Wicker Park Group’s new white paper, “Firm Selection and Cross-Selling Capabilities in Today’s Marketplace,” analyzes data from client interviews over the past five years to examine how hiring trends have shifted and provide insights into what drives firm selection and cross-selling opportunities. The paper includes: The selection criteria that are “table stakes” versus differentiators Data […]
The Wicker Park Group (WPG), an international consultancy specializing in client feedback and business development strategy and training, is excited to announce the addition of Caitlin White as Director. Caitlin is based out of Washington, D.C., and joins WPG from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, where she was Senior Business Development Manager. While there, she […]
In recent months, we at Wicker Park Group have heard from some firms about the challenges posed by the significant number of RFPs being sent out from current and potential clients. While that can be a good problem to have, it can also be overwhelming. Follow these six tips before your respond, as you put […]
As we start to resume our back-to-the-office, back-to-normal lives, we are presented with an opportunity. As we’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, the forced pause of the pandemic has given us a unique opportunity to assess what we want to change and how we can pivot our habits, our goals and our priorities. It’s a […]
Wicker Park Group Partner Nat Slavin recently had the opportunity to talk with Chase Williams and Ryan Klein about client feedback and loyalty on the Legal Mastermind podcast. They discussed several topics including: What leads a firm to seek client feedback How to approach client feedback, including in today’s challenging environment Actionable tips for attorneys […]
As the U.S. begins to cautiously reopen, we are hearing from many of our law firm clients about how they are approaching the return to offices. Some have already started to bring in a limited number of lawyers and staff to offices, while others don’t foresee any return in the coming months. The circumstances of […]
“Can you give us another 90 days to pay that bill?” “What discounts can you give us?” “Our revenue is significantly down. How can you help us through this time?” These are the types of questions facing every outside counsel during this new COVID-19 reality. While the level of loss varies depending on the industry, […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our more popular posts. This one, written in July 2019, was one of last year’s most read blog posts. As we constantly hear from clients, they aren’t looking for outside counsel with the greatest number of Chambers rankings or the most impressive resumes. Beyond baseline expectations like responsiveness […]
Wicker Park Group periodically revisits some of our most popular blog posts. This article, one of our most read in 2019 so far, was originally posted in May. Wicker Park Group has recently conducted interviews with a number of rainmakers from different firms, and one of the clear differentiators among this group is their ability […]
As we constantly hear from clients, they aren’t looking for outside counsel with the greatest number of Chambers rankings or the most impressive resumes. Beyond baseline expectations like responsiveness and capabilities, clients want outside counsel who are enjoyable to work with and approach matters with a creative, problem-solving mentality. One way to encourage those attributes, […]
Wicker Park Group has recently conducted interviews with a number of rainmakers from different firms, and one of the clear differentiators among this group is their ability to weave business development into day-to-day work. These are very busy lawyers, but they still manage to multitask and achieve the small client touchpoints that lead to new […]
Wicker Park Group (WPG), a consultancy specializing in client feedback and business development strategy and training, is pleased to announce that Sanjiv N. “Sanju” Kripalani has joined the firm as a Partner based in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Kripalani, a former business transactions lawyer, applied his unique skill set to drive Lane Powell’s business development and client […]
In 2016, we shared a popular blog post about the four rules of loyalty laid out by Peter Shankman in his book Zombie Loyalists, which is a study in how to create rabid fans. The legal landscape is changing rapidly, but these essential strategies to build loyalty remain relevant and are worth sharing again. Be transparent. While it was much […]
I recently helped a former colleague explore new job opportunities, and I was reminded of how often we rely on making connections. We network both professionally and personally constantly: seeking a new client, finding a recommended doctor, getting tickets to a sought-after event or finding the right office space. The list could go on and […]
At a recent leadership roundtable event, WPG facilitated a discussion among managing partners and firm leaders on what they most need from CMOs and marketing teams. The ideas that came out of the discussion aren’t earth shattering—but they are the most essential (and often unsaid) ways in which marketing teams propel their firms forward. The […]
Firms today are missing out on work because they’re failing to invest in a hugely important client contact: the in-house legal operations professional. Building relationships with GCs and in-house counsel is very valuable, but it often fails to translate into more work if you’re not also communicating regularly with the director of legal operations team. […]
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. One of our more popular blog posts in 2015 talked about the importance of actively listening to clients in a world of many distractions. We quoted author Sherry Turkle’s observations about […]
Wicker Park Group recently had the opportunity to speak with Doug Luftman, the Chief Innovation Officer and General Counsel at Lecorpio. He shared insights on what GCs are looking for from outside counsel and how to develop and strengthen those relationships. Luftman said, “The most valuable thing is outside counsel being savvy about my business and having true […]
We will periodically revisit some of Wicker Park Group’s most popular blog posts. This one, from November 2015, was one of last year’s most read posts. “While our attorney conveys knowledge and supervises other attorneys, we don’t see a successor. But we don’t see one in any law firm. There is no incentive to do […]
As mentioned in a recent blog post, we at Wicker Park Group love to read and love to share favorites with each other and with clients. Amid the many excellent books that address the client experience, we picked one particularly standout book to share with clients this year: Zombie Loyalists by Peter Shankman. Zombie Loyalists […]
One of our more popular blog posts last year talked about the importance of actively listening to clients in a world of many distractions. We quoted author Sherry Turkle’s observations about putting away your cell phone to invest in the conversation and connect. But what about when you’re not in person but talking on the […]
Bloomberg recently published an article on the exhaustion many consumers are feeling about the plethora of customer satisfaction surveys they face. The piece attributes the steady increase in quick surveys to a number of factors including a growing interest in utilizing customer feedback to improve services and the ease of reaching customers via email and […]
“While our attorney conveys knowledge and supervises other attorneys, we don’t see a successor. But we don’t see one in any law firm. There is no incentive to do it.” Succession planning is one of those recurring issues that Wicker Park Group hears about regularly while conducting client feedback interviews. Whether due to a […]
The following was posted October 26 by Lindsay Griffiths on her blog, Zen and the Art of Legal Networking. Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Director of Global Relationship Management. If you’re a regular reader of Zen, you’ll know that I love in-house counsel panels. During the recent Legal Marketing Association’s Technology Conference, we had one […]
Telling a great story is often the difference between being listened to and being heard. In law firms, you are potentially telling a great story whether you are pitching to a client, negotiating compensation or winning over leadership in the quest for resources and support. Outside of law firms we tell stories for many reasons, including […]
Last summer, we shared a list of books that engaged us and encouraged us to rethink how we approach our work and personal lives. Adding to that list, these insightful books address everything from the power of optimism to the importance of decluttering your spaces. Check them out and let us know what you think: […]
We always appreciate a good book, especially when it is teaching us something valuable about how we live and work. Some of these books have challenged the way we view leadership and some have provided insights into teamwork and character, but all of them have left us wiser about how to foster strong work environments […]
It’s no surprise to anyone that the legal community is not typically classified as innovative. But as law firms and legal service providers adjust to the changing economic landscape, many of the more successful ones are adopting innovative practices to stand out and provide a higher caliber service or product. Innovation in the legal industry […]