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So what can he teach the rest of us about life? And what can he teach lawyers in particular? There is a clue in the name of his band: The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It’s as if he knew that his music would have an impact on people. Lawyers are also in the business of selling an experience; not through music but through the rule of law. Granted, the subject matter is by comparison somewhat dry and certainly less emotive, but this makes the experience of providing it, or rather buying it, all the more important.
Now, turn your attention from the pyrotechnics of Jimi’s guitar to the humble fried egg.
The yolk is the guitar and the white is the sound it makes when Hendrix plays it. The white of his egg is different to that of any other guitarist. Then, think of the yolk as your legal expertise. Your knowledge of the law is merely the instrument through which you make your own music, but the difference lies in the white of your egg: how you deliver that advice; or in a nutshell, service.
We all know instinctively that buyers of legal advice distinguish between law firms not on the basis of technical expertise, but on what else is added to that advice in terms of service. It’s the experience. Within the white of a law firm’s egg lie most of the reasons it succeeds over another firm in the eyes of a client. Jimi Hendrix may not have been the most gifted guitarist in technical terms, but it was what he did differently that won him so many admirers and followers over so many years. What is it that your firm does so differently to win not just the loyalty of your clients but also the respect of your peers? If you can’t answer this question, you are not providing an experience.
Another reason I am such a fan of Hendrix can be found on the back of my business card.
These five simple words have, in recent years, become my credo for life:
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens".
Having met close to 100 General Counsel and board members of FTSE 350 companies and financial institutions over the last few years, one message has shone like a beacon above all others: "lawyers should listen more intently to what we have to say about their service and then do something about it." It is a deceptively simple message and yet whilst many firms have begun to try listening actively to their clients, the clients themselves tell me that they have yet to notice any discernible change in service delivery.
So my message to you, dear Managing Partner, CEO, Marketing, HR and Finance Director, is also very simple. Just for once, break the mould. Once you’ve listened to what your clients want, put a plan into action. That’s all they’re asking. Give them what they want; don’t do what other law firms do, which is to ignore them. Stop playing your guitar the same way as everybody else and your clients will love you for it. You might even build a fan-club!
© Simon Slater. Managing director of First Counsel Consulting Limited.
Jimi Hendrix and the law firm
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Jimi Hendrix. Great guitarist. Some people argue that he was several decades ahead of his time. What is incontrovertible, however, is that his influence over the last 35 years has been nothing short of astonishing both in its reach and its durability. What I like about Hendrix is that he let his "axe" do the talking. He also seemed to thrive on breaking the mould. Boundary was a word that didn’t appear in his vocabulary.So what can he teach the rest of us about life? And what can he teach lawyers in particular? There is a clue in the name of his band: The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It’s as if he knew that his music would have an impact on people. Lawyers are also in the business of selling an experience; not through music but through the rule of law. Granted, the subject matter is by comparison somewhat dry and certainly less emotive, but this makes the experience of providing it, or rather buying it, all the more important.
Now, turn your attention from the pyrotechnics of Jimi’s guitar to the humble fried egg.
The yolk is the guitar and the white is the sound it makes when Hendrix plays it. The white of his egg is different to that of any other guitarist. Then, think of the yolk as your legal expertise. Your knowledge of the law is merely the instrument through which you make your own music, but the difference lies in the white of your egg: how you deliver that advice; or in a nutshell, service.
We all know instinctively that buyers of legal advice distinguish between law firms not on the basis of technical expertise, but on what else is added to that advice in terms of service. It’s the experience. Within the white of a law firm’s egg lie most of the reasons it succeeds over another firm in the eyes of a client. Jimi Hendrix may not have been the most gifted guitarist in technical terms, but it was what he did differently that won him so many admirers and followers over so many years. What is it that your firm does so differently to win not just the loyalty of your clients but also the respect of your peers? If you can’t answer this question, you are not providing an experience.
Another reason I am such a fan of Hendrix can be found on the back of my business card.
These five simple words have, in recent years, become my credo for life:
"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens".
Having met close to 100 General Counsel and board members of FTSE 350 companies and financial institutions over the last few years, one message has shone like a beacon above all others: "lawyers should listen more intently to what we have to say about their service and then do something about it." It is a deceptively simple message and yet whilst many firms have begun to try listening actively to their clients, the clients themselves tell me that they have yet to notice any discernible change in service delivery.
So my message to you, dear Managing Partner, CEO, Marketing, HR and Finance Director, is also very simple. Just for once, break the mould. Once you’ve listened to what your clients want, put a plan into action. That’s all they’re asking. Give them what they want; don’t do what other law firms do, which is to ignore them. Stop playing your guitar the same way as everybody else and your clients will love you for it. You might even build a fan-club!
© Simon Slater. Managing director of First Counsel Consulting Limited.