<b>Professional Development University:</b> Translating Professional Development Into Business Development

Law firms are spending more money on professional development and hiring more staff to oversee this area than ever before. In addition to substantive skills programs for the many different practice areas, internal programs have expanded to include leadership and business-development curriculums, deal and case management training, presentation skills, business development, and client relationship training.

Fifteen years ago, the comment often made about professional development in law firms was: “Why should we?” Now, if a firm admits that it doesn't have an institutionalized professional development program, clients and other firms tend to raise eyebrows and ask: “Why not?” In fact, many RFPs or RFIs from clients and prospective clients now routinely ask for details regarding the training a law firm offers, both internally and for its clients.

This begs the question of how to get the highest and best use out of your firm's professional development investment, over and above the clear benefit to your own lawyers and staff. Odds are there is a huge amount of intellectual property already in existence as a result of your firm's internal programs. Consider turning what is a valuable cost center into an invaluable business development resource.

A Business Development Tool

There isn't room enough in this article to set out all the many fine reasons why you should aim your professional development arsenal in the direction of oncoming clients. The incorporation of substantive programs into the fabric of your business development efforts adds value in the following ways:

First, clients/potential clients get increased exposure to your firm's and your lawyers' expertise.

Second, it adds a platform upon which to supply clients with cutting-edge updates and materials on subjects of immediate interest.

Third, the firm's lawyers get additional opportunities to be in front of clients.

Fourth, depending on the firm's accreditation status and the requirements of the jurisdiction, the attendees may receive always-appreciated CLE credit.

Finally, it promotes good will and client satisfaction.

Providing Professional Development for Clients

When thinking about the ways in which professional development can be provided to clients, use what you do internally as a springboard for ideas. Firms have successfully used the following formats, which range from fairly quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive to more complex, planning-intensive, and more costly:

• Invite selected clients/business prospects to attend your own in-house programs. Note: It's important to clear this with the presenters first (for the same reasons as pre-screening DVDs before loaning them out ' see that bullet below).
• Offer to present a pre-existing firm seminar or two, where the materials are already prepared and updated, directly to the client at the client's office.
• Give periodic breakfast or lunch-time briefings at your firm on a targeted subject, inviting smaller groups of clients. If possible, arrange a series of these and publicize the series in advance.
• Provide a series of Webcasts or Webinars for clients/potential clients, either free to them or for a nominal fee. Note: Most firms provide professional development to their clients/potential clients at no cost, although externally hosted Web-based programs are occasionally an exception to this rule.
• Offer to lend out videos/DVDs of your firm's past professional development programs. Caveat: If these programs were originally given for a firm-only audience, they may contain material that is unsuitable for a client audience. They must be vetted to ensure there are no privilege/client confidences issues that could be compromised by sharing the DVD outside of the firm. Also, there are situations where firms lent DVDs to valued clients, only to hear from the clients (much to the lawyers' surprise) that the presenters had told “war stories” about those clients in the course of the seminar.
• Program “marathons.” These are half or full day thematic programs, with multiple presenters, that serve to showcase many of the firm's practice areas while addressing the business and legal information needs of the attendees. Themes provide cohesion, yet can be fairly broad ' “Capitalizing on Business Opportunities in 2006,” for example. Firms generally do not charge for these programs, and provide the attendees with meals and, if a full day program, a reception at the end of the day. The attendees receive useful substantive materials and the presenters' biographies, along with firm “take-aways” (totes, folders, information on other CLE opportunities for clients that the firm offers). The marathons should be recorded so that DVDs can be available to those who cannot attend, and to your firm's lawyers for their own information.
• Online 24/7 access to selected firm CLE seminars. Access can be set up through a firm's Web site. Through an entry portal that first requests a small amount of registration information, clients can watch and receive CLE credit for these programs. Pillsbury wanted to provide this service to clients and its own lawyers as an alternative to lending out DVDs, which can be time consuming and difficult to track. Through a partnership with an on-line learning provider such as Cognistar (http://www.cognistar.com/), firms can have their programs produced in an on-line format that is accessible by its own lawyers through the firm's intranet and by others externally via the firm's Web site.

Quick Tips For A Successful Client Program

Generally, the same presentation do's and don't do's go for client programs as for your own in-house programs, with a few twists.

• No one should ever remain sitting while they are speaking. If a panel format is used, the panelists who are not speaking may sit.
• PowerPoint presentations, if used at all, should be used for emphasis, and not for setting out the entire text of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Clients bristle at eye tests at seminars. Firms have found that usage of PowerPoint has shifted from solely a format for a visual presentation to a format for written materials as well. If that's the case in a program, there should be two presentations ' one to be used as the written materials, and an edited, pared-down version that will be the “visual” presentation.
• Heighten the level of interactivity. Use hypotheticals, scenarios, mixed-media if possible.
• Include as many opportunities as possible, and include references to the attendees' businesses, where applicable.
• Never, ever, EVER (emphasis added) do a program for a client that you haven't already test-driven back at the firm.

With all this in mind, you can move your professional development efforts into the business development realm with ease. The result will be both heightened client service and enhanced client relations, which are always good for business.

Law firms are spending more money on professional development and hiring more staff to oversee this area than ever before. In addition to substantive skills programs for the many different practice areas, internal programs have expanded to include leadership and business-development curriculums, deal and case management training, presentation skills, business development, and client relationship training.

Fifteen years ago, the comment often made about professional development in law firms was: “Why should we?” Now, if a firm admits that it doesn't have an institutionalized professional development program, clients and other firms tend to raise eyebrows and ask: “Why not?” In fact, many RFPs or RFIs from clients and prospective clients now routinely ask for details regarding the training a law firm offers, both internally and for its clients.

This begs the question of how to get the highest and best use out of your firm's professional development investment, over and above the clear benefit to your own lawyers and staff. Odds are there is a huge amount of intellectual property already in existence as a result of your firm's internal programs. Consider turning what is a valuable cost center into an invaluable business development resource.

A Business Development Tool

There isn't room enough in this article to set out all the many fine reasons why you should aim your professional development arsenal in the direction of oncoming clients. The incorporation of substantive programs into the fabric of your business development efforts adds value in the following ways:

First, clients/potential clients get increased exposure to your firm's and your lawyers' expertise.

Second, it adds a platform upon which to supply clients with cutting-edge updates and materials on subjects of immediate interest.

Third, the firm's lawyers get additional opportunities to be in front of clients.

Fourth, depending on the firm's accreditation status and the requirements of the jurisdiction, the attendees may receive always-appreciated CLE credit.

Finally, it promotes good will and client satisfaction.

Providing Professional Development for Clients

When thinking about the ways in which professional development can be provided to clients, use what you do internally as a springboard for ideas. Firms have successfully used the following formats, which range from fairly quick, easy, and relatively inexpensive to more complex, planning-intensive, and more costly:

• Invite selected clients/business prospects to attend your own in-house programs. Note: It's important to clear this with the presenters first (for the same reasons as pre-screening DVDs before loaning them out ' see that bullet below).
• Offer to present a pre-existing firm seminar or two, where the materials are already prepared and updated, directly to the client at the client's office.
• Give periodic breakfast or lunch-time briefings at your firm on a targeted subject, inviting smaller groups of clients. If possible, arrange a series of these and publicize the series in advance.
• Provide a series of Webcasts or Webinars for clients/potential clients, either free to them or for a nominal fee. Note: Most firms provide professional development to their clients/potential clients at no cost, although externally hosted Web-based programs are occasionally an exception to this rule.
• Offer to lend out videos/DVDs of your firm's past professional development programs. Caveat: If these programs were originally given for a firm-only audience, they may contain material that is unsuitable for a client audience. They must be vetted to ensure there are no privilege/client confidences issues that could be compromised by sharing the DVD outside of the firm. Also, there are situations where firms lent DVDs to valued clients, only to hear from the clients (much to the lawyers' surprise) that the presenters had told “war stories” about those clients in the course of the seminar.
• Program “marathons.” These are half or full day thematic programs, with multiple presenters, that serve to showcase many of the firm's practice areas while addressing the business and legal information needs of the attendees. Themes provide cohesion, yet can be fairly broad ' “Capitalizing on Business Opportunities in 2006,” for example. Firms generally do not charge for these programs, and provide the attendees with meals and, if a full day program, a reception at the end of the day. The attendees receive useful substantive materials and the presenters' biographies, along with firm “take-aways” (totes, folders, information on other CLE opportunities for clients that the firm offers). The marathons should be recorded so that DVDs can be available to those who cannot attend, and to your firm's lawyers for their own information.
• Online 24/7 access to selected firm CLE seminars. Access can be set up through a firm's Web site. Through an entry portal that first requests a small amount of registration information, clients can watch and receive CLE credit for these programs. Pillsbury wanted to provide this service to clients and its own lawyers as an alternative to lending out DVDs, which can be time consuming and difficult to track. Through a partnership with an on-line learning provider such as Cognistar (http://www.cognistar.com/), firms can have their programs produced in an on-line format that is accessible by its own lawyers through the firm's intranet and by others externally via the firm's Web site.

Quick Tips For A Successful Client Program

Generally, the same presentation do's and don't do's go for client programs as for your own in-house programs, with a few twists.

• No one should ever remain sitting while they are speaking. If a panel format is used, the panelists who are not speaking may sit.
• PowerPoint presentations, if used at all, should be used for emphasis, and not for setting out the entire text of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Clients bristle at eye tests at seminars. Firms have found that usage of PowerPoint has shifted from solely a format for a visual presentation to a format for written materials as well. If that's the case in a program, there should be two presentations ' one to be used as the written materials, and an edited, pared-down version that will be the “visual” presentation.
• Heighten the level of interactivity. Use hypotheticals, scenarios, mixed-media if possible.
• Include as many opportunities as possible, and include references to the attendees' businesses, where applicable.
• Never, ever, EVER (emphasis added) do a program for a client that you haven't already test-driven back at the firm.

With all this in mind, you can move your professional development efforts into the business development realm with ease. The result will be both heightened client service and enhanced client relations, which are always good for business.