Using success measures most business leaders can agree are critical – retention and revenue – Eversheds Sutherland may have found the key to silencing any lingering doubts about the value of client sales and service teams in the legal industry.
The firm’s Global Business Development and Marketing Officer Erin Meszaros and US Director of Clients Christina Buensuceso also agree on why: their team makes opportunities happen.
“We are very client-centric and highly collaborative,” said Meszaros.
“And when we say ‘client,’ we mean internal stakeholders as well as external,” said Buensuceso.
After a successful multi-year pilot, the firm doubled down in 2024 to launch Global 25 (G25), a transformative key client program aimed at expanding and deepening its relationships with a strategic group of 25 global clients. Client Service Teams comprised of business professionals and attorney partners – spanning all practice areas and jurisdictions – implement the program through highly efficient processes, which include methods for client development planning, client reporting, and capturing ongoing client feedback. By year’s end, the program had exceeded expectations: profitability increased 82% compared to prior year; revenue increased 18% compared to prior year; 74% win rate on related RFPs; 100% success rate for global panel renewals; all G25 clients retained the firm for matters in more than one jurisdiction; all G25 clients retained the firm for work in at least four practice group areas; and nine clients retained the firm in 10 or more practice group areas.
G25, said Buensuceso, was born in direct response to clients asking for a more coordinated, seamless approach to how the firm’s services are pitched and delivered.
“These clients now feel like the whole firm is behind them,” she said, “because our business professionals are practice agnostic. We aren’t looking to sell them more services. We are looking to serve. We are asking: ‘How can we help you succeed?’”
G25’s results led to the firm’s recent win of the William J. Flannery Sales Award: Sales Team of the Year from the Legal Sales and Service Organization (LSSO), the premier professional organization for legal sales and service professionals. This award goes to a team that played a crucial role in acquiring and/or growing clients.
Meszaros said the award was affirmation that the firm’s business professionals know exactly what needs to be done. “Winning and having the attorneys know we won recognized not just our strategic efforts in client development but proved the culture of collaboration and innovation we’ve built really drives success. It’s also a celebration of the trust that clients are placing in us.”
In fact, she said many of the G25 general counsels will often call their designated business professional first to talk through questions, opportunities, and challenges, which saves time and energy – and money – through a better understanding of the right attorney at the firm to support them.
As for what’s next, Meszaros said the team has attorneys knocking on their inboxes asking how to get their clients included in the next iteration of the program.
“We really are very careful and strategic about which clients and attorneys are part of the program,” said Meszaros. “But a culture that delivers exceptional client service is everybody's responsibility.” To underpin that ideology, she said the firm is embarking on two new professional development initiatives: an internal track that will span from the mailroom to the boardroom and an external track that will engage clients.
Buensuceso added, “We're also excited to figure out what AI looks like for us in client relationship building. So much of relationship building – whether it's with clients or your next-door neighbor – is an intuitive process. So where does AI come into that?”
When asked what advice they have for industry peers aspiring to G25 success, they recommend embracing the journey.
“For client development, we tend to put it around metrics,” said Meszaros. “But I would advise that you really have to understand the mindset and the change management that you are trying to accomplish. You have to build a team that listens deeply, adapts quickly, and aligns with the client’s business goals.”
“I would build on that to say it needs to be seen as an investment,” said Buensuceso. “It still feels novel to have business professionals paired with partners to serve clients. You have to expect some bumps. But if a partner hears that a client is asking for something or that the strategy being suggested is in direct response to something the client needs, it’s harder to say ‘no’ to that.”
Being able to lean into an industry resource like LSSO for peer learning, best practices, and credibility has provided an added professional and competitive edge.
“For those of us working with clients – specifically on business development and less so on marketing campaigns – LSSO is such a service,” said Buensuceso. “It’s a place focused on support for all of us doing this kind of work.”
“And I love that through LSSO’s recognition we have the opportunity from a law firm perspective to show that our sales teams are on par with corporate America,” said Meszaros.
Eversheds Sutherland has +3,000 lawyers and +6,000 people, operating +70 offices in +30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. Members of the firm identified for LSSO’s William J. Flannery Sales Award: Sales Team of the Year included Erin Meszaros, Global Business Development and Marketing Officer; Dominic Ayres, Key Clients Lead, International Operations; Christina Buensuceso, US Director of Clients; Ian Cohn, Director of Clients, International Operations; Yvonne Bena, Business Development Manager; David Brankley, Project Manager, International Operations; James Britton, Senior Manager, International Operations; Sara de Cerf, Business Development Manager; Patrick Dubus, Associate Director of Practice Group Management; Joanne Elgart, Client Relationship Director; Franziska Gruenberger, Client Development Manager, International Operations; Megan Gutman, Business Development Manager; Morgan Horvitz, Associate Director of Business Development; Christina Kobeski, Business Development Manager; Suzie Matthews, Client Development Manager, International Operations; Rhys Morgan, Senior Client Development Manager, International Operations; Alexa Simitzi, Business Development Coordinator; Genna Stainforth, Senior Client Development Manager, International Operations; Jasmine Welch Moore, Business Development Manager; and Francesca Wright, Senior Client Development Manager, International Operations.