Lawyers Selling: Is it Malpractice?

torsos of bodies in business suits shaking hands, making deals

Frank Ready of Legaltech News continues his exploration of the legal tech sales landscape by exploring attorneys who have made the leap into sales in an article titled, “Would You Buy that Attorneys Can Sell Legal Tech?”

The article discusses whether attorneys are better situated and suited to sell technology to other lawyers, and contrasts hiring graduates fresh from college with attorneys who may understand the stresses and factors important to their legal brethren.

And then they unleash them and say, ‘Hey, call this 45-year-old partner who has been practicing for 20-years and just call them up and cold call them and act like you know everything they know and like you’ve got all the answers for them. And it just results in really just coming across very poorly.

Ethan Crooks, vice president of strategic growth at Veristar

On the other hand, attorneys are advocates, and sometimes that can come across like a deposition, or passionate argument rather than the persuasion and emotional quotient (EQ) necessary to move a group of multidisciplinary professionals to choose to purchase.

Mary Mack, CEO of EDRM, recounted an experience where another attorney went on a bit of a rant that if the potential client did not choose our solution, they would be “guilty of malpractice.” [The attorney was removed from the conference room, and the deal did close, after many, many apologies.]

Zach Warren had some thoughts in his daily newsletter:

But that’s also why I’m so fascinated at Frank Ready’s story from Monday, about how many attorneys are faring jumping into legal tech sales roles. It helps to have the subject matter expertise, of course. But like me, some don’t have the right touch. Mary Mack of EDRM, told Frank that sometimes when lawyers-turned-salespeople ask clients questions, it can come across “like a deposition.” She also told the story of a saleperson telling a client that passing on their tech would be equivalent to “malpractice,” which understandably didn’t end well.

Zach Warren, Editor in Chief, Legaltech News

Read the entire article here.

Author

  • Mary Mack

    Mary Mack is the CEO and Chief Legal Technologist for EDRM. Mary was the co-editor of the Thomson Reuters West Treatise, eDiscovery for Corporate Counsel for 10 years and the co-author of A Process of Illumination: the Practical Guide to Electronic Discovery. She holds the CISSP among her certifications.