Jones Day takes top spot in client popularity survey

According to the survey by research and management consultants BTI Consulting Group - dubbed 'The Survey of Client Service Performance for Law Firms' - the firm beat off highly profitable New York firms such as Shearman & Sterling and Weil Gotshal & Manges, neither of which made it into the top 30.

Judging categories

Overall best performing law firm Client service Client focus Providing commitment to help Providing value for the dollar Understanding the client's business Breadth of service Helping to advise on business issues Unprompted communication Regional reputation Bringing together national resources Keeping the client informed Legal skills Dealing with unexpected changes Providing quality products Handling problems Meeting technical specifications Anticipating the client's needs International capabilities

But the survey found that most Fortune 1,000 companies are largely dissatisfied with their law firms. Only 24.7 per cent of companies recommended their primary firms.
The survey's introduction said: "Clients tell us that their outside law firms are managing to do just enough to get by - they're doing B work, not A work. Clients are underwhelmed with the client service they're getting from their law firms now."
The survey was based on interviews with almost 200 corporate counsel from Fortune 1,000 companies throughout the US. The consultants developed a quantitative ranking of all the law firms' client service performance across the board.
The average score of all firms nominated by clients was 18.25 - the firms in the top 30 nearly all scored more than double that.
Jones Day came out top in eight of the 20 categories (see judging categories box), and was among the top firms in the remaining 12.
London managing partner Robert Thomson said: "We're a partner-led practice, so it's just totally in tune with what we do that the partners are there to give clients the service they want to get. Obviously, we've got to keep on; this is not a short-term thing."
Firms in the top 30 are described as the BTI Client Service A-Team.
The survey also found that, overall, smaller firms performed better for client service. It stated: "Our research found that, overall, smaller firms perform very well in the client-service arena, and compete quite strongly against the larger firms with Fortune 1,000 clients. We urge the large firms to take note."

The BTI client service top 30
Rank	Law firm	Points
1	Jones Day Reavis & Pogue	135.18
2	Sullivan & Cromwell	99.52
3	McDermott Will & Emery	74.24
4	Kirkland & Ellis	73.60
5	Sidley Austin Brown & Wood	71.91
6	Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom	71.76
7	Hughes & Luce	71.66
8	Arter & Hadden	60.75
9	Baker & McKenzie	59.92
10	Hale and Dorr	58.88
11	Davis Polk & Wardwell	58.43
12	McGuireWoods	57.33
13	Mays & Valentine	53.49
14	Sutherland Asbill & Brennan	51.12
15	Snell & Wilmer	49.49
16	Holland & Knight	48.94
17	Morgan Lewis & Bockius	47.80
18	Latham & Watkins	47.28
19	Faegre & Benson	46.44
20	Porter Wright Morris & Arthur	43.11
21	Wilmer Cutler & Pickering	42.80
22	Brobeck Phleger & Harrison	42.70
23	Dorsey & Whitney	39.63
24	Lord Bissell & Brook	39.61
25	Vinson & Elkins	39.07
26	Ropes & Gray	36.91
27	Fenwick & West	36.18
28	Hunton & Williams	35.87
29	Howrey Simon Arnold & White	35.07
30	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett	34.87
Source: BTI Consulting