Law firms and their clients need to be strategically aligned in terms of their priorities. In a perfect world, they should be working together to identify ways to deliver high quality, cost-effective, efficient, innovative legal services. This starts with proactive
Clients look to their legal counsel for guidance and advice. The best attorneys track developments, identify patterns, and start conversations with clients before their clients know they need advice. This is the foundation for a long-lasting partnership.
With this goal
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the sixth annual True Value Partnering Institute (TVPi) conference in Miami. TVPi is a consortium of pricing and legal project management professionals who meet regularly to discuss and evaluate the state of
A nightmare scenario for attorneys and clients is when a client receives an invoice and learns that a matter exceeded budget. If the parties went through an extensive budgeting process, documented the scope of work, and agreed to a fee
This post is the second part of a two part interview with Melissa Prince which appeared in the Legal Business Development and Project Management Blog. The interview was conducted by Tim Batdorf and Jim Hassett.
Q: In the first
This post is part one of a two part interview with Melissa Prince which appeared in the Legal Business Development and Project Management Blog. The interview was conducted by Tim Batdorf and Jim Hassett.
Q: Let’s start with a 10,000-foot
There’s no doubt that one of the hottest trends in business (legal and otherwise) is artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Nearly all legal technology vendors are looking for creative ways to add AI/ML components to their existing software.
It might sound clichéd, but communication is key to successful client/outside counsel relationships. Strong communication should exist from the Request for Proposal (RFP) to invoicing and throughout the life cycle of the relationship. Client frustration is seldom the result of
I practiced law for 11 years before joining Ballard Spahr’s Client Value and Innovation Team as a Legal Solutions Developer. During that time, my “document automation” process was the same as that of many other attorneys. I opened a “template”
Outside counsel guidelines (OCGs) are a way for clients to set expectations regarding processes, procedures, and handling of matters. Common guidelines relate to rates and expenses (discounts, alternative fee arrangements, travel, and other cost-related exclusions); matter management (budget requirements, early
