Making the jump to partner, why we're getting value adds all wrong, and the number one rule for billing with ease

Welcome to edition #10 of Trifecta and our third LinkedIn newsletter. The idea behind Trifecta is simple - we bring you three things (more if you're a Trifecta subscriber) that will increase your BD and marketing knowledge, make you better at BD, and help you build sustainable habits to ensure you don’t drown - all packaged neatly into one monthly newsletter.

Interested in hearing insights from industry experts? Each month, we sit down for a chat with leaders in the field, discussing how they've developed their practice, their business development efforts, and the valuable lessons they've gained.

Sign up for the full newsletter here to unlock these golden Q&A sessions, but in the meantime here's a snippet of our chat with Matthew Briggs , a Partner at Irwin Mitchell.

Making the jump to partner

Q&A with Matthew Briggs

Matthew first made partner in 2021 at private client consultancy firm The Burnside Partnership before joining the IM partnership in 2023. During his career, Matthew has worked at leading global law firms and spent time in top-ranked London and regional private wealth teams. He shares his story and tells us how he made that all-important jump.

Reflecting on your journey to partnership, did you always know you wanted to become a partner? How did you know you were ready?

Yes, I did always know and had the goal of partnership in mind when progressing through my career. There have naturally been bumps in the road, but you learn from experience and hard work pays off. I got to a point where I felt confident in that step up to partner, and partly this was because of success in BD. I started to build my network early on and therefore had relationships I could rely on.

How has your approach to leadership developed as you have worked your way up the legal profession?

Leadership is so important, and I realise, when looking at my career to date, how influential leaders are on your own behaviours. As a partner, you cast a shadow and it’s vital to keep this in mind. Being a successful leader requires confidence, but also self-reflection, and there will be times when you don’t get it quite right. But understanding the environment in which you’re leading, and the people in it, is crucial.

At GFC we talk a lot about how being a successful lawyer is all about building relationships. Can you tell us how you built your client base, and what strategies/activities you have found most effective?

I started networking early on, when I was a trainee, to build relationships at an early stage. I’m still working with the same clients and contacts from that time, which is so rewarding. I pushed out of my comfort zone with the BD, and it soon became the norm. It’s important to build BD into your day, and this can also include internal networking within your firm. Know your USP, so you can effectively market your expertise.

Do you think there’s a winning ratio of managing existing relationships vs targeting new clients?

I think it depends on the area of law. In private client, we work with families on dynastic planning and so there is longevity in those relationships - but of course, you can’t take this for granted and must invest time in maintaining existing relationships if you want to stay in the role of trusted adviser. It’s also important to feed the pipeline, which involves going to market and growing new relationships. It’s a balancing act, but there is value and reward in maintaining your existing client bank.

What have you found the biggest challenge of becoming a partner and how have you tackled it?

There are only so many hours in the day and you can’t do everything! Don’t take too much on. It’s easy to overload yourself with activities, especially when you are new to a firm. I soon learnt to be more assertive with opportunities and that it’s ok to say ‘no’. I was reminded that partnership is a marathon, not a sprint, so pace yourself and make what you do count. Also, it’s important to communicate with and take counsel from senior leaders around you who have been in your shoes as a newly appointed partner. There’s a lot to be gained in learning from their wisdom.

Want to know more about how to make the jump to partner? Sign up for the full interview with Matthew here (including his one piece of advice to associates): Sign up to Trifecta.

'There are outside counsel freebies? #mindblown'

It's time to talk about value-adds

Value adds is a phrase that rears its head at two, possibly three, key moments in the client lifecycle: 1) during the pitching stage and 2) when you're pitching again, but this time it's about pulling out all the stops to try and hold on to a potentially unhappy client.

The savvier firms and teams also assess this when a client ticks a certain number of boxes and is added to a key client programme (of which we are big fans and would encourage more firms to implement).

We recently supported a client on a defensive tender where one of the procurement-type questions asked about the value adds the firm can offer the client. It got us thinking - what do clients really want?

With some help from the fabulous Sarah Irwin, former GC and founder of ITGC, we conducted a survey of 100 GCs and buyers of legal services to find out what value adds (or as they put it, 'freebies or perks') they valued the most from their outside counsel.

The results were surprising, to say the least.

What instantly became clear were three things:

1. Clients want 'counselling' Being a sounding board for your clients, giving them the opportunity to discuss whatever issues, stresses, or successes they want to cover, is a critical free service clients want and need. Some called it a 'five-minute thumbs up/ thumbs down call', while others said just knowing that they could pick up the phone and talk things out with their lawyer was the reason they still instructed them. Time 'off the clock' is something we do see in pitches, but never phrased in a way that really speaks to the client - i.e. counselling.
2. There is still a place for educational content Content such as law updates and CPD came in second. We have seen this offered for many years, and clearly, there is still an appetite for it. That being said, the feedback we've heard from clients is they are sometimes inundated with law firm newsletters, and the differentiator can be the lawyer taking 5 minutes to summarise the key issues of interest to the client and why they should care.
3. Too many clients weren't even aware that 'freebies' were even a thing This one speaks for itself. Value adds have become the norm - a standard part of a relationship between law firm and client. If you're not offering them you can be sure that your competitor is.

Put it into action

• Ask yourself: what value adds or freebies are you offering to your clients?
• Have you ever asked their feedback on what you're offering? What do they really want?
• Don't score an own goal - ensure that those who should receive your communications are receiving them. This one is too easily done, but also easily fixed
• Don't really on the firm's comms to do your job for you - summarise the article with the points your client needs to know
• Pick up the phone - make it clear that if your client needs to talk things through they can do it with you (not your competitor)

Tip of the month: Costs communication & billing practices

By Sarah Wilson-Ward, legal spend & law firm cashflow transformation specialist, Elevate

Just as you wouldn’t instruct a builder without an upfront quote, you wouldn’t re-instruct a builder who never updated that quote and then tried to charge you double.

You also might think twice if that builder kept sending you ad hoc and unexpected requests for payment, or requests with no information on what work had been completed, or missing details like their business's bank account.

Leaving clients scrambling to understand what they’re paying creates stress, uncertainty and admin.

And I have seen law firms that repeatedly fall short of their client’s billing requirements removed from RFP invitation lists.

The flip side of this is: “Let’s include them; they’re always so easy to deal with.”

Even for medium-value and mid-term matters, you should have a proper kick-off meeting and your firm should arrange regular check-ins between:

• Paralegals
• Billing/ebilling teams
• Client success and legal ops leads
• Pricing and outside counsel management teams

The reduced noise and admin will speak volumes to your clients, reinforcing your reputation as a safe pair of hands and making it easy for them to recommend you.

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