Super Idea

Introduction: On November 3, 2018, Small and Medium-Sized Law Firm Development Forum sponsored by Shanxi Lawyer Association was held in Taiyuan, where LIU Guangchao, Director of Beijing Docvit Law Firm delivered the speech themed by “Decode the Mode of Docvit: We only do two things - & Ultimate Mission in the Management of Law Firms”.  In this speech, LIU Guangchao emphatically introduced that DOCVIT only does two things in the management of DOCVIT, namely, how to consider for the lawyers and how to consider for the clients. The editor summarized the speech of Director LIU Guangchao of Docvit Law Firm at the forum, and formed a series of articles Decode the Mode of Docvit, hoping to explore with peers. 

Talking about the value of lawyer services, I try to express it with “addition, subtraction, multiplication and division”. 

For the legal risks of customers, the value of lawyer services shall pay a role of “subtraction” and “division” and it is from “subtraction” to “division” to make lawyer services more valuable. 

For the legitimate interests of customers, the value of lawyer services shall pay a role of “addition” and “multiplication” and it is from “addition” to “multiplication” to make lawyer services more valuable. 

We will adopt four kinds of practice for a case (the case is purely for analog and no professional exploration is made here) to make an interpretation: 

[Case] The company A is a group-scale real estate development company, which establishes project companies in over thirty cities around the country. In October 2017, Beijing Project Company found Deputy Manager Wang colluded with the partner company, who paid large-amount consulting fees out of the normal standard to the company B by signing the Project Cooperation Agreement and other ways during the cooperation and development process of the project H and got considerable commissions from the company. After the company A’s headquarters received the report from Beijing Company, it prepared to take legal actions to handle such matter. Therefore, it consulted four lawyers about how to handle such matter. Such four lawyers separately gave their own suggestions below: 

Lawyer A: Suggest that Beijing Project Company of the company A sues the company B and require to judge that the Project Cooperation Agreement is invalid or require it to revoke/change the Project Cooperation Agreement and report to the public security organ that the Deputy Manager Wang constituted duty encroachment at the same time. 

Lawyer B: Suggest that Beijing Project Company further verify the evidences for collusion between Wang and the company B and take the above-mentioned suing and reporting means to maintain lawful rights and interests of the company A after taking corresponding protection measures for the cooperation project, so as to increase the possibility of directly suing Wang. In addition, suggest that Beijing Project Company make similar investigations for other projects in the charge of Wang and carry out the same investigation, clean-up and rectification for other project companies. 

Lawyer C: In addition to agreeing with Lawyer B on his suggestions, the lawyer also suggested that the company A’s headquarters carry systematic compliance and risk survey and evaluation for the company group A and its project companies and provide warning education and related trainings for all the senior executives of the group and project companies, comprehensively modify and improve corresponding systems and establish a risk pre-warning mechanism. 

Lawyer D: Based on the suggestions gave by Lawyer C, further suggested the company A take the following actions by laws: Firstly, comprehensively arrange and evaluate the corporate governance structure and invite legal experts, management experts and industry experts to make discussion together and then make adjustment and optimization arrangements; Secondly, comprehensively strengthen the construction of the Board of Supervisors and study how to endow the Board of Supervisors with clear rights and responsibilities; Thirdly, consider to establish the system for patrol inspection by the legal advisor, quarterly appoint the legal advisor and lawyer of the headquarters to each project company for once patrol inspection, so as to inspect legal concerns existing in project companies and give the rectification suggestions; Fourthly, convene a seminar for cooperative development mode of the project, where the lawyers are suggested to participate, to discuss a series of legal problems existing in the cooperative development and afterwards issue corresponding special legal proposal; Fifthly, start construction of the sample contract database of the company and establish different sample contract systems for the commonly-used contracts of the project companies; Sixthly, suggest the company A increase legal assessment and legal training for senior executives in the human resources management system and related works will be in the charge of the legal advisor; Seventhly, suggest the company A consider to prepare and design the stock ownership incentive system, in which the lawyer shall participate in whole design process. 

We can see that such four lawyers gave their own suggestions that the company needs to make continuous progress and improvements. From view of point of the effect, the program made by Lawyer A only achieves “subtraction” effect; the program made by Lawyer B achieves a certain “division” effect; the program made by Lawyer C adds some “addition” effects and the program made by Lawyer D achieve some “multiplication” effects, and more obvious “addition” and “division” effects. Can the program be more perfect? It can be certainly more perfect. Is it necessary? It shall be necessary. Specific details will depend on the pattern, wisdom and management style of the decision-maker of the company A. But anyway, the lawyer shall think about the problems and solve the problems like Lawyer D to the greatest extent. 

Along with such thought, we assume that customers have such awareness and ability to purchase, and such situation below will occur: The lawyers serve the same company or the same case or the same project or the same affair and provide different service guarantees and supports due to different service concepts and thoughts, so as to create different values for the customers. Of course, the lawyer charges are different. 

How to make the lawyer services more valuable? 

How are the lawyer services more valuable? 

Here, I try to put forward some suggestions, also some practices of Docvit for your reference: 

Firstly, develop the lawyer services towards the team services from the individual services. For example, it shall be determined that each service shall be provided with business managing partner and a team shall be established. And anyone shall not face the customers alone; A cooperation mechanism existed for the customers shall be established between the law firm partners and between the partner and the team; The brand team and elite team shall be established continuously. 

Secondly, develop the lawyer services towards the services before the event from the services after the event. For example, establish preventive service systems, such as, evaluation system for corporate legal risks, system for corporate legal examination and system for corporate legal training; Change the cooperation mode with the customers, adopt the way of dispatching, on-duty and conference attendance to change the situation of participation after the event; Establish a professional salon for customers and jointly establish legal service guarantee system, etc.. 

Thirdly, develop the lawyer services towards the nonstandard services from the standard services. For example, issue a targeted legal evaluation report for each customer; Participate in argument of business mode and design of the legal program of customers; Provide legal supports and customized services for management innovation, business innovation, mode innovation and technology innovation of customers; Develop exclusive sample contracts and legal management systems for customers. 

Fourthly, develop the lawyer services towards cross-boundary integrated services from pure legal services. For example, intersection of laws and project management, intersection of laws and human resources, intersection of laws and services of investment banks and intersection of laws and risk management; Combination of the law, finances and technology; Integration of the service, cooperation and investment. 

Fifthly, develop the lawyer services towards the initiative services from the passive services. For example, regular report system for services, legal risks warning system, legal suggestions pushing system, legal information provisions system, system for open classes of laws, system for exchange of new products of laws and customers return visit system. 

Sixthly, develop the lawyer services towards the indepth services from the surface services. For example, let lawyers participate in the decision-making meeting, let lawyers participate in certain project in whole process, let lawyers subcontract legal services and provide special arguments. 

Seventhly, develop the lawyer services towards the continuous services from the discontinuous services. For example, regularly convene the communication meeting, regularly pay a return visit, regularly visit senior executives of customers, regularly provide trainings, regularly send information, regularly carry out patrol inspection and regularly conduct legal evaluation or physical examination. 

Eighthly, develop the lawyer services towards combination of internal and external services from external services. For example, personnel appointment system, phased or temporary system for replacing internal legal affairs and taking over legal affairs, serve as an assistant and a consultant when necessary. 

Ninthly, develop the lawyer services towards combination of online and offline services from offline services. For example, develop the website, WeChat Official Account, APP and mini program targeted for the customers, take advantages of cloud computing, artificial intelligence and blockchain to enhance and change the lawyer services and develop various online products and tools suitable for the customers. 

Tenthly, develop the lawyer services towards combination of specialized and industrial services from specialized services. For example, industrial legal information, industrial legal health index, industrial compliance review and industrial disputes report. The industrial service is the concept advocated and practiced by Docvit. It is the greatest responsibility for the customers to continuously make lawyers become the professionals who understand the industry and the customers. 

Of course, such idea is a little idealized. But if such suggestions are put into practice, the lawyer services will be essential. And the lawyers are not only engaged in a lawsuit and changing contracts, but also understanding all aspects of the customers, even integrating with the customers. 

Let us make joint efforts. 

Finally, I will talk about one point that it is an important premise to make the services more valuable to gain real trust and dependency from the customers. For this purpose, we also need to do a special work, namely, respecting, understanding, supporting and containing the customers in addition to improving services and strengthening the security. We need to treat the customers just as the customers treat us we need. It is indeed easy to achieve it. There are three tips: 

Firstly, listen more. Listen to the inner voice of customers. 

Secondly, learn to accompany. Accompany the growth of customers. 

Thirdly, keep loyal. Loyal to the laws and to the customers as well. 

If we hold the line, the lawyers have broad prospects, so does the law firm.