Foley Tops 2010 BTI Client Service 30 List

Law firm recognized for delivering best-in-class client service by The BTI Consulting Group.

Foley has taken top honors in client service among law firms serving the Fortune 1000 and has been ranked number one on the 2010 BTI Client Service 30 list. This list recognizes the 30 law firms delivering best-in-class client service and is featured in The BTI Client Service A-Team 2010 report, which has just been released. BTI's ranking is based on interviews with 240 corporate counsel of Fortune 1000 companies conducted by BTI between July 1 and October 1, 2009. This is our seventh year on the list and the first time Foley was recognized as the best firm in the country in delivering superior client service in the eyes of clients.

“Foley & Lardner has made a real investment in their clients and clearly, this is making a difference,” said Michael Rynowecer, president of the BTI Consulting Group. “The firm benefits from a robust combination of client feedback programs and industry specific programs and training to help it better understand clients.”

BTI conducts individual interviews with corporate counsel at Fortune 1000 companies to determine the 30 firms who make the list. Corporate counsel are asked to assess their outside firms according to 17 different criteria including legal skills, problem solving, anticipating client needs, delivering value, breadth of services and understanding the client’s business. The firms that received the top scores across the board comprise the BTI Client Service 30.

“Foley’s client service interview program has had a tremendous impact on our firm,” said Sandy Williams, national client service partner at Foley. “Clients tell you what they value when you ask them and every interview gives insight into how we can better serve their needs. We’ve taken what we’ve learned and heavily invested in technology and industry leading project management tools. They told us they needed greater attention to budgets, so we developed a comprehensive budget tracking tool that they can access 24/7 through their client extranet. They needed greater pricing flexibility, so we developed alternative pricing models where all of us win.”

“At a time when corporate counsel are reevaluating their law firm relationships like never before, we are truly honored that our clients believe we are delivering the high quality service they value,” said Ralf Böer, chairman and CEO of Foley. “Over the last several years, we have made it a strategic priority to understand what our clients expect from us and have challenged everyone at our firm to exceed our client’s expectations. We are grateful to our clients for this honor and thankful for their continued support.”

Foley & Lardner LLP continually evolves to meet the changing legal needs of our clients. Our team-based approach, proprietary client service technology, and practice depth enhance client relationships while seeing clients through their most complex legal challenges. The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts) recently recognized Foley as one of the top four law firms shaping the U.S. legal market, while CIO magazine has named Foley to its CIO 100 list six times for our client-focused technology. With nearly 1,000 attorneys in 21 offices and more than 60 practices, count on Foley for high-caliber business and legal insight.

BTI is the leading provider of strategic research to law firms and general counsel. BTI's work spans 13 different professions, helping clients learn best practices from world-class firms in virtually all professional services industries. For more information about the survey, please visit The BTI Consulting Group’s Web site at http://www.bticonsulting.com.