How do your clients speak about you? For example, if someone asked them to describe you, which two or three adjectives would come to their minds? If you don’t know, then you should ask.
One of my clients found out–to her horror— that her clients considered her as “tardy”. She had fallen into the habit of over promising the speed at which she could deliver her work product. She knew that her clients didn’t need their work that fast, but she wanted to impress them. Needless to say she failed to meet those deadlines–often.
The problem was that by promising them a quick turn around, her clients counted on it. Failing to meet her artificially early deadlines actually eroded her brand. However, thanks to her clients’ input, she changed her behavior and salvaged her reputation.
If you do not know what your clients think about you, ask them. Solicit input via email from 10-20 colleagues and clients and ask them to respond with 5-10 words or phrases that describe you. Specifically ask them for both both positive and negative feedback. (If necessary, explain that it’s a branding exercise required by your coach, management or other partners). The feedback will be enlightening, and will allow you to correct some unhelpful traits–ones you may not realize bothered your clients.
So says British Lawyers.com in a recent article called Train and Gain. The article explains that offering lawyer training–especially in the soft skills–helps in-house legal departments attract and retain top talent. It cites a recent British Law Society study showing that in-house lawyers are clamoring for soft skills training to advance careers, especially on topics like client communication, managing external law firms to get the best value, and handling company cost-cutting. Given that competition is fierce for good in-house legal talent, employers wanting to stay competitive should supply it.
I asked Tim Brightbill, an international trade law expert and one of the authors of Trade Remedies for Global Companies, who should read this book and why. As Tim explained, ”In an age of global competition, expanding trade, and global sourcing of goods and services, companies need a better understanding of the trade remedy laws. For U.S. companies that are being injured or threatened by unfairly traded imports from China and elsewhere, the trade remedy laws are one of the only tools available.”
How true. This book should be an invaluable resource to corporate counsel and other lawyers who need to grasp trade law fundamentals.
The book starts with an overview of trade remedy law, giving guidance on when a trade remedy action would be advisable or appropriate. A chapter on antidumping and counterveiling duties not only explains those concepts, but also includes sample petitions; these forms give readers an idea of the information required to start the claims process, and the format that a petition needs to take. Subsequently, the book discusses the flip side: how companies can defend against foreign antidumping and counterveiling duty cases, specifically those in Brazil, Canada, China, the EC, India and Mexico.
The book also delves into WTO panels (and includes a helpful WTO settlement timeline), among other topics. Because the International Law Section of the ABA just released this book, its information is timely and current.
In an increasingly flat world, every sophisticated lawyer who helps global companies needs to understand world trade fundamentals–and, in particular, what to do if things go wrong. This user-friendly book provides great guidance.
Many lawyers practicing at law firms hope to move in-house in the coming year. “Practical Tips for Young Lawyers Going In-House“, published by the ABA, provides helpful tips for all lawyers (not just young ones) who will be making that transition.
When I moved in-house after seven years of practicing with a large law firm, I learned to implement the strategies that this article mentions, including: learn the business, add value, and try to get involved in projects early before problems arise.
The article also notes the importance of communicating well with clients and not using legalese. To that I would stress the importance of learning–and using–any industry or company-specific jargon. Regularly and appropriately using such terminology will help you to seem like a member of the team and help to integrate you into corporate culture.
As fellow law blogger Tom Kane discusses, now is the time to think about getting client feedback. Ask your clients for feedback in early 2007; they probably won’t volunteer the information otherwise. And, what better way to jumpstart a new year than with some feedback about what’s right–and what’s not?
This can be very helpful with clients from different cultures. If you have inadvertently committed a cultural gaffe and a foreign client has been offended, he or she may be too polite to let you know. By graciously asking for feedback in early 2007, and explaining that you are soliciting advice to improve service and client communication, you may uncover some otherwise hidden discontent. Then take the feedback and read between the lines, given the client’s cultural perspective. Again, the client may express discontent more subtly and indirectly than an American client would. Better to discover a problem and remedy it than to lose a client.
