Presented by Sally Gonzalez at ILTA 2009.

1. Managing Perceptions of Value
Sally Gonzalez
Director
Baker Robbins & Company
SGonzalez@brco.com

2. Today’s Proposition
Technology is only valuable Firm
if clients and lawyers Facing
perceive it as such.
Client
How can we develop and Facing
fulfill expectations in a way
that creates a lasting sense
of value?
Perceptions of Value

3. First…The Challenge of Value
• Exists only in the eye of the beholder
– “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”
• Situational by nature
• Subject to change over time
– Today’s value is tomorrow’s commodity
• Begs to be measured
– Quantitative vs. qualitative
• Demands dialogue
– Needs to be made explicit
• Requires continuous focus

4. Building Client Perceptions of Value

5. Client-Facing Technology Opportunities
Higher
Value & Risk
Bespoke
Brand Distinguishing
(Extranets, Apps)
Commodity
(Extranets, E-Mail, Voice Messaging
Lower

6. Should Firms Charge for these Services?
Qualifying Question: Is the primary value monetary?
Higher
Possibly, but
Value & Risk
Bespoke often not
Probably
Brand Distinguishing
(Extranets, Apps) not
Commodity Not
(Extranets, E-Mail, Voice Messaging
Lower

7. Value: What do corporate clients want?
• “What corporate clients want and need: value driven, high
quality legal services that deliver solutions for a reasonable
cost and develop lawyers as counselors (not just content-
providers), advocates (not just process-doers) and
professional partners.”
• “The problem is not cost per se, but the fact that cost is
disconnected from value.”
• Goal: Reconnect value and costs through dialogue,
methodologies and metrics, tools to drive change, and
enhanced awareness and communication of success stories
Source: The ACC Value Challenge Project

8. “Next on our agenda, Bendleman will present the outside counsel
budget through interpretive dance.”

9. How Can IT Participate in Delivering Value to Clients?
• Understand the client’s view of the value proposition
– Partner with client teams (if your firm has them)
– Build the right skills into the IT organization
– Research your firm’s top clients
– Find out what competitors are doing
• Identify solutions and “pitch” them to the firm
– Demonstrate the value proposition
• Build confidence in IT’s ability to deliver and sustain
solutions
– Start small
– Never fail where it shows
• Be persistent

10. Firm-Driven Solutions:
Brand Defining Extranets
Value: Differentiating Firm from Competitors
Leveraging existing content
Source: http://www.foley.com/services/otherservice_detail.aspx?serviceid=8

11. Firm-Driven Solutions:
Brand Defining Extranets
Source: http://www.allenovery.com/AOWeb/binaries/46504.pdf

12. Client Perspectives?
• I expect my firms to offer extranets at no cost
• I’ll use extranet sites only for critical matters and only if the
firm really keeps the content fresh
• I don’t like:
– Having to remember different IDs and passwords for
separate firm sites
– Having to go to separate sites for each firm
• I want an aggregated view of all information across all
matters irrespective of firm providing services
– Some clients build matter management systems to
address this
– Some clients use public services for selected matters
Query: Why don’t firms band together to provide
information in a consistent way to feed MMS’s?

13. Firm-Driven Solutions:
Sharing Knowledge Resources
Value: Differentiating Firm from Competitors
Leveraging existing content
Value Add Services
ic c
bl ifi
Pu pec
to tS
en n
p C lie
O

14. Client Perspectives?
Thank you very much!
Please make sure the content is up-to-date and easy to
search and use!

15. Firm-Driven Solutions:
Sharing Current Awareness
Value: Differentiating Firm from Competitors
Leveraging existing content
Value Add Services

16. Client Perspectives?
Thank you very much, but…
If you really want to stand out from the crowd…
Give me current awareness tailored to my company and
my current business issues!

17. Managing Matters & Budgets
Value: Satisfying client demand for better matter
management and greater transparency into
spending while matter is on-going
Foley ClientSuite: Budget Management Tool
• Track spend against budget
• Monitor burn rate & run rate
• Drill down to project task or phase

18. Client Perspectives?
Thank you very, very much!
Still…
Lawyers need to become good project managers to
populate and use the systems effectively!

19. Firm as System of Record
Value: Providing on-line repository of all client
information accessible to lawyers and clients

20. Client Perspectives?
Thank you very, very much!
I’m glad you are taking good care of our records and
docket because my law department has very limited
tools.

21. Client-Driven Solution:
Novartis Legal Department
2006
New GC 2006-07
Arrives
KM
Global KM
Strategy
Team &
2007
4 Quick Wins First 2007
Global onwards
KMO
Global Network
Next Generation
Novartis Legal KM Systems
Initiative
Outside Counsel
Initiatives

22. Novartis Legal KM Platform
myLegal Portal
myLegal Search
myLegal myLegal myLegal
Knowledgebank Expertise Matters
Next Generation KM Systems

23. Novartis Outside Counsel – The Vision
• Integrate law department and law firm systems seamlessly
through personalized portal (“extranet-less extranet”)
• “Google-like search” returning unified internal and external
results for documents & people
• Comprehensive training portfolio
• Improved precedents and current awareness
• eBilling & Matter Management

24. Novartis Outside Counsel – Value Proposition
• Make lawyers more effective and efficient
• Manage spend
• Improve internal lawyer skill levels
• Expand knowledge repositories
• Leverage Novartis’ technology platform (no special apps)

25. Novartis Outside Counsel – A tale of 4 firms
• A&O: from the beginning
• Morrison & Foerster: connecting through Recommind
• Cravath: focus on training
• W&C: taking it further through a Global Client Team…
– Training
– Extranets
– Precedents & Models
– Current Awareness
• …Each delivering value in its own way

26. Common Denominators
• Client has a specific need
• Firm gets visibility into that need
• Firm crafts and delivers solutions
– Lawyers, IT, KM, BD, and PD working in partnership
• Unique solutions evolve into generic (sometimes)
• Client perceives value add
• Lawyers perceive value through client’s eyes

27. Building Internal Perceptions of Value

28. Strategic Planning
• Strategic technology planning sets the context for on-going
value discussions
Current State Vision Plan
• Provide baseline • Understand firm’s • Frame benefits in
against which to goals and needs terms of business
measure change and goals and
• Frame benefits
demonstrate value objectives
accordingly
• Demonstrate value:
• Make value
create clear linkage
proposition
between
transparent
investments and
• Build support for benefits
investments &
change

29. Understand the Traditional Law Firm Value
Chain & How IT Helps
Get More Work
Managing The Firm
Ex
ce
ed
ing
Getting
Getting Staffing
Staffing Doing
Doing Managing
Work Work Work
ns
Work Work Work Work
tio
ct a
pe
Ex
Supporting The Practice
Copyright, Michael Farrell Group, 2002

30. Understanding How Your Firm Defines Value
Typical Value Drivers for Law Firms
• Profits Per Equity Partner (PPEP)
– Increase revenues
– Manage/reduce costs
• Recruiting, developing, and retaining top legal talent
• Delivering high quality, timely legal services
• Expanding services to existing clients
• Attracting new clients
• Maintaining competitive positioning
Tip: Find the answers through dialog and research

31. Align IT to Your Firm’s Value Definition
Increase revenue
Increase revenue
Reduce costs
Reduce costs
Develop/retain
Develop/retain Measure IT
Project
legal talent
legal talent
Improve quality
Improve quality
Service Against Firm
Meet clients’
Meet clients’
needs
Project
needs
Project Values
Project
Value
to the Project Service Investments needed
Investments needed
Firm Project Complexity of work
Complexity of work
Clarity of requirements
Clarity of requirements
Project Familiarity with
Familiarity with
technology
technology
Service Required behavior
Required behavior
Service Project changes
changes
Acceptance
Acceptance
Project Project
Ease of Implementation

32. Prioritize Based on Value
Project
Service
Field of Field of • Re-focus priorities
Dreams Project Project
Project Gain • Nurture the
Value language of value
to the Project Service
Firm Project • Embed value in
Project goals and
Field of Field of
Service evaluations
Pain
Service Distraction
Project
Project Project
Ease of Implementation

33. Annual Budget Process: Make it an Ally
• Stay connected to the value proposition
– Start early
– Reach out to leadership, practice groups, and business
departments
– Understand what they want to achieve
– Think a lot about how technology can help
– Propose and promote solutions
– Use strategy prioritization tool to communicate and sell
– Use Programs and project charters to focus on benefits

34. Leverage Recognition
• Firm naturally takes what it has for granted
• External recognition of value can awaken internal value
perception
– Enter public contests and competitions
– Speak and write
• Seek out internal testimonials and share them

35. Develop a Communications Plan
• Consider branding IT’s systems and services
• Crystallize your value proposition into messaging points
• Promote awards and testimonials
• Create a formal plan to communicate value periodically
– Newsletters
– Internal meetings
– Intranet presence
– Client-facing presence
• Be prepared for informal opportunities
– Rehearse your elevator speech and use it
BUT DON’T GO OVERBOARD!

36. Make Value Integral to IT Staff & Operations
• Communicate the IT Strategy and value proposition to
them
• Find opportunities for them to embed value thinking in their
work
– Listen for client-facing opportunities
– Listen for testimonials
– Ask them how their projects, services, and activities fit
in the “Field of…” matrix
• Require a business value justification for every project
• Embed business value in annual goal setting and evaluation
processes

37. Consider the Future of Value for your Firm
What will value look like next?
Temporary Dip? The New Normal?

38. Questions?