Susan Saltonstall Duncan is the undisputed master in capturing and articulating the keys to leadership in law firm/client relationship management. As someone who studied and coached firms on these issues long before others found it fashionable, she has both a long view and a wide lens on the law firm business model and what makes their client relationships successful. No one is better positioned to understand the realities of client loyalty and the relationship qualities that engender it (or diminish it). In this new book, readers will be privy to her treasure trove of strategic principles and practical tactics: I find her work in the areas of succession planning, “distinguishing” value (in a marketplace full of excellent but fungible service providers), and life-cycle conversations about expectations and collaboration particularly valuable. Given ongoing disruptions to the law firm business model, rapidly changing client expectations and increasing competition from other providers (from the law department itself, to newly established law companies), how could a law firm leader (or future leader) overlook the opportunity to leverage Susan’s wisdom?

Susan Hackett, CEO, Legal Executive Leadership, LLC, and former general counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC – from 1989-2011)