person is someone […]
The character traits we are looking at this week, gratitude and optimism, seem pretty straightforward. After all, you’ve surely thanked your clients for their business, and having a generally positive attitude is easy enough. But our experiences at Wicker Park Group have taught us that taking purposeful steps to effectively express gratitude and cultivate an […]
At the 2009 Legal Marketing Association Annual Conference, Laura Meherg of Wicker Park Group and law firm CMO Erin Meszaros presented a workshop on client feedback. Billed as a “live” client feedback interview, the highly interactive program had the underlying goal of spreading the message that while the interview is important, the key components of […]
Law firms can benefit greatly by systematically and consistently seeking client feedback. At the LMA Philadelphia Chapter meeting on February 19, 2009, Laura Meherg and Nancy Mangan from Wicker Park Group outlined many of those benefits plus tips for creating and sustaining a successful client feedback initiative in law firms. Benefits One of the most important […]
We are all struggling to do more with less, watch expenses and make tough choices about how to allocate limited resources. In this time of lay-offs, chapter 11s, business and law firm failures and heightened anxiety across most industries (and personal lives) the way we treat our clients (and employees) can go a long way […]