How I think about — Client Value
The next matter is decided on the last one.
Client value isn't a function — it's the quiet aggregate of how a relationship feels between matters. Rate strategy, post-engagement reviews, and the small acts of restraint at billing time do more for the next instruction than any pitch deck.
Do
Practice- +01
Run a real post-matter review with the client
Not a satisfaction survey. A structured conversation about what worked, what cost more than expected, and what you'd do differently. It's the cheapest BD you'll ever do.
Source — ACC · Value Challenge
- +02
Tier the client portfolio honestly
Not every client deserves the same flexibility on rates, staffing, or write-offs. Tiering forces the firm to invest where the relationship actually compounds.
Source — BigHand · Client Strategy
- +03
Treat rate conversations as annual, not adversarial
Annual cadence, transparent rationale, and a forward view. The firms that do this well rarely have rate fights.
Don't
Patterns- −01
Don't measure client value by revenue alone
Highest-revenue clients are often the lowest-margin. Measure by margin, payment behaviour, and matter mix — revenue is a vanity input.
Source — Thomson Reuters
- −02
Don't outsource the relationship to the billing partner
Client value lives across the whole team. Concentrating it in one relationship is a single point of failure.
- −03
Don't write off without telling the client
Silent write-offs feel generous to the firm and invisible to the client. A noted concession is worth ten silent ones.
Source — Altman Weil
§ References
Where this thinking comes from
- ACCValue Challenge
- BigHandClient Strategy & Profitability
- Thomson ReutersState of the Legal Market
Synthesised from publicly available reports and commentary. All views my own.