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Lindsay Griffiths is the International Lawyers Network’s Executive Director. She is a dynamic, influential international executive and marketing thought leader with a passion for relationship development and authoring impactful content. Griffiths is a driven, strategic leader who implements creative initiatives to achieve the goals of a global professional services network. She manages all major aspects of the Network, including recruitment, member retention, and providing exceptional client service to an international membership base.
In her role as Executive Director, Griffiths manages a mix of international programs, engages a diverse global community, and develops an international membership base. She leads the development and successful implementation of major organizational initiatives, manages interpersonal relationships, and possesses executive presence with audiences of internal and external stakeholders. Griffiths excels at project management, organization, and planning, writes and speaks with influence and authority, and works independently while demonstrating flexibility in thinking, especially in challenging situations. She also adapts to diverse and dynamic environments with constant assessment and recalibration.
In 2021, the ILN was honored as Global Law Firm Network of the Year by The Lawyer European Awards, and in 2016, 2017, and 2022, they were shortlisted as Global Law Firm Network of the Year. Since 2011, the Network has been listed as a Chambers & Partners Leading Law Firm Network, recently increasing this ranking to be included in the top two percent of law firm networks globally, as well as adding two regional rankings. She was awarded “Thought Leader of the Year” by the Legal Marketing Association’s New York chapter in 2014 for her substantive contributions to the industry and was included in Clio’s list of “34 People in Legal You Should Follow on Twitter.” She was also chosen for the American Bar Association Journal’s inaugural Web 100‘s Best Law Blogs, where judge Ivy Grey said “This blog is outstanding, thoughtful, and useful.” Ms. Griffiths was chosen as a Top Author by JD Supra in their 2019 Readers’ Choice Awards, for the level of engagement and visibility she attained with readers on the topic of marketing & business development. She has been the author of Zen & the Art of Legal Networking since February 2009.
Two for Tuesday: Review & Prepare
Somehow, it’s already December.
I know, I can’t believe it either. But it’s true. And you know what that means – it’s time to review 2014 and prepare for 2015. A lot of people have already started this process, but I like to leave it until after our last conference of the year, so that I can incorporate as much feedback from my clients as possible.
For me, December is a time of reflection. I take out my marketing/business development plan (which I have been reviewing throughout the year, not just this month) and take a good look at it. So in the shuffle to get through all of our year-end activities, try these two tips to have an even more productive 2015.
Tip One: Review
While each new calendar year is a fresh start, there’s no better way to begin your planning than by taking some time to look back first. Hopefully, you’ve been regularly reviewing your marketing/business development plans, so you have an idea of where you stand in terms of accomplishments. Continue Reading Two for Tuesday: Review & Prepare
Two for Tuesdays: Client Service
It’s hard to believe that only three days ago at this time, I was snorkeling with my clients in Costa Rica and seeing my first sting ray! Spending a few days with my clients always gets me thinking about networking, as you know, but it also gets me thinking about client service. So for today’s Two for Tuesdays, I have two tips for improving client service!
Tip One: Say Thank You
In the US, this week is Thanksgiving, so people are talking a lot about gratitude and what they are thankful for. After a tumultuous few years in the world economy, I think we can all agree that along with family and friends, we’re also pretty grateful for our clients. What better time to tell them?
While I advocate active gratitude on a yearly basis, Thanksgiving can be a good reminder for this. Reach out to your top five clients this week and thank them. Even if you’re not in the US, use it as a reminder to offer your clients your gratitude. Try:
- Thank you for trusting me with your business.
- I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with you.
- Thank you for being a client.
- I appreciate being your business adviser.
Silence Isn’t Golden When it Comes to Managing Client Relationships
You are in for a treat today,
while I’m away at the ILN’s Regional Meeting of the Americas – we have a very special guest post! We’re welcoming Joanne Thorud, the Director of Marketing for the ILN’s Boston member, Davis, Malm & D’Agostine. She’s talking about one of my favorite subjects – client service – and shares with us an excellent post on why communication is so important in keeping clients happy.
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Last week, I attended the Legal Marketing Association New England’s annual regional conference in Boston. The theme of this year’s conference was Simplify to Maximize. There were a dozen programs and over 30 speakers who presented topics focused on cutting through clutter and static and delivering clear and concise messages. One message that resounded in almost every program I attended was communication is key to maximizing client relationships. It is not a new or revolutionary concept, but it is extremely relevant, especially in today’s legal climate.Continue Reading Silence Isn’t Golden When it Comes to Managing Client Relationships
Two for Tuesdays: Networking Mistakes
Since our Regional Meeting of the Americas kicks off on Thursday, there’s no more appropriate time to check in with some networking tips than today! We’ve covered a lot of "to dos" when it comes to networking, so today, I thought we’d take a look at what we should avoid doing when it comes to networking, and how to fix any networking mistakes we might make.
In early October, Mashable shared this great list of the 5 Worst Networking Flops, and How to Recover From Them. There are two that are particularly important for lawyers when networking, and those are the two we’ll focus on in today’s Two for Tuesdays. Add your big pet peeves for networking in the comments, and your suggestions for recovering from them!
Flop One: Too Much "You" in the Conversation
Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you – you’re deep in conversation with someone you’ve just met (or even someone you know well), only to realize that you’ve been talking about yourself the whole time! What to do?Continue Reading Two for Tuesdays: Networking Mistakes
ILN Firm of the Month – Cordero & Cordero Abogados, Costa Rica!
We are happy to announce that this month’s firm of the month is Cordero & Cordero Abogados, who will be hosting our Regional Meeting of the Americas this week!
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Development Strategies for Associates – A Webinar Recap
On Tuesday, we had the pleasure of welcoming David Ackert of The Ackert Advisory for a special webinar presentation on Development Strategies for Associates.
David began by sharing the agenda for the session, which included looking at:
- Getting a head start: why business development at the associate level is so critical
- Leverage points: playing to your strengths
- Networking strategies
- Mentorship
- Establishing credibility in your niche: this is a key way associates can start to differentiate themselves as they’re going about business development
Getting a Head Start
Business development for associates is all about getting a head start. David mentioned that the techniques that he’d address are designed to be as efficient as possible, because lawyers don’t have a lot of time at any level to do the kind of business development exploration that they might have in a more idea setting. They have to get there quickly. Continue Reading Development Strategies for Associates – A Webinar Recap
Two for Tuesdays: Community Work
Here in the US, today is Veterans Day, a day to remember and thank those who have served our country. I have had family and friends in the military – everything from Army and the Air Force to Marines to Navy and Coast Guard – so today is an important day for me. I like to give thanks to our military as much as possible, but I’m all in favor of any day that especially calls for it.
So it’s got me thinking about the community work that our companies and firms do, and how we can extend the reach of that in different ways. My most favorite way to give back is anonymously, but when we’re doing it as an organization or firm, it’s best to try to get as much publicity as possible for the charitable organization we’re supporting.
There are many different and creative ways to do this, but I want to focus on two as they relate to social media. And while I’m at it, I also recommend checking out some of the many amazing Veterans’ organizations out there and offering your support!
Tip One: Use Social Media to Showcase
Supporting community organizations is one of the best ways that firms can communicate what they care about. Whether it’s through teams of employees joining together to run for a cause, or jeans Fridays to raise money, there are tons of ways that firms and their employees work together and individually to show they care. Continue Reading Two for Tuesdays: Community Work
General Counsel Corner: Considerations When Selecting Outside Counsel
I always enjoy hearing what factors into a general counsel’s decision to hire outside law firms – it gives great insight into what firms should be focusing on, both when it comes to the delivery of legal services, as well as the message that they’re promoting.
In our latest edition of the General Counsel Corner, I asked the employment counsel for a large international company to describe the factors that they consider when hiring outside counsel.
Our GC contributor told me:
In selecting outside counsel, we seek attorneys at reputable firms with a proven track record in the particular areas of expertise for which we are seeking counsel, who provide counsel taking into account not only the law, but also the pragmatic realities of our business and provide guidance as to how best to move the forward while mitigating risk to the company. Ideally, our attorneys will have an existing relationship with the outside counsel to increase the likelihood that the outside counsel will care about our business and the counsel being provided, as opposed to merely looking to generate a book of business. We also appreciate counsel who work efficiently and are mindful of minimizing attorneys fees and costs given the current economic climate and renewed focus on managing budgets."
Continue Reading General Counsel Corner: Considerations When Selecting Outside Counsel
Two for Tuesdays: Up Your Game
One of the things I think a lot about is client service – I’m regularly trying to figure out how I can bring more value to my own clients, but also looking critically at how others meet their clients’ needs and wants.
For all of us, no matter what work we do, we are all acting as providers and receivers of client service. As a receiver of service, I can be quite demanding – I’m very detail-oriented, I know the level of service I deliver to my clients, and I expect the same attention to detail and passion in those I’m working with.
Unfortunately, it’s fairly rare that I’m impressed by someone’s level of client service. Which got me thinking this afternoon about two ways we can "up our client service game." Although these are two separate tips, they generally have to be undertaken together in order to really wow someone.
Tip One: Responsiveness
I almost can’t believe that I have to include "responsiveness" as a tip for great client service – we’ve talked about it SO much, and I’ve heard it mentioned time and time again, so it should be the norm today instead of the exception. Continue Reading Two for Tuesdays: Up Your Game