There is a growing number of lawyers choosing a career in marketing and business development. Former solicitor and now Senior Client Relationship Manager Emma Poole explores why.
After 20 years at Hugh James, I can see both sides as I confess that whilst I am a client relationship manager, I am also (whispers it)… a lawyer. And I’m not alone. It seems that many firms find benefit in building business development teams from within.
And with good reason.
When looking to lead Legal Network Wales, a referral network, Matthew Tossell, the then Managing Partner at Hugh James, told Associate Helen Saunders that he needed “someone who can talk to anybody”.
And he was right, said Helen.
“I’ve always been good with people and enjoyed building relationships, and he knew then the target audience was lawyers and would likely open up to a fellow lawyer. Making the move away from law to lead what was then a new initiative felt like a risk, but my qualifications would always be there.”
Helen has not looked back.
Clara Howard, Head of Business Development at TLT and a former corporate tax lawyer would have “no hesitation” in recruiting former or current lawyers into her team.
“So many of the skills are ideal for what we need – people who are articulate, problem-solving, have commercial awareness, are accustomed to dealing with senior executives and who can act internally as a bridge, translating marketing initiatives into propositions that the lawyers can get on board with.
“I get to speak to clients all the time, I’m being creative, I have the satisfaction of getting stuff done and get a buzz when a prospect converts to being a client… it doesn’t feel like ‘sales’ as it is such a long-term and relationship-based approach.”
Deborah Sleightholme, a Partner and Head of Strategic Relationships at Hugh James and former serious injury lawyer, agrees.
“Lawyers in business development roles can build strong relationships internally and win the hearts and minds of other lawyers in the business, gaining support for new initiatives,” she says.
“Being a lawyer establishes a level of trust with my peers and equips me with the right language to help everyone understand why they are investing their time.”
But for lawyers to successfully make the move, a firm must have the right culture and reward structure.
Mirrored progression
At Harper Macleod, its 14-strong BD team includes six qualified lawyers, two of whom are partners, and have mirrored progression structures, believing that the progression of business services teams is equally essential to success as that of billing lawyers.
Anne Macdonald, who has led business development at the firm since 2008, says, “I loved my practice (banking and finance) but quickly realised that I most enjoyed developing the work and the more in-depth client contact at the start and completion of deals. The bit in the middle – the legal work – affords less opportunity to engage with the client.
“The 2008 financial crisis could have seen the firm avoid risks, but I had a good relationship with our chief executive and chairman. They enabled me to join the marketing team and set up a new division focused on client relationship management and business development.”
And the rest is history. Anne, now with the firm for 24 years, has grown her team and eagerly recruits additional lawyers.
“We observe who the best lawyers are at developing business and approach them, asking whether they enjoy what they do and whether they would like to focus more on growing the business.
“It can be a great solution for those wanting more flexibility or a different structure to their work; we have a former managing partner in the team, and he has found the mentoring elements of his role really rewarding.”
Amy Walsh, a partner in Anne’s team who made a similar transition, notes that the mirrored progression structure has been helpful in ensuring that a step across teams is never seen as a “step down”.
Whilst promotion prospects are linked to a range of factors that don’t include billing, income generation is still one measure to consider.
“In my role as a junior lawyer, I was always drawn towards the networking elements,” says Amy. “I continue to use my commercial awareness and legal attitude to risk daily and get a lot of job satisfaction through the pastoral element of the role – supporting legal teams who are feeling stretched by identifying which elements of their business development I can facilitate.”
Pastoral care
This pastoral element of the role is interesting, and one firms possibly overlook.
With a sector-based approach, a client relationship manager can be uniquely positioned to detect the early signs of performance issues or resourcing challenges. As one of the first points of contact with clients, either through review meetings or client-listening initiatives, patterns of declining quality can be identified early on.
Similarly, an overwhelmed lawyer may be more inclined to open up to a colleague outside their immediate team who is focused on supporting their efforts to ensure a client receives the best possible service.
Addressing these early has significant benefits for staff wellbeing, retention levels, sickness absence and ultimately ensuring clients receive the quality of service they expect.
Blended approach
Many firms that benefit from legal qualifications in their business development teams also acknowledge the range of insights brought from other industries and sectors. Accountancy qualifications, for example, are welcomed, bringing a structured and strategic approach to client relationships with a much-needed commercial focus. Team members with a background in hospitality, where outstanding customer service is key, can also be incredibly valuable.
Joe Purcell, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Hugh James, who counts three lawyers amongst his 17-strong team, says, “Bringing creative initiatives to life often requires a solid understanding of the legal and commercial environment in which the firm operates as well as a connection with the clients and markets its lawyers serve.
“By integrating legally qualified business development professionals with other specialists we have helped our team work seamlessly with fee-earning lawyers and practice groups.”
While lawyers can provide cohesion and insight, they undoubtedly need to work with experts in other disciplines: design, technology, PR and communications, campaigning, procurement and pipeline management.
For business development to be effective, it is crucial these professional roles attract the same level of recognition as their lawyer counterparts. The methodologies and technical expertise that power business development and relationship management can rival the complexity of the law, and often require specialist skills that are easier to find in dedicated non-legal professions. With the right structure and rewards in place, a team can draw on all these attributes and the firm will be stronger for it.
Not all lawyers will thrive in design-led, fast-paced environments, and adjusting to a non-legal role can be challenging.
Salary and reward structures can differ from the path for billing lawyers, client contact takes a different form, and working alongside highly creative, digitally savvy professionals can be a culture shock for some.
However, all those I spoke to confirmed that it was a decision they would make again. Many found that their level of senior partner contact had increased, their visibility of the firm’s strategy was much sharper, and feeling more aligned with the purpose of their work had significantly improved their job satisfaction.
“It is very easy for firms to lose a lot of talent and corporate memory when a lawyer reaches burnout or needs a working pattern that is hard to accommodate around the needs of clients who want advice,” says Helen Saunders.
“I feel lucky that I was at a firm that shows people how valued they are by choosing to adapt and evolve the roles we have whilst also serving the needs of the business. Ultimately, we are all here because we want to contribute and use our skills to do that.”
Firms that have taken this step share a common mindset: seeing opportunities that aren’t immediately obvious and wishing to develop homegrown talent by thinking differently. The lawyers themselves feel they have found a fulfilling career that not only draws on their legal acumen but leverages their relationship-building skills, offering the balance sought by a new generation of lawyers.
Tomorrow’s business development teams may have found their answer. ■
How to recruit lawyers into your BD team
Look objectively at the structure of your BD and Marketing team; assess how well-defined the roles are and how well the professionals you work with understand those roles.
Be honest with yourself: How strong are the internal relationships between your team and others within the firm? Do partners tend to approach you directly, or are there others in the team with strong relationships?
• Consider the business development initiatives you have under way. Where did those ideas originate, and is partner time on them being used as efficiently as possible?
• Collaborate with HR to identify gaps in your team and explore the possibilities of recruiting from within, including how those roles would be designed.
• Get senior management on board. There can be resistance if a head of department feels their needs are being overlooked, and the wider business must support all concerned.
Emma Poole is a Senior Client Relationship Manager and qualified solicitor at Hugh James.
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