by Robin Dicks | Jan 20, 2020 | Robin's Blog
At the end of 2019 we completed a research programme for a major law firm into the future of in-house legal teams, what they would look like in 2025, and the challenges faced. The results were fascinating and it struck me that they might well also be true for many ‘intellect’ based professions and indeed in-house marketing, BD, HR and other functions within professional services firms. The key behaviours and skills which respondents said they needed to develop included a deeper understanding of the business and the wider sector, stakeholder management, influencing and the ability to understand technology. Soft skills and processes were a higher priority than technical functional skills, and a core challenge was balancing day to day demands with the ability to get ready for future challenges. While some people saw technology as a “magic bullet” most recognised that while it could help, there were many other aspects needed to get a team fit for the future. One of the key results that sticks in my mind was that the success stories we heard about, often were based on creating a team with shared goals, and real clarity of purpose that guided their behaviour, actions, and relationships with colleagues. That seems to me to be very true for marketers and BD people within professional services firms...
by Robin Dicks | May 7, 2014 | Uncategorized
An interesting article on Legal Futures noted that the Legal Services Board has secured agreement from regulators to publish information in a way that can be used by comparison websites. Is the volume of transactions that would be referenced on sites, for any but the larger, more private client focused firms, truly sufficient to create a “legal trip advisor”? However, as the author says, “Even if we don’t see full-blown comparison websites, the market will shift towards consumers demanding greater transparency and more information about the quality of service they expect to get from a legal practice.“ The overall direction is undoubtedly true; people in both corporate and personal life are using social media to gain a better understanding of the quality and service of legal as well as other professional services firms. This is something managing partners and marketers need to be thinking about. It generates a potential gain – but also a potential risk if you don’t understand your current performance and are not getting the more detailed feedback from clients that would allow you to improve...
