The nature of, and approach to, legal practice has “changed dramatically” since the start of this decade, he reflected, noting that pre-pandemic, “there was a whole series of steps in engagement and relationship building, which Zoom and Teams and a whole variety of other media have taken away”.

Moreover, Douglas continued, the skills that used to come from relationship building at an intimate level are “much more diffuse”, and relationships are built across platforms rather than in person.

Two headline challenges arise from this changing landscape, he said: one, “your point of difference or intimacy and connection is critical in maintaining your foothold and expanding it”, and two, being a great practitioner is now fourfold: talent, business acumen, marketing capacity, and leadership skills.

In the face of such change, he feels that good client service ultimately means being able to create intimacy.

“When we go to see someone, we look at their industry, we have a knowledge around it. You look at the client’s business, you spend time becoming accustomed to what drives their business. You have a sense of urgency for them because when they bring problems to you, even new transactions to you, to them, it’s the biggest thing in their mind. And you speak and correspond in the language and style that they best understand and resonates with them,” he said.

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That, he said, is the beauty of service – it’s what creates the intimacy, he said.

“It’s learning how each person that you’re dealing with wants to be served and providing them what works best for them,” he said.

Moreover, Douglas went on, there needs to be a nimbleness and an understanding that different clients have greater expectations.

“When you choose a service provider, and there are so many lawyers who are out there, I’m choosing a service provider who meets my needs and makes my life better. If I don’t do that in a shrinking market where I’m only going to you for value because everything else I can do myself, the people who don’t create that value in every interaction will lose clients straight away,” he said.

To this end, Douglas has five key questions that practitioners need to ask of themselves to better evolve their approach to relationship building.

“One, what is the evidence I have in respect to my current clients about how they wish to engage, how they wish to be responded to, what is their industry, what is the [way] that I need to deal and focus in the delivery of service? Two, how do I build that capability with young lawyers coming through so they understand what good looks like? What do you say in your organisation and what do you do in your organisation that demonstrates this process?

“Three, a fearlessness about technology. I’m a dinosaur, so I can tell you my feet plod around, but I’m fascinated and engaged by it and check its value all the time. Four, look at your other competitors. You are a service provider, so be courageous at looking around at who competes with you and seeing what they do and what they don’t do,” he said.

And finally, Douglas said, “remember, what brings happiness is relationships”.

“There is this other very beautiful aspect to what we do, which is, as lawyers, we’re allowed to look through the window of life and connect to a whole lot of things that other people don’t see or do,” he said.

“It’s a blessing.”

To listen to the full episode with Andrew Douglas, click here.

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