News
Law360 Highlights Gordon & Rees’s Client Service
January 2010
In a January 15 article titled “Some Firms See Client Service As A Full-Time
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Law360 highlighted Gordon & Rees’s innovative client service initiative with the hiring of Lucy Ann Galioto, Esq. to serve in the newly created position of National Director of Client Service. The article focuses on the value of client service as a differentiating factor in the competitive marketplace for legal services, as well as the importance of “embedding strong client services in a firm’s culture.”
As the article noted, “A former client of the firm, Galioto said her job has an external and internal component. Based on client feedback, Galioto organizes training for lawyers on how best to address evolving needs in the marketplace, and works with partners, administrators, marketing directors and other members of the firm to organize training or information seminars for clients.” The article importantly pointed out that “Galioto stopped short of saying the firm's decision to hire her reflected a change in philosophy. ‘More like an emphasis on a philosophy of commitment the firm always had,’ she said. ‘The corporate culture was already there, but clients want to know that it's there. They want to see it. And we wanted the world to know that we're really committed, that we're making this an issue of real importance.’”
The article also addressed the close relationship between Gordon & Rees’s client service initiative and the firm’s marketing function. According to the article, “Mark Buckovich, Gordon & Rees's national marketing director, said Galioto, who practiced as a lawyer for more than 10 years before joining AIG, provided the ‘perfect’ combination of skills for the job. ‘You have a practicing lawyer who understands the business, and you have a former client who understands our firm,’ Buckovich said. ‘You can't get a more tightly wrapped package.’ The move has also helped the firm's marketing efforts, he said. ‘When a client requests a pitch [for services], we used to just say, ‘We have this many lawyers, this many offices, great results and lots of experience,’ he said. ‘Not anymore. Now clients want to know what our value is, what we can do to help their business. Lucy Ann helps us communicate that.’”
Please click here to read the entire article.
Lucy Ann Galioto, Esq.
National Director of Client Service
lgalioto@gordonrees.com
973-993-3141