Succeeding as outside counsel : a lawyer's guide to providing first class legal services from the client's perspective

The delivery of quality legal services requires that lawyers function as customer service representatives as well as legal technicians. Succeeding as Outside Counsel was written by an in-house lawyer with over 15 years of experience managing and utilizing the services of outside counsel. As a result, this book provides outside counsel with practical guidance on how to improve the level of service they provide and how to deepen their relationships with their clients--all from a client's perspective. This essential guide will discuss how outside counsel have excelled, where they have fallen short, and what they need to do to serve the comprehensive needs of the client by adding value that goes far beyond any individual matter.

• About the Author p. vii
• Introduction p. ix
• Part I Understanding the Client's Needs p. 1
• Chapter 1 Legal Services p. 3
• Results-Oriented Services p. 4
• Profit-Oriented Services p. 10
• Client-Centric Services p. 15
• Chapter 2 The Client p. 19
• Role of In-House Counsel p. 20
• The Clients' Concerns p. 23
• What Clients Want from Outside Counsel p. 28
• Why Clients Have Terminated Outside Counsel p. 30
• Chapter 3 Outside Counsel's Job-Adding Value p. 35
• Goal 1 Make the Client Look Good p. 36
• Goal 2 Make the Client's Life Easier p. 40
• Goal 3 Communicate Important Information p. 44
• Part II The Emergence of the Legal Concierge p. 51
• Chapter 4 Addressing the Needs and Expectations of the Client p. 53
• Chapter 5 Engaging Through the Engagement Letter p. 57
• Get to Know the Client's Business p. 59
• Content of the Engagement Letter p. 67
• Incorporate Information Gathered from Your Diligence p. 68
• Service Bill of Rights p. 71
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 5 p. 75
• Chapter 6 Client Management (Individual Lawyer) p. 77
• Manage Client Expectations p. 77
• Manage the Client p. 82
• Remain Accessible and Be Responsive p. 86
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 6 p. 95
• Chapter 7 Provide Actionable Work Product p. 97
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 7 p. 102
• Chapter 8 Achieve Technological Competence p. 105
• 1 Productivity Software p. 106
• 2 Legal Management Systems p. 107
• 3 Knowledge Management Systems Ill
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 8 p. 118
• Chapter 9 Inform and Educate Your Clients p. 121
• Ways to Share Information with Clients p. 122
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 9 p. 135
• Chapter 10 Evaluations p. 137
• Reasons for the Evaluation p. 137
• Benefits of the Evaluations p. 141
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 10 p. 146
• Chapter 11 Client-Centric Billing p. 149
• Alternative Fee Arrangements p. 150
• Hourly Billing-Erecting Guardrails p. 159
• Issues Addressed by Chapter 11 p. 168
• Part III Client Development p. 171
• Introduction p. 171
• Chapter 12 Business Development Staples p. 173
• Exhibiting Your Expertise p. 175
• Making Client Connections p. 181
• Chapter 13 Your Business Development Plan p. 191
• Business Development Plan p. 192
• Own Your Marketing and Business Development p. 201
• Appendix: Activities p. 205
• Index p. 211