A handful of innovative Interlaw member firms have found another way to become indispensable to their clients.  Beyond providing first-class legal services, member firms have included value-added services to their offerings, including philanthropic advisement, event planning, marketing guidance, executive search and H.R. counseling, lending a hand in searching for in-house counsel staff, and bringing deals to clients. The Interlawyer is interested in the best practices exercised in developing and sustaining business, so we asked several key members what their firms are bringing to their clients beyond a portfolio of comprehensive legal services. 

What value-add service does your firm offer clients?

Aird and Berlis LLP (Toronto):

Our firm has for some years hosted a monthly tax breakfast at various locations throughout Southern Ontario that brings together professionals in both the legal and accounting community and provides updates on the latest tax developments.  Additionally, we include clients on many in-house CLE training sessions. 

Ajumogobia & Okeke (Lagos)

In collaboration with Acolex Publishing Limited, and to fill a special niche that has gone unfilled until now, Ajumogobia & Okeke recently launched The Commercial Law Reports Nigeria, a specialized law reporting publication of value to clients and other actors in the field of commercial law and practice.  It is an outgrowth of our internal publication, The Commercial Law Digest and reflects the groundwork of Ajumogobia & Okeke’s Professor Yerokun.

Brink Cohen le Roux (Johannesburg)

Brink Cohen le Roux has participated, since 1994 as co-sponsors with legal publishers LexisNexis Butterworths, of a series of country-wide occupational health and safety law annual seminars held in South Africa.  We also provide a panel of speakers to participate in these seminars.  The occupational health and safety seminars have gradually grown in size and stature, enabling Brink Cohen le Roux to become market leaders in this particular area of practice, to consolidate its existing client base and to continuously expand that base through the high level exposure these seminars generate.  Delegates to these annual seminars also receive a comprehensive manual which contains an update of new legislation, regulations and obligations of employers and which serves the dual purpose of reminding all delegates throughout the year who the market leaders in occupational health and safety are.

Foster Pepper (Seattle)

Foster Pepper offers our clients free use of an extranet for easy and quick access to documents referred to a lot by all parties involved in a transaction.  It is also used to post draft documents for discussion purposes and it also allows for the client to then upload document changes/comments back to Foster Pepper without altering the original document stored at the firm.  The extranet also has the ability to link to the firm docketing system so the client can see upcoming due dates on their related matters whenever they want to know the status (no need to call and ask).  It also has the capacity for Foster Pepper to post corporate client info (such as all officers, directors, states of incorporation, date of incorporation, etc.) so all the information about that client is housed in one location, managed by Foster Pepper and available to the client.  One stop shopping.  One data source.  It involves only one place to update and all can benefit.  The extranet also feature links to other websites, streaming video and/or audio.  The firm has a general template that we use for extranets, but each extranet is customized per client.  The Foster Pepper extranet is simply the best way to communicate with our clients, a true win/win.

Hunt & Hunt (Australia)

In Australia, corporate and government clients are increasingly demanding that their lawyers 'add value'.  Hunt & Hunt is one of the few Australian firms that takes the time to understand how its key clients define 'value' - and then delivers.  The firm's 2005 Client Survey included the following two questions:

               How can a law firm best 'add value' to you or your organization?

                Which law firm currently adds most value to you or your organization?

Value-added services are then tailored to match the needs and expectations of individual clients.  For some, that translates to secondments, seminars, training, independent file audits and telephone 'hotlines'.  For others, value is derived from the lawyers always being accessible, being responsive, providing clear documentation and, more often, by anticipating the needs of a client and providing commercially astute advice and recommendations.

Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP (Los Angeles & San Francisco)

For more than ten years, JMBM's Corporate Department has sponsored the Corporate Counsel Roundtable, an ongoing series of hourly presentations and discussions on topics relevant to in-house counsel. The Corporate Counsel Roundtable meets approximately ten times per year and provides timely information to the firm's clients as well as a forum for corporate counsel to discuss issues with their peers. Presentations are given by attorneys from JMBM's many practice areas, as well as outside speakers. Keeping clients abreast of issues that affect their business is an important aspect of the role of "counselor", and one that JMBM takes seriously.

Clients appreciate having access to information and dialogue, and to having questions answered "off the clock." The Corporate Counsel Roundtable format also allows non-clients to meet JMBM's attorneys in an informal atmosphere, where relationships can be forged. 

SJ Berwin LLP (London)

SJ Berwin has launched a Key Client Forum aimed at key clients of the firm.  Each forum comprises 10-12 clients and the aims of the informal round-table discussions are for clients to network with their peers; for them to gain access to the firm's professional support staff (Marketing, HR, IT, Accounts, Knowledge Management etc) and for the firm to find out from them what they are really looking for from their advisers.

SJ Berwin now offers this service in response to asking key clients what we could usefully do to offer a value added service.  The overwhelming response was that In-House Counsel felt they operated in an isolated role and when lawyers moved from private practice to in-house roles, they missed the support network they were used to.

Tess, Campinho Advogados (São Palo)

Beyond legal services, Tess, Campinho Advogados provides its clients with scheduled, periodic, free due diligence for their contracts and licenses.  We assist in the organization of client obligations, and prepare a chart with all the essential information of the contracts and main licenses that our clients must renew, extend or terminate, allowing a broader and more complete vision of its business.

Medium and small clients have difficulty dealing with contractual and regulatory obligations, and Tess, Campinho Advogados was often called in on emergency situations.  We can help the client plan for its responsibilities and avoid the urgent interventions, which is greatly valued by the client, of course. Beyond monitoring the contract and compliance, we assure that the management of the overall process is in order and well-organized, providing the client with the security of control over the organizational elements of its company, (no surprises), building trust in the relationship, and assuring the firm of a good work flow.

Is it usual in your jurisdiction to offer these services?

Ajumogobia & Okeke:  Commercial law reporting and the practice of commercial and corporate laws have a self-evident complementary common ground, so it is not unusual to publish.  Ajumogobia & Okeke is better placed to define our practice in judicial pronouncements where these are applicable, and keep abreast of the development of commercial law through the courts as is best possible.

Brink Cohen le Roux:  Law firms do not typically co-sponsor public seminars and in a sense, we have become market leaders in this respect.  There is no reason why law firms in other jurisdictions could not follow suit.  The easiest way to establish market leadership and brand awareness is to identify a new practice area which requires legal guidance and leadership and then to pursue it vigorously.

Foster Pepper: Some other law firms offer client extranet services, but few do it at no charge to the client.  

Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP:  Many California law firms offer seminars, roundtables and conferences, but most of them are one-time events or annual events. The Corporate Counsel Roundtable is unique in its frequency and its longevity.  Corporate in-house lawyers enjoy a social gathering where they can meet each other without the pressure.

SJ Berwin LLP: Other law firms offer the usual value added services (seminars, extranets, legal know-how), but we believe this is a unique offering not offered by other law firms in the City.

Tess, Campinho Advogados: It is unusual for law firms to offer such services within the Brazilian jurisdiction.  This is based on CRM and marketing programs that are not very much developed in our country.  Besides, since the reduction of the privatizations in Brazil, a wave of cost reductions has spread out in the main law firms, which affected their ability to present free or value- added services.

Success?

Ajumogobia & Okeke: The publication has attracted a high quality reception by clients, fellow professionals and other interested parties.

Brink Cohen le Roux:  The increasing importance attached to the annual occupational health and safety seminars and the growing numbers of delegates who attend these seminars are adequate proof of the success of this initiative. Since our firm has become market leaders in national occupational health and safety legislation, including potential litigation against employers in health related claims related to asbestosis, tuberculosis and noise-induced hearing loss, there is no reason why we should not be able to assist other Interlaw members to develop leadership in their own jurisdictions utilizing our model.  Interested Interlaw member firms that already have an occupational health and safety practice or plan to introduce one, are invited to contact Willem le Roux of our firm who heads this practice area in order to explore ways in which we could co-operate to our mutual benefit.

Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro LLP: The Corporate Counsel Roundtable has made clients out of non-clients and better clients out of existing clients.

SJ Berwin LLP: The feedback from the first session was excellent and the next session is planned for 30th June.  In the meantime, we are talking to groups of partners about rolling this initiative out to a number of groups of key clients.

Tess, Campinho Advogados: The best success story for this project is the one we had with a small size agency of a major European holding. The agency of the client in Brazil has a limited cap for its employees; the organizational structure is small and without major capabilities on analyzing contracts and regulatory requirements (such as licenses and permits).  After we conducted the first due diligence, all of the obligations and deadlines for renewing/extending the contracts were clear for the administrative staff, enabling them to request our services in reasonable time, as well as to better plan expenses and substitution of services providers.  This experience has resulted in a better and closer relationship with our clients, representing a commitment of our firm in keeping a long term relationship, besides of assuring a trustful and loyal link.

This resulted also in an increase of services volume, as well as a better planned schedule for us and the client on the services rendered.