Conversations Lead the Way for Successful Client Relationship Transitions

Many attorneys spend their days managing business transitions (and challenges from those transitions) for clients. Quick to jump on the phone and triage the passing of the baton from one leadership team to another, lawyers are adept at spotting issues and handling the next phase of moving business along. Yet, when it comes time to pass on a practice (and the client relationships that make it up), the tasks feel daunting, personal and more like a guessing game than the implementation of a strategic client plan. There is a better way.

Lawyers and firms can shift this from one of a practice ending, to investment and growth — not only in the client relationship — but in the next generation of the firm’s practice. This subtle shift changes the conversation from “goodbye” to “hello.” It allows the new attorneys to step into the role from a place of curiosity and dedication. Using this new role as a platform to strengthen client relationships, curious conversation strategies enable the team to develop their own working relationships with transitioning clients. Pairing these conversations together allows everyone to not just carry the work forward without pause, but to strengthen an already great relationship.

One of the most daunting aspects of this process is honoring the relationships built and making the exiting attorney feel like a critical part of the process. The goal is to allow the attorney leaving to be as involved as they are ready for, while not losing the work, relationships or future opportunities with clients that mean so much to the firm and can help define the practice of the client relationship manager. Four simple conversations can pave the way to making this transition a win-win-win for everyone involved.

First, it is essential to consider what the transition looks and feels like for each of the parties:

The leaving partner: The client relationship and your book of business feel like a tangible way to memorialize your career. You not only enjoy the work, but also care for the people at the client. You want it respected and treated well. You want to keep the business with the firm and with the colleagues you’ve often trained to support the client and their needs.

The client: You will miss the partner who has handled your work and answered your questions. The relationship has an ease to it, and there is great comfort in knowing someone else not only has your back, but is the trusted thinking partner you need to support you and your company.

The next client relationship lead: This is the dream transition where the book of business is yours to lead. You’ve spent a great deal of time not just learning the work, but investing in the internal and external relationships. Despite any nerves, you feel ready.

Now that you have mapped out the different relationships and professionals involved, contemplate how each of the following four conversation strategies can assist in smoothing out the transition and make it not just a celebration of an outstanding career coming to a close, but of the next generation of attorney-client relationship.

The four conversation strategies include:

1. Introduce before assigning. Instead of handing over work to the senior member of your team without thought of personality or approach, spend some time introducing team members to your clients to feel out the best new team. One person leaving doesn’t always mean just one person stepping in. It is crucial to consider the client’s perception of the team during this stage without alarming them about an impending transition.
2. Make sure client teams have more than one person in the loop. It’s never a bad idea to make sure more than one person knows what is going on with a client. Knowing that a team can step in seamlessly allows everyone to take a deep breath (especially the client). Helping teams get organized with shared files, checklists and client matter updates goes a long way throughout the client relationship. It also makes the big transitions easier down the road.
3. Transition meetings. As the partner taking over the work, don’t just assume you can figure it out as the questions come in. When the situation allows, proactive planning for each client will allow you to manage the new book like a pro. This encompasses more than just active matters, billing rates and the client’s contact information. Sit down and gather the data you need (putting together a transition worksheet for each client — both big and small) and engage in a conversation with the leaving partner to get not just the obvious information, but as much as they hold in their head about the relationship as possible. You can’t know everything that has been talked about over the often hundreds of conversations — but you can come close.
4. Be open to new expectations. When one thing changes, other changes are inevitably waiting for the whole team. Instead of assuming the client will be comfortable with the new team lead’s approach and boundaries, you need to communicate clearly and often throughout the transition period to get a better feeling of what everyone wants and needs right now, not when the relationship started. At the same time, certain habits may need to shift (for example, how and when the client can reach you or the work product wanted are two frequent examples); trying to do this all at once will cause the new team to feel more unstable than necessary.

Keeping these four conversations in mind when coordinating client relationship updates allows firm management to support not just the client work coming in the door, but the client relationships as they evolve.

Learn More About Client Services with the Third Edition of the LMA Body of Knowledge The content in this feature correlates with the Client Services domain in the LMA Body of Knowledge (BoK). Dive deeper and access the latest edition of the BoK online. The Third Edition of the LMA BoK showcases enhanced expertise across every domain, introduces new competencies in Client Services, Communications and Technology Management, features more advanced skills across all domains and broadens coverage of competitive and business intelligence skills. Plus, it emphasizes a stronger commitment to nurturing diversity, equity, and inclusion across the entirety of the BoK. Learn more.