"Law firms that conduct formal client feedback programs can earn nearly twice the share of a client’s external legal spend than a firm not engaging in feedback..."

The legal industry is constricting. In-house legal departments are growing, meaning less work for law firms. There is a constant pressure for doing more with less – meaning that firms must ensure that their matters are staffed appropriately and that they are investing in tools and processes that can help them be more efficient – including AI.

One way to stand out from the crowd is by conducting client feedback interviews.

There are many ways to obtain the feedback – surveys, consultants, in-house experts. One of our favorite feedback avenues is “post-matter debriefs.” At the conclusion of a matter or deal, officially reach out to clients and ask about how you did. These sessions not only address any challenges or issues that arose during the matter from a legal perspective, but also service or process-related feedback that, by addressing, will help your law firm improve – and possibly cement – its relationship with that client moving forward.

"...in 2023, only 27% of clients were asked to participate in a client feedback program by their outside law firms."

Satisfied clients have higher realization rates, use more than one service from a law firm, and are more likely to refer new business to the firm. In fact, according to Thomson Reuters Market Insights research, “Law firms that conduct formal client feedback programs can earn nearly twice the share of a client’s external legal spend than a firm not engaging in feedback. Yet in 2023, only 27% of clients were asked to participate in a client feedback program by their outside law firms.”

You read that correctly. More than 70% of the respondents haven’t participated in a client service interview. That leaves a lot of opportunity for you.

Now that we’ve convinced you of the why, let’s discuss what topics are important to address in a debrief.

To gather feedback, improve services, and maintain a strong client relationship, your post-matter debrief questions should cover the following categories:

• Overall Experience
• Communication
• Legal Strategy and Approach
• Responsiveness
• Quality of Work
• Billing and Transparency
• Problem Resolution
• Team Collaboration
• Suggestions for Improvement
• Future Engagement
• Additional Feedback

Remember, the goal of these questions is to gather constructive feedback that can help your law firm improve its services and client relationships. It's essential to create an open and comfortable environment where clients feel encouraged to share their thoughts honestly.

...the goal of these questions is to gather constructive feedback that can help your law firm improve its services and client relationships.

For those just beginning this initiative, consider starting with five clients who have indicated they are pleased with your work and for whom you have a strong personal relationship. Make sure to communicate internally that you are embarking on this initiative with the firm’s administrative resources so that the firm can be prepared to implement feedback rather than receiving it and doing nothing.

Finally, rather than the relationship partner having these conversations, consider engaging a member of your business development staff or an external resource for an unbiased perspective.

Below are some of the questions we’ve seen work well in debriefs:

• How would you rate your overall experience working with our law firm on this matter?
• What aspects of our service exceeded your expectations?
• Were there any areas where you felt we could have improved?
• How satisfied were you with the communication from our team throughout the process?
• Did you feel well-informed about the progress and developments in your case/deal?
• Did you feel that our legal strategy aligned with your goals and expectations?
• Did you find the invoices and billing narratives clear and understandable?
• Were there any challenges or issues that arose during the process? How well did we handle them?
• Did you feel that the various team members you interacted with were knowledgeable and coordinated?
• Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for how we could enhance our services in the future?
• Would you consider working with our law firm again for future legal matters?
• Do you feel confident in recommending our services to others?
• Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience working with us?

Take the opportunity now to implement client feedback initiatives to set your firm apart from your competitors.

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Rebecca Edwards Hnatowski is a marketing and business development advisor with nearly 20 years of experience helping busy stakeholders establish, maintain, and grow client relationships. Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn.

Beth Cuzzone is the Global Practice Group Leader at Intapp. Connect with Beth on LinkedIn.