Jon Whittle

This Practice Note provides information about different ways of measuring financial performance in a law firm. It also provides guidance on how to analyse and benchmark financial data to compare performance against previous years and competitors.

This Practice Note provides guidance for law firms on some key areas to consider when producing a proposal document. Creating a persuasive proposal document requires more than good writing skills. A number of different processes need to be carried out to the right timescale and in the right sequence. Co-ordinating the team effort requires care, planning and determination.

This Practice Note explains what a pipeline of new clients and new business is and how to set about developing one.

Lawyers can become more confident business developers if they understand how the sales process works and are willing to try different approaches. This Practice Note provides guidance on the process of selling to new prospects or to existing customers.

This Practice Note provides guidance to law firms on how to formulate a strategic plan. It explains the difference between a strategic plan (also called strategic aims) and a business plan. A strategic plan sets out the law firm’s strategic aims for a defined period, usually anywhere between one and five years. This Practice Note also sets out a structured process for formulating your firm’s strategic plan, including how to prepare and execute an effective strategy away day.

This Practice Note provides information about how to read and understand the financial accounts of a law firm.

This Practice Note sets out a framework for law firms pitching for business and highlights best practices required to succeed in a competitive market.

This Practice Note gives guidance about the key steps and considerations to bear in mind when preparing to deliver tender presentation.

One of the challenges lawyers face when meeting a prospect is the lack of knowledge of the contact and the business they represent. Preparation for the first few meetings is therefore very important in order to have the best possible chance of developing the relationship. This Practice Note provides guidance to help a lawyer prepare for a meeting with a business prospect.

This Precedent can be used to create an agenda for a strategy review meeting to review progress against your strategic aims. It is recommended that you have dedicated strategy review meetings at least quarterly.

Business planning is often a consideration when starting a new business. However, you should think of business planning as an evolving process which should be reviewed regularly in order to measure progress and encourage others to invest time and effort in the business. This Precedent can be used to record your review.

This Precedent Competitive landscape exercise is intended for use at a strategy away day. It will encourage delegates to think about a variety of factors that impact on the competitive environment in which the firm operates so you can identify challenges and opportunities.

This Precedent should be completed at the end of your strategy away day to record what you have agreed to be the firm’s key strategic aims. The headings are suggestions only but cover most critical areas of the business. Once the document is agreed it can be dated and the word ‘Draft’ removed. There is also a sample version to give you some ideas of what the final document might look like.

When meeting with a prospect it is important to have some knowledge about the person and the business they represent. This plan can be used to help a lawyer prepare for a business development (BD) meeting.

This Precedent indicates the key information you should consider collecting when undertaking external market analysis. Before developing a business development and marketing plan you should conduct a marketing audit to gather relevant information about your own firm and the external market.

This Precedent can be used to at the start of a strategy away day. It is intended to encourage delegates to think more creatively right from the start of your strategy away day. Without such an exercise, delegates tend to focus on obvious and immediate issues.

This Precedent Pipeline management spreadsheet can be used to record key information and data about any potential new clients in the pipeline. Capturing all of this data in one place will help to make your pipeline management process more efficient and provide you with assurance that you are on top of managing your new client pipeline.

This Precedent Pitch team kick-off—meeting agenda can be used by a law firm to help structure a pitch team kick-off meeting to set out what needs to be done, who will do it and by when.

This Precedent Preparing for a tender presentation—meeting agenda can be used to help prepare for a tender presentation and provides an outline agenda to structure your pitch team’s preparation meeting.

This Precedent is an example of a final strategic aims document for a law firm. It is intended to be a a maximum of two pages long and will be implemented by and dovetail with a separate business plan. A blank version of this Precedent is also available.