The View from Canada: A Winning Client Development Strategy

Everyone agrees that the world for those delivering legal services to Fortune 500 clients is in a state of tremendous flux. Demands placed on lawyers and firms to deliver for their clients have never been more challenging, or potentially more rewarding. This new reality has created an enormous opportunity for Canadian law firms with the ability to offer service in the U.S., and it also creates an opportunity for U.S. firms to gain access to a rich talent pool.

A first-of-its-kind survey conducted almost a decade ago by Statistics Canada indicated that there was a fairly balanced level of cross border trade in legal services ' with Canada enjoying a modest $55-million surplus on total two-way business of almost half a billion dollars. With the growth of North American Free Trade, and the general economic growth of the last decade, it would be logical to assume consistent, healthy growth in the value of cross-border legal services, but that has not been the case. Over the years, the professional services industry has experienced lower than expected referral flow on both sides.

Against that backdrop, it wouldn't be a surprise if ' even as the integration of the North American market for legal services continues ' not every American law firm is aware of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG). After all, Canada's second largest firm is fairly young in its present incarnation, built from a merger in March 2000 of five equal founding firms. Each of the founding firms was a market leader in their respective regions of Canada, and each brought solid reputations with various levels of awareness south of the border as independent firms.

After the merger, the firm's leadership spent much of its energy integrating the various pieces and building a new culture. Despite its size, there was a lack of visibility and profile for BLG in the U.S., as the founding partners worked at defining the new firm's core values, integrating operations efficiently and effectively and deploying best practices across the entire system. In those early days, developing a cohesive and integrated external market plan was, frankly, a secondary priority.

But more recently, with the integration complete and a strong new firm identity and culture emerging, BLG did turn more of its attentions to a North American marketing plan. The approach to developing that plan followed three simple components: define the story, raise awareness and build relationships.

Define The Story

Building corporate reputation and awareness can be a slow process in your own national market, let alone in a foreign country. No surprise for marketing practitioners, it was necessary for BLG to start from the beginning in order to be able to drop the comfort zone catch phrase “formerly known as,” and stand on its new identity and brand. Considered one of the most complex and significant mergers in the North American legal community, BLG needed to leverage the foundation of its highly regarded founding member firms, understand its new identity as a national legal service provider, and define its service offering to clients ' whether regional, national or international, or whether direct or indirect.

At the outset, many in the C-level target audience of financial and executive business circles were aware of the five individual law firms but not necessarily the newly merged firm. This initial market confusion was the first issue to tackle: BLG required a new vision and story to galvanize behind and share with the market.

Over the past 2 years, numerous partners worked collaboratively to develop a new brand positioning. It started with the approval of a strategic vision setting a path to market pre-eminence. Extensive research and focus groups helped the firm learn and understand marketable traits and characteristics naturally attributed to professionals and to the original five firms.

From the research, we learned that BLG professionals were regarded as exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable in all facets of business, industry and the law, yet modest and not ones to take themselves too seriously. This basic humanity is a trait particularly welcomed by senior management teams of today's corporations and institutions. BLG had a reputation for its approachability and ease with which to do business. Its professionals are viewed as the “nice guys” of the legal world. Overwhelmingly, business decision makers viewed BLG and its lawyers as a team that “gets it” ' focused on understanding client business, providing counsel and service in an approachable solutions-oriented manner that was viewed as less aggressive than other Canadian law firms. A BLG professional is happy to add a contributing dimension to any client-service team rather than seek ownership or steal clients; a general business philosophy now supported by a common profit pool that also ensures the right BLG legal talent tackles the client challenge at hand. Internally and externally “exceptional service” surfaced as a fundamental component of how the firm routinely delivers. Not unnoticed by any means, the firm's national support and administrative teams were heralded as going that extra mile when called upon.

Consensus was built around the service proposition and the new tagline: “It begins with service.” The firm continues internal organization and communication around delivery of the service promise. It started with the development of two national codes ' one articulating service excellence and another articulating professional excellence ' and serving as guideposts in ongoing efforts not only to meet, but also exceed, client expectations. Through to 2005, all professionals and staff will work to develop specific service standards nationally that best address the key qualities articulated in the two codes of excellence.

Raise Awareness

Prior to the merger, traditional marketing activities to build brand awareness in the U.S. market beyond attending IBA and ABA sessions were never strategically pursued. As the brand promise and story continued to develop, media relations activity began demonstrating BLG's professional expertise and experience in the U.S., seeding market awareness.

By May 2003, the firm's Business Development Committee made a strategic decision to engage a professional media relations team. By the fall, the services of a leading PR Firm in the U.S. were retained to foster connections with legal media and to expand our network with U.S. lawyers and law firms. The majority of news stories come from direct conversations ' either in person or on the telephone. Levick Communications principals are tapped into the legal community as they interact daily with contacts and key influencers of both the legal world and business community. President Richard Levick is wired into the legal journalism community and can identify new opportunities while the agency's professional approach and service ethic matches with that of the firm. The result is a 55% increase in media coverage in the U.S. market over 2002.

In addition, the firm recognized and supported the career milestone of BLG's national co-chair, Mr. David W. Scott, Q.C., who was appointed President of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) in November 2003 ' the first non-American to be named to that post. Founded in 1950, the American College of Trial Lawyers comprises the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. BLG is home to 12 Fellows of the College, the greatest number of any Canadian law firm, which reflects the strength and tradition of the firm in litigation. During his tenure as president, Scott travels to numerous ACTL events and chapter meetings across both countries and serves as a natural ambassador for the firm. This meet-and-greet approach works well. Additionally, many BLG professionals attend conferences, events and meetings to network among peers and establish relationships.

BLG's new advertising campaign is another facet of our “Raise Awareness” strategy. It reflects the spirit and approachable nature of the firm. The ads feature New Yorker-style illustrations ' line-drawn characters with intelligent and witty captions that speak to specific client hot button issues related to their legal service needs.

Build Relationships

Strategically, BLG advertising plays a secondary and supporting role to the fundamental market approach, which is to foster and build relationships. Doing business in the highly competitive U.S. market requires specific knowledge and the right approach. There are more than enough lawyers to chase business opportunities in the U.S. The key for BLG was identifying specific geographical and industry sectors in which to concentrate efforts. At the same time, it was important to identify legal service offerings that would add value and support to U.S. counterparts. Working in parallel with development of the brand positioning, a sub-committee consisting of lawyers from each BLG office across the country, was tasked to articulate the firm's U.S. market focus.

As the country's second largest law firm, BLG provides a range of corporate legal solutions that you would expect from a respected leader. Since the firm has one of the most significant intellectual property practices on the continent, it would be easy to assume this is the most common entry point for cross-border referrals and business relationships with American firms and lawyers. In fact, the firm enjoys a strong commercial and business advisory practice combining talents of transactional, litigation and regulatory lawyers.

Typically, there is a high value in individualism south of the border but Canadians take great pride as facilitators, negotiators and have proven effective and successful on cross-border assignments when they work as part of a team. International trade fuels the business and often BLG experts are called upon to arbitrate trade disputes. Collectively the firm has working competency in over 20 languages.

At this juncture and based upon the recommendation of the sub-committee, BLG opted to pursue growth in the U.S. market by creating relationships with like-minded firms and lawyers, bypassing the more costly decision to open branch offices ' as a few other Canadian firms have done in the past 5 years.

BLG's go-to-market approach is more traditional and aligned with the firm's culture and core values for service and professional excellence. It is heavily weighted to networking and fostering strong relationships divining opportunities to work with other professionals who are very good at what they do, with a consistent focus on the best interests of the client. Building relationships south of the border is not as easy as it might seem. BLG has opted to take a long-term view, building relationships and focus with specific law firms and lawyers where we can add direct value and experience.

The firm seeks to work with other law firms that also strive for excellence and fit with BLG's overall culture and approach to business. Once this market focus was clear, lawyers put geography, territory and borders aside and focus on people, relationships, culture and values. Experience taught the firm that building strong relationships and working collaboratively in the best interest of clients is augmented when there is a common work ethic and affinity to similar values by the legal service team, regardless of their geographic location. This may speak to the firm's success and continued growth on files emanating from the U.S. ' since the merger in 2000, revenues from the firm's top 200 U.S. clients has grown steadily each year.

Finally, as chief marketer for the firm, it is important to foster connection, especially with other chief marketers around the world, letting them know that BLG will support any facet of a client engagement that has Canadian requirements. We have a culture that is collaborative and client focused, no matter where in the world we are working. We've found that by raising awareness of and extending the reach of our Canadian talent base, BLG professionals are highly effective at supporting U.S. law firms and their clients.

Everyone agrees that the world for those delivering legal services to Fortune 500 clients is in a state of tremendous flux. Demands placed on lawyers and firms to deliver for their clients have never been more challenging, or potentially more rewarding. This new reality has created an enormous opportunity for Canadian law firms with the ability to offer service in the U.S., and it also creates an opportunity for U.S. firms to gain access to a rich talent pool.

A first-of-its-kind survey conducted almost a decade ago by Statistics Canada indicated that there was a fairly balanced level of cross border trade in legal services ' with Canada enjoying a modest $55-million surplus on total two-way business of almost half a billion dollars. With the growth of North American Free Trade, and the general economic growth of the last decade, it would be logical to assume consistent, healthy growth in the value of cross-border legal services, but that has not been the case. Over the years, the professional services industry has experienced lower than expected referral flow on both sides.

Against that backdrop, it wouldn't be a surprise if ' even as the integration of the North American market for legal services continues ' not every American law firm is aware of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG). After all, Canada's second largest firm is fairly young in its present incarnation, built from a merger in March 2000 of five equal founding firms. Each of the founding firms was a market leader in their respective regions of Canada, and each brought solid reputations with various levels of awareness south of the border as independent firms.

After the merger, the firm's leadership spent much of its energy integrating the various pieces and building a new culture. Despite its size, there was a lack of visibility and profile for BLG in the U.S., as the founding partners worked at defining the new firm's core values, integrating operations efficiently and effectively and deploying best practices across the entire system. In those early days, developing a cohesive and integrated external market plan was, frankly, a secondary priority.

But more recently, with the integration complete and a strong new firm identity and culture emerging, BLG did turn more of its attentions to a North American marketing plan. The approach to developing that plan followed three simple components: define the story, raise awareness and build relationships.

Define The Story

Building corporate reputation and awareness can be a slow process in your own national market, let alone in a foreign country. No surprise for marketing practitioners, it was necessary for BLG to start from the beginning in order to be able to drop the comfort zone catch phrase “formerly known as,” and stand on its new identity and brand. Considered one of the most complex and significant mergers in the North American legal community, BLG needed to leverage the foundation of its highly regarded founding member firms, understand its new identity as a national legal service provider, and define its service offering to clients ' whether regional, national or international, or whether direct or indirect.

At the outset, many in the C-level target audience of financial and executive business circles were aware of the five individual law firms but not necessarily the newly merged firm. This initial market confusion was the first issue to tackle: BLG required a new vision and story to galvanize behind and share with the market.

Over the past 2 years, numerous partners worked collaboratively to develop a new brand positioning. It started with the approval of a strategic vision setting a path to market pre-eminence. Extensive research and focus groups helped the firm learn and understand marketable traits and characteristics naturally attributed to professionals and to the original five firms.

From the research, we learned that BLG professionals were regarded as exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable in all facets of business, industry and the law, yet modest and not ones to take themselves too seriously. This basic humanity is a trait particularly welcomed by senior management teams of today's corporations and institutions. BLG had a reputation for its approachability and ease with which to do business. Its professionals are viewed as the “nice guys” of the legal world. Overwhelmingly, business decision makers viewed BLG and its lawyers as a team that “gets it” ' focused on understanding client business, providing counsel and service in an approachable solutions-oriented manner that was viewed as less aggressive than other Canadian law firms. A BLG professional is happy to add a contributing dimension to any client-service team rather than seek ownership or steal clients; a general business philosophy now supported by a common profit pool that also ensures the right BLG legal talent tackles the client challenge at hand. Internally and externally “exceptional service” surfaced as a fundamental component of how the firm routinely delivers. Not unnoticed by any means, the firm's national support and administrative teams were heralded as going that extra mile when called upon.

Consensus was built around the service proposition and the new tagline: “It begins with service.” The firm continues internal organization and communication around delivery of the service promise. It started with the development of two national codes ' one articulating service excellence and another articulating professional excellence ' and serving as guideposts in ongoing efforts not only to meet, but also exceed, client expectations. Through to 2005, all professionals and staff will work to develop specific service standards nationally that best address the key qualities articulated in the two codes of excellence.

Raise Awareness

Prior to the merger, traditional marketing activities to build brand awareness in the U.S. market beyond attending IBA and ABA sessions were never strategically pursued. As the brand promise and story continued to develop, media relations activity began demonstrating BLG's professional expertise and experience in the U.S., seeding market awareness.

By May 2003, the firm's Business Development Committee made a strategic decision to engage a professional media relations team. By the fall, the services of a leading PR Firm in the U.S. were retained to foster connections with legal media and to expand our network with U.S. lawyers and law firms. The majority of news stories come from direct conversations ' either in person or on the telephone. Levick Communications principals are tapped into the legal community as they interact daily with contacts and key influencers of both the legal world and business community. President Richard Levick is wired into the legal journalism community and can identify new opportunities while the agency's professional approach and service ethic matches with that of the firm. The result is a 55% increase in media coverage in the U.S. market over 2002.

In addition, the firm recognized and supported the career milestone of BLG's national co-chair, Mr. David W. Scott, Q.C., who was appointed President of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) in November 2003 ' the first non-American to be named to that post. Founded in 1950, the American College of Trial Lawyers comprises the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. BLG is home to 12 Fellows of the College, the greatest number of any Canadian law firm, which reflects the strength and tradition of the firm in litigation. During his tenure as president, Scott travels to numerous ACTL events and chapter meetings across both countries and serves as a natural ambassador for the firm. This meet-and-greet approach works well. Additionally, many BLG professionals attend conferences, events and meetings to network among peers and establish relationships.

BLG's new advertising campaign is another facet of our “Raise Awareness” strategy. It reflects the spirit and approachable nature of the firm. The ads feature New Yorker-style illustrations ' line-drawn characters with intelligent and witty captions that speak to specific client hot button issues related to their legal service needs.

Build Relationships

Strategically, BLG advertising plays a secondary and supporting role to the fundamental market approach, which is to foster and build relationships. Doing business in the highly competitive U.S. market requires specific knowledge and the right approach. There are more than enough lawyers to chase business opportunities in the U.S. The key for BLG was identifying specific geographical and industry sectors in which to concentrate efforts. At the same time, it was important to identify legal service offerings that would add value and support to U.S. counterparts. Working in parallel with development of the brand positioning, a sub-committee consisting of lawyers from each BLG office across the country, was tasked to articulate the firm's U.S. market focus.

As the country's second largest law firm, BLG provides a range of corporate legal solutions that you would expect from a respected leader. Since the firm has one of the most significant intellectual property practices on the continent, it would be easy to assume this is the most common entry point for cross-border referrals and business relationships with American firms and lawyers. In fact, the firm enjoys a strong commercial and business advisory practice combining talents of transactional, litigation and regulatory lawyers.

Typically, there is a high value in individualism south of the border but Canadians take great pride as facilitators, negotiators and have proven effective and successful on cross-border assignments when they work as part of a team. International trade fuels the business and often BLG experts are called upon to arbitrate trade disputes. Collectively the firm has working competency in over 20 languages.

At this juncture and based upon the recommendation of the sub-committee, BLG opted to pursue growth in the U.S. market by creating relationships with like-minded firms and lawyers, bypassing the more costly decision to open branch offices ' as a few other Canadian firms have done in the past 5 years.

BLG's go-to-market approach is more traditional and aligned with the firm's culture and core values for service and professional excellence. It is heavily weighted to networking and fostering strong relationships divining opportunities to work with other professionals who are very good at what they do, with a consistent focus on the best interests of the client. Building relationships south of the border is not as easy as it might seem. BLG has opted to take a long-term view, building relationships and focus with specific law firms and lawyers where we can add direct value and experience.

The firm seeks to work with other law firms that also strive for excellence and fit with BLG's overall culture and approach to business. Once this market focus was clear, lawyers put geography, territory and borders aside and focus on people, relationships, culture and values. Experience taught the firm that building strong relationships and working collaboratively in the best interest of clients is augmented when there is a common work ethic and affinity to similar values by the legal service team, regardless of their geographic location. This may speak to the firm's success and continued growth on files emanating from the U.S. ' since the merger in 2000, revenues from the firm's top 200 U.S. clients has grown steadily each year.

Finally, as chief marketer for the firm, it is important to foster connection, especially with other chief marketers around the world, letting them know that BLG will support any facet of a client engagement that has Canadian requirements. We have a culture that is collaborative and client focused, no matter where in the world we are working. We've found that by raising awareness of and extending the reach of our Canadian talent base, BLG professionals are highly effective at supporting U.S. law firms and their clients.