Business Development Task Force









The year 2006 will be the year of serious Business Development efforts for Interlaw on behalf of member firms.  It is not enough for our association to be just a legal referral network; rather, we want it to be an association that helps member firms develop their business development skills, creates new business opportunities, and facilitates the opportunities for member attorneys to develop new business together.  We must take advantage of the strong personal and professional relationships of our members, a hallmark of Interlaw, to create and deliver seamless, responsive, and quality service to clients.  We believe we have the right resources, the strong interest and the solid determination to jointly create new business.    This year the groundwork has been laid for a multi-pronged approach:

• Business Development Task Force was recently created by the Interlaw Board to explore ways of increasing business cross-regionally.  This task force, co-led by Stephen Maffey, SJ Berwin (London) and Steven Weinberg,  Kronish Lieb  (New York), and   representatives from each region, including: Philip Paterson, Boekel de Nerée (Amsterdam), Michel Levin of Hamilton (Sweden), Andy Richter of Bangkok’s Blumenthal Richter & Sumet, Jerry Biederman from Chicago’s Neal Gerber & Eisenberg and José Antonio Muñoz of F.A. Arias & Muñoz (Central America). The Task Force is staffed by Regina McConahay, Interlaw’s director of Global Marketing and Communication, This group is focusing primarily on introducing Interlaw capabilities to global clients, particularly, in 2006, in Europe.

• Business Development Web Seminars will be offered for the first time by the Interlaw Secretariat, in conjunction with SAGE Legal Marketing.  This 3-part series includes two seminars each on “Best Practices in Network Building”, “Best Practices of Building Client Relationships” and “Best Practices of Rainmaking.”  This cost-effective skill-building training, designed for both associates and partners, will provide Interlaw member firms with an opportunity to learn a common language for business development and learn new ways of applying those skills within their own practice areas and also in conjunction with other Interlaw member firms.

• Collaborative Client Development for Multi-jurisdictional Companies.  The Interlaw Secretariat will continue and expand the process of identifying and targeting large, multi-jurisdictional clients, beginning with those companies that several of our members already represent.  Special Business Team members and delegates from various Interlaw meetings have identified a “wish list” of companies that would benefit from Interlaw firms worldwide.  Various strategies are being developed to approach the client.  An “approach” template will be introduced 1Q06 to incorporate common information about each firm so a consistent response to tenders/RFPs can be offered to clients seeking counsel.

• Creation of New Special Business Teams (SBT’s) have already begun.  A Latin America IP/IT group held their first face-to-face meeting in November 2005 in Uruguay; the Asia Pacific IP/IT group will hold their first meeting prior to the Asia Pacific Regional Meeting in Manila, Philippines in February 2006; and the first Global IP/IT face-to-face meeting will take place in May in Toronto, in conjunction with the INTA (International Trademark Association Annual Conference)annual conference.  Planning is currently underway for the creation of both an International Insolvency group and a European Real Estate Group in 2006.  (For more information on any Special Business Team, contact bweise@interlaw.org).  An Interlaw Special Business Team Newsletter template, piloted with the European IP/IT team and distributed to hundreds of clients from participating firms, has proven to be a very effective means to promote members of the Special Business Teams and is now available to be adapted to the marketing needs of other Special Business Teams.
    
• Developing Speaking Opportunities for Our Members.  In March 2006, the Interlaw Secretariat negotiated a speaking engagement for four Interlaw members who will speak on CAFTA at a one-day conference sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.  Also in Los Angeles, in May, existing and potential member clients will be invited to hear from our Latin Lawyers on “Key Issues in Doing Business in Latin America”.  Additionally, Women Lawyers of Interlaw – Americas, will  be inviting their clients to their annual meeting where they will have an opportunity to present topics of interest to this select group of Los Angeles-based cross-border clients.
  

           Friends of Interlaw. In 2006 Interlaw will roll out a   Friends of Interlaw  program consisting of professional associations that may be a source of referrals for our member firms.  The Secretariat surveyed members this quarter to determine what groups our members found important, and evaluations of these and many other groups is underway. Additionally, previous Interlawyers who now serve in-house counsel positions will be invited to become a Friend of Interlaw as a means of staying in contact with Interlaw member firms.

 

We look forward to 2006 with a great deal of anticipation and enthusiasm, confident that the groundwork that has been laid this and previous years will yield significant benefits to our member firms.   

 

Wishing you all a healthy, peaceful, and fulfilling New Year!