Recent Assignments

National law firm
The senior partner of this firm appointed First Counsel Consulting to carry out a comprehensive structural review of its business development, marketing and communications operation. The project required a thoughtful, but no less decisive approach to organisational design and development to ensure these business services were more closely aligned to the firm’s long-term strategy.

The same client turned to First Counsel Consulting again shortly afterwards for high-level strategic communications advice as it embarked on a period of international expansion.
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Top 40 UK law firm
With a heightened focus on the importance of effective risk management, First Counsel Consulting conducted an audit of current practices at this successful City firm and then benchmarked its approach with “best practice” among other leading firms in order to identify potential areas for improvement in process and in the management of risk in the long term.

Private client law firm, Surrey
When this highly successful personal injury practice identified an opportunity to diversify, its managing partner knew who to call for help. The plan was radical: to launch a separate high-end divorce practice (with a difference) and without dilution of the existing volume claims business. First Counsel Consulting was brought in to provide advice on strategic positioning, branding and marketing.

M4 corridor law firm
Our client, the chief executive, asked us to facilitate his firm’s annual partners’ conference and lead the discussion on the key challenges facing the legal profession in general and the main opportunities arising out of legal service reforms for his practice in particular.

As a result of the conference, First Counsel Consulting was asked back to provide practical advice on a firm wide bonus scheme aimed at making a tangible and sustainable impact on the performance of the business.

Leading Irish law firm
A major corporate firm in Dublin instructed First Counsel Consulting to advise on the strategic realignment and reorganisation of its contentious legal services with the aim of maximising opportunities to develop business. The project involved benchmarking the practice against other successful firms.

US law firm
This famous American firm, which prides itself on its response to invitations to tender, wanted to improve its conversion rate. First Counsel Consulting was called upon to provide bid management best practice coaching to all of its lawyers with a focus on the preparation for, and effective execution of, the face to face meeting – the point at which the decision to buy is made.

Such was the success of this session that the firm instructed us again to provide consultative sales and presentation skills training.

Leading global property group
The group communications director of this long established real estate company contacted First Counsel Consulting to work with the managing director of one of its operating subsidiaries on reviewing its approach to client relationship management. The assignment led to the need to appoint a head of marketing & client relations, which First Counsel was retained to handle.

Shortly after this project concluded, First Counsel Consulting was briefed to advise the Group on appropriate approaches to resourcing its global marketing operations, including an appraisal of shared service, decentralised and outsourced models.

American law firm
First Counsel Consulting was instructed by the chairman of this firm to advise on UK strategic alliance options and generate a short-list of potential business partners.

Leading regional firm
One of the UK’s fastest growing law firms decided to undertake a competitive review of its reward and benefits strategy in light of its overall recruitment and retention strategy, and approached First Counsel Consulting to help. With a timescale driven by the need to make key management decisions during the budgeting season prior to the financial year end, the client needed us to move quickly. We were instructed early in December 2005 and started working on the project prior to Christmas with an eight week deadline.

Top 20 European firm
Also a member of the "global 100" elite of firms this practice still has enormous untapped potential. It turned to First Counsel Consulting having decided to undertake a root and branch review of its approach to business development. This we did from a strategic, operational and resourcing perspective. Within a three-month period, our client had endorsed a new marketing strategy and a complete restructuring aimed at enhancing the performance of its partners and transforming the contribution of its business development team. Ultimately, the new strategy was designed to have a direct and positive impact on service, client loyalty, market position and practice profitability. Not content simply to advise our client what to do, we are also helping to ensure successful implementation.

Top 25 global law firm
The corporate practice group of this leading global firm wanted to redefine its medium-term strategy in the face of intensifying competition. First Counsel Consulting was brought in to work with the group’s management team, undertaking a quick strategic review and creating a bold, but achievable vision for the future. Its aim? To strengthen further the firm’s position in the market. A clear project plan was devised and this provided a framework for implementation with clear objectives, actions, milestones, accountabilities and metrics. The new business plan was integrated both with the strategy of the firm and with the plans of the partners and teams involved. Effective communication played a key role in ensuring that the vision was understood throughout the firm and that the project gained momentum quickly.

A little while later, a specialist part of the firm’s dispute resolution group retained First Counsel Consulting to repeat the process there and help the partners to devise a short to medium-term strategy to revive its performance.

Leading private client firm
When a successful private client firm decided to consider its options for growth, it chose First Counsel Consulting to advise it on potential merger opportunities. This involved a thorough appraisal of the market to identify likely targets and then specific research into those firms to establish a short-list of recommended merger partners for consideration.

Small regional practice
Cash flow is a common problem for law firms, but when – on the advice of its bank - this firm made the call to First Counsel Consulting, it faced a stark choice: seek expert help or dissolve the practice. The next day, we visited their office to devise a financial and strategic survival plan. Within three days that plan was delivered and within a week it was agreed by the partnership. During the following week the first recommendations were being implemented. Three months later, cash flow had improved markedly, the firm’s overdraft was under control and business was beginning to flow healthily again. The firm emerged as a leaner, more focused, more disciplined and commercial organisation with a clear plan to grow the most profitable parts of its business and sustain the newfound confidence and performance of its people.

Niche London firm
A small and long established firm was struggling to punch its weight in the London market and needed radical help to spice up its marketing strategy. Budgetary constraints meant that we had to take a particularly creative approach to helping them. Among our network of specialist consultants we found a lawyer-turned-adviser whose clients are the law firm equivalent of an “SME”. It was a perfect fit, since the client base of the firm was littered with entrepreneurs and SMEs. In truth, our client has a very distinctive market position. The challenge was to make its proposition more strategically relevant and to communicate it more effectively to clients and prospects to ensure that it was better and more widely understood.

World famous software company
One of the world’s most successful software providers was experiencing difficulty achieving the desired levels of penetration for its specialist products within the European legal market. Whilst discussing the matter with a leading legal IT commentator, the company was referred to First Counsel Consulting for strategic marketing and communications advice.

Leading regional practice
A leading regional practice turned to us for strategic help with the development of its partners in core areas of practice development. Recognising its partners as the driving force of the firm, it was keen to ensure that a proper 'people' plan was put in place to develop a high performance culture by focusing on the development of skills and potential so that the partners could make a more rounded, more rewarding contribution to the business and the firm could achieve its objectives with greater certainty.

South East law firm
Our client needed help to review its marketing and business development operations. It called on First Counsel Consulting to help. We provided them with one of our most experienced senior marketing consultants for a day a week over the course of six months. As part of the project, our consultant was also asked to help the firm scope the role of a permanent head of marketing, assist with the recruitment process and ensure a smooth transition.