Law Times

Law Times • augusT 9, 2010 NEWS FMC first to hire chief client officer U.S. trend comes to Toronto as firms increase focus on service BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times ments at large Canadian law firms, according to a client de- velopment expert. Catherine Mitchell, a client T development skills coach who runs her own company, One Voice Productions Inc., says firms are more willing than ever to attempt to see things from the client's perspective, a fact evidenced by Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP's move to hire its first chief client officer. "They're hiring coaches for relationship building," she says. "You're seeing an increase in formal feedback surveys, even for firms who have never done it before. These are all indica- tions that they're serious about the client experience." Mitchell sees the shift as a reaction to clients' increased expectations in a competitive market. Moves such as the As- sociation of Corporate Coun- sel's Value Challenge have laid down the gauntlet to law firms to boost their level of service, she notes. "This is the single largest, loudest client voice that has come around ever in this indus- try. Most industries don't move until their clients tell them to. It's the smart ones that listen to them." An example of the trend is FMC's recent hiring of a chief client officer to oversee its mar- keting and business develop- ment departments. It's a popu- lar title at American and British firms but the only position by that name in Canada. John Rider, the new man in the job at FMC, says that as law firms transformed into big business- es in the last decade, they need someone like him to make sure clients get proper service. "I think this role is differ- ent from what other firms have done in attempting to make sure that is happening," he says. "The big difference is I have a seat on the national manage- ment committee, where we make strategic decisions for the entire firm. It really gives mar- keting and business develop- ment a seat at the table." While the CCO name may not have caught on elsewhere, Stephen Pike, one of the man- aging partners at Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, says he performs a similar role for his firm. Gowlings split the managing partner role in half more than two years ago, a move that gave the external portion the ultimate respon- sibility for client relationships. That means Pike spends a lot of his time on the road liaising with clients. "Every firm is going to ap- proach the issue of client care and satisfaction differently, so if they [FMC] want to say Untitled-1 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 7/30/10 9:18:19 AM DOES YOUR CASE LAW RESEARCH ONLY GIVE YOU PART OF THE PICTURE? Only Westlaw® Canada links directly from your case to all relevant cases, expert analysis, case comments, pleadings, motions, facta, quantum digests, words & phrases and the CED. Get Better Results Faster with Westlaw® Canada Call 1-866-609-5811 or visit www.westlawcanada.com here's a revolution tak- ing place at the top of the marketing depart- they're the first, I leave it up to them to make that assessment," he says. "But it's certainly part of my mandate. We're a service business, and the focus has to be on ensuring that your cli- ents are getting the best profes- sional advice possible." Mitchell, meanwhile, says the title attached to the role is much less important than the skills of its holder, as well as the influence a person can command at the firm. "Somebody has to be the holder of that client experience. It's about accountability and get- ting things done. It means it's not going to fall through the cracks and that it will be consistent throughout the organization." But Mitchell warns that having a client or business development officer role buried in the market- ing department can amount to little more than a token effort to appear client-centric. "Tradi- tionally, marketing departments When business development positions began appearing sever- al years ago, some firms simply applied new labels to their old marketing specialists, Mitchell says. But now they're looking for people with the skills to seek out new clients and hold onto existing ones. For many, that means looking outside of the legal field. "If you want a paradigm shift, which the legal industry is on the cusp of, then you might be inclined to look outside," Mitchell says. Although he's a lawyer, 'The big difference is I have a seat on the national man- agement committee, where we make strategic decisions for the entire firm,' says John Rider. are known for communications, newsletters, branding — not the actual client relationship work," she says. "It's easy to get stuck in old paradigms." Rider has spent the last 18 years serving clients in more business-focused roles. His last assignment saw him heading up the commercial division at First Canadian Title. At Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, Graham Ross, director of marketing and business development, came from a similar position at PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Accounting firms have tradi- tionally been at the forefront of this for a number of years, so they've put a lot of these practices in place," Ross says. "Understanding clients helps you understand where the market opportunities are, and law firms have started to re- alize that. It's the clients that should drive all decisions." Ross notes he engages with clients at every stage of their interaction with the firm. Be- fore the firm even opens a file, he wants to know what the cli- ent wants out of the relation- ship. In his view, it's critical to understand their business and how they'll change in the future to ensure the results match the expectations. "It's a trend that's not going to go away," he says. "The focus on client loyalty and client satisfaction is now core to firms." LT PAGE 3

• Cover
• Client Centred
• Bad Luck
• Focus On Corporate/Commercial Law