I once suggested to a law firm partner that forming a client team would be a great way to respond to their client’s needs. He said, “I have a team.” In reality, though, he had a group of people who consistently worked with the client. What they lacked was any structure or process for those individuals to function as a cohesive unit.
So, What Is a Client Team?
Much has been written and said about the value of forming client teams, but not all lawyers understand what that actually means.
A client team is basically a more structured and strategic approach to the client’s relationship with the firm. The benefits of client teams accrue to both the client and the firm and include (among many other advantages):
- Better internal communication and coordination among those working with the client
- A better understanding of the client’s needs, business and industry
- A more organized approach to client service
- Succession planning and expanding the number of relationships
Although it should not be the driving purpose of forming a client team, most firms also find that a formal team will result in additional work and cross-selling opportunities.
Putting a Client Team Together
Whether your firm has a formal client team program or not, anyone can use the model. When putting together a team for a particular client, start with the people who currently service the client — usually considered the “core” members of the team. Then add:
- Internal connections. People who don’t work with the client but with whom the client might have a relationship. For example, one of your colleagues might live next door to the company’s CFO. (Check your firm’s CRM system or LinkedIn for leads.)
- Subject matter experts. Those who might be able to make a contribution to the client’s cause or to your internal discussions, such as the firm’s HR manager if it’s a staffing company or your firm’s IT Director if it is a tech company.
- Prospective partners. People who may be able to help the client prospectively. For instance, you could invite a lawyer from another location where the firm has an office but currently does no work for the client, or someone from a substantive area the client might need but has not yet used.
- Supporting staff. Other business and administrative staff who would benefit from hearing discussions about the client and its needs — administrative assistants, billing coordinators, accounts payable, and so on.
If appropriate, relationship partners can collaborate with the firm’s client development director to manage their team’s agenda and ensure they are supported by accurate data.
Potential Team Activities
Now that you have a team, what do you do? The goal is to develop methods to collaborate and share information so the team can serve the client on a more consistent and coordinated basis. Here are just a few examples of possible activities for your team. (Some may involve just the core group, and some the larger group.)
Background. Many client teams will start by asking marketing or library staff to put together a “dossier” on the client. Put generative AI tools to work synthesizing client news, industry trends, and relevant regulatory updates. Everyone on the team will benefit from learning more about the client and the business.
(Read “NotebookLM for Lawyers: A Small Hammer for Big Document Problems.”)
Client feedback. Some client teams will incorporate a client interview to get first-hand information from the client about how things are going, the perceptions of the firm, and ways to improve service.
Client plan. The group should put together a plan for the client — what will we do to build this relationship in the coming year? Activities could include:
- Taking a tour of the company
- Assigning team members to certain company personnel for social events
- Giving workshops on substantive topics to the client’s in-house legal department
- Establishing a more formal status reporting system for the client
- Introducing client personnel to other related experts in the firm
- Introducing the firm’s lawyers to other people from the company
Updates. It is valuable for the team to meet from time to time to talk about the client and its work. Hold regular, brief team check-ins (via videoconference for hybrid/remote teams). This could involve only the core team or the larger team, depending on the agenda. For example:
- News about the client (“I was out there today and learned …”)
- Client guidelines or feedback
- Who’s working on what
Information-sharing mechanism. Client teams often will put in place a way to share updates or questions about the client, from simple group emails to collaborative platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack for real-time questions. Project management tools like Asana or Trello can be used to track team-related tasks.
Client transparency. Do you tell the client about the team? In some cases, a “team” may connote “expensive” to a client, so perhaps not. In most cases, however, the client appreciates the effort to organize around the company and its needs. Some firms share an “org chart” of the team so the client has a tangible document to reference. Some firms invite the client to team meetings occasionally to talk about their business or industry.
Final Thoughts
If you are the primary-relationship attorney for an important firm client — or a client that is important to you — you should adopt at least some of the protocols of a formal client team. Even a three-person team benefits from the organization and communication required to create a plan for the relationship.
Image © iStockPhoto.com.
Sign up for Attorney at Work’s daily practice tips newsletter here and subscribe to our podcast, Attorney at Work Today.
Play to Win
In “Play to Win,” you’ll get smart, executable business development and marketing tips from Sally Schmidt, the authority on winning new clients and holding on to them.
Updated from an article originally published in 2015.
