What I do
I offer board-level support to firms looking to grow, develop and improve
their legal business.
Practice Reviews
Law firms regularly engage me to undertake a review of their operations, often in preparation for a retreat in order to help them to plan. Often a review is tied in with a retreat. Such a review typically involves:
Analysis of the firm’s latest financial accounts
A survey of the firm’s Partners
A survey of the firm’s team
Face-to-face interviews with partners
Preparation and presentation of report
facilitation
I am regularly invited to facilitate firm retreats, forums, strategy days and get-togethers - events at which firms have the opportunity to step back from their day-to-day work and to come together to focus on how best to improve their business. Each retreat is customised to meet individual requirements and can involve some or all of the following:
Conducting pre-retreat research; this can include a practice review and pre-retreat data collection
Providing pre-retreat reading; this can include my review, reports, articles and books of relevance
Programme planning – everything from venue to agenda
Sourcing external speakers
Facilitation of discussions
Speaking
I am regularly invited to speak at conferences and events on topics relating to the business of law. Further, I present both public and in house workshops aimed at developing leadership, management and interpersonal skills. This is an opportunity to learn all about leadership, finance, marketing, client relations, business development, culture and communication, - the skills they don't teach at law school!
Workshops
I present customised workshops in-house for law firms on the topics of leadership and business development. Following the publication of my latest book, ‘The Heart of Practice’, I have developed two new workshops; click on the links below to download an overview of the programmes (pdf files):
1. The Leadership Imperative Masterclass is a half-day workshop for senior legal professionals (Partners, soon-to-be-made Partners and Law Firm Executives). The workshop explores the practical application of the four leadership principles outlined in Simon’s book ‘The Heart of Practice’ so that professionals can more confidently lead themselves, their people and their firms.
2. Emerging Leaders is a whole-day workshop for ambitious Senior Associates and Solicitors who wish to accelerate their career progression and become more effective in their roles, both internally and externally.
Programmes can be delivered either in person (preferred) or via Zoom. Pricing may vary.
Client listening programme
While many firms profess to be ‘client-centric’, relatively few take the time to actively elicit client feedback or input. Indeed, Thomson Reuters suggest that just 27% of law firm clients report being asked for formal feedback. However for many forward-thinking firms, client listening is strategic imperative. They find the exercise both insightful and rewarding. Stronger relationships, client satisfaction and higher spend are just some of the potential benefits.
My tried and tested process involves me interviewing a selection of your valued clients to ask questions about their experiences of using your firm’s service; what works, what doesn’t, what suggestions for improvement they would like to make and so on. This exercise can fill gaps in your knowledge and improve your understanding of client needs and expectations.
The benefits of a client review are potentially significant: this is an opportunity to:
prevent clients from defecting
show your clients you care about them and their business
identify where you over-perform or under-perform
discover how your service rates in comparison with other firms
pinpoint opportunities for new business
increase awareness within your firm of the importance of the client experience
There are three stages to my process:
1. Client selection – you choose which clients you would like me to interview and then brief me as to the background and nature of the relationship. You invite clients to participate and introduce them to me. I take it from there.
2. Interviews (in person or online). I tee up a convenient time to meet with the client to discuss matters; ahead of that meeting, I will invite them to complete an online questionnaire aimed at identifying issues and gaining some quantitative measures.
3. Report and review. At the conclusion of the project, I report back to you with a written summary of both the qualitative and quantitative findings.. The results will enable you to diagnose issues that require immediate attention and will provide insights for ongoing improvement. I will then meet with you (virtually or in person) to answer any questions.
Price indicator for programmes conducted within New Zealand, to include the above:
The first 10 clients (minimum 6): $1,250 plus GST per client; thereafter, $1,000 plus GST per client. For in-person interviews within New Zealand, add 25% and an allowance for travel and disbursements to the above prices.
“Client listening may be the single most important step in securing the long-term future of a law firm — without it, firm leaders and partners can’t know for sure how their clients are experiencing the firm, their propensity to consider the firm for future work, or indeed, what their future legal needs may be.”