Leadership, Listening to Clients & The Hero’s Journey – Takeaways from the 2019 Marketing Partner Forum
Client expectations, diversity and law firm leadership were just a few of the topics discussed by lawyers, partners, corporate legal officers, legal academics, and legal service innovators at the 26th Annual Law Firm Marketing Partner Forum, which was held this past week.
Several sessions involved meeting or exceeding client expectations. Panelists discussed how law firms need to be proactive in asking clients what they expect in terms of service, outcome, cost and other factors. Equally important, they need to make sure they are applying those findings and putting them into practice. In addition, clients are looking for law firms that are innovative and looking for new ways to deliver legal services with the quality and efficiency that meets clients’ needs. Adrian Dayton, CEO of Clearview Social, reminded his audience of the importance of making the client — not the firm — the “hero” that overcomes adversity and challenge, invoking everything from Homer’s The Odyssey to Star Wars to convey that counsel’s job is to provide the client with the tools to achieve that goal, whether to slay a dragon, save the universe, or simply win a court case.
Other sessions discussed the importance of diversity and developing the next generation of leaders in firms.
The Legal Executive Institute wrote an excellent post summarizing many of the key takeaways from this year’s forum.
