Earlier this year, I changed the name of this blog from In Search of Perfect Client Service to In Search of Great Customer Experiences. I explained the reasons, but I glossed over the change from client service to customer experience. Recently, I was challenged to explain why clients were no longer clients, but instead
ElevateNext Law: why and how
On Friday, I participated in an exchange of tweets with @adamdavidlong, @DBRodriguez, @RoninMikeSimon and @ronfriedmann about the importance (or lack of) of outside investment in law firms. I weighed in with a note that having linked up with @ElevateServices and founded its aligned law firm, @ElevateNextLaw, we (@ElevateNic and I) were
Look at the Whole Board: reflections on the Deloitte-Epstein Becker announcement
In one of my favorite West Wing episodes, President Bartlett is playing chess with Sam Seaborn. He implores Sam to “look at the whole board” and at the end of the scene, Sam realizes the sleight-of-hand President Bartlett had played to diffuse a brewing military crisis. I was reminded of that scene yesterday
I am honored to have been named a BTI Client Service All Star
I recently learned that I was named a BTI Client Service All Star for 2019, the sixth time I have been named. As with each previous time, I am honored to have been selected for this recognition. This year carries some special significance, however, because it is the first time I have been recognized
Nicole Nehama Auerbach
Today is International Women’s Day. I am lucky–and extremely proud–to work in a company with so many great women throughout the company, especially in leadership positions. Elevate shared is diversity and inclusion report to the public, but the data doesn’t convey the dynamic role these women play in the company and how they are
Lessons learned from Navy Seals
I will admit it up front–I am in awe of Navy Seals. My brother-in-law was a career Naval officer and, once upon a time, my sister ran the officer’s club at the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado, CA, home of the Seal Command. Through them, I have met a number of Seals, each as impressive
ElevateNext’s Writing Guidelines
My colleagues and I have developed a set of writing guidelines over the years. After hearing last night about the “complexification” of transaction documents to the point the clients could not fully understand them, I thought it was a good time to share these.
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Design thinking is essential to providing effective solutions
I saw something online the other day that attempted to answer the question, “how is innovation related to design thinking?” The response, written by John Coyle, a former Olympic speed skater and CEO at Speaking Design Thinking, caught my eye. He began his response by reversing the question to “how is design thinking related to innovation?” I thought that was insightful, but my appreciation for his answer ended there. Coyle defined design thinking as “a process and a mindset used to solve complex problems in unique and innovative ways.” In other words, unique-ness and innovation are inherent attributes of design thinking. I see design thinking a bit differently.
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Corporate Counsel single out Valorem as a “Mover & Shaker”
BTI Consulting Group reports that corporate counsel have singled out Valorem Law Group as a “Mover & Shaker”–“firms disrupting the legal industry by make strategic and tactical moves others don’t.” We are honored to be singled out in this fashion. From our founding in 2008, we’ve led the move to the New Normal, been named as one of 22 firms “best at AFAs,” and regularly have been recognized by corporate counsel for our brand excellence and extraordinary client service. What sets this recognition apart, however, is its validation of our move earlier this year to create ElevateNext Law and align ourselves with Elevate Services. I wanted to spend a couple of paragraphs describing what prompted this major move by my Valorem partner, Nicole Auerbach, and me.
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How a vision happens
Many people have views on how to develop a vision of change, of disruption. Having just created ElevateNext Law (with the incomparable Nicole Auerbach) and created a vision with Elevate Services and Univar, I wanted to share my “recipe.” It is a combination of George Bernard Shaw and Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
Says Shaw: Some see