• All legal services firms recognise the challenges in understanding the drivers of client value and how to fulfil on it. • Given the changing dynamics in the Australia legal industry we wanted to understand the impacts these changes were having on client perceptions of value. • We conducted a series of 42 interviews with legal professionals in a variety of roles – in-house (medium to multi-national, government – state and federal) and firms (mid and top tier) – including General Counsel, Managing Partners and Practise Group Heads, senior government solicitors and BDMs. The model was again validated through a further 7 discussions with clients and firms. Key Findings: • Clients said over and over, that by and large the firms don’t appear to understand their needs well • Interestingly, the firms agreed • On the whole, clients and firms alike felt that solicitors were not great at this aspect of practise. • As we got into it, it was clear that most firms saw the problem and could identify a range of causes. What they didn’t have was an insight into how to address it or how it all works together. • There are a number of surveys of available to firms that rank them against a set of criteria, eg; value for money and responsiveness etc. These rankings tend to mislead firms and increase the frustration of clients as off-target attempts to improve value are made. What they need is a framework they could use for value building. Using client needs modelling through psychological analysis we found: • Legal services needs are driven by 6 key motivations o Determining the (indeterminable) future o Providing a safe haven o Bending the rules in one’s favour o Abiding by and reinforcing rules & rituals o Dealing with and creating complexity, and o The dream of omnipotence (we called it the Gina Rinehart complex) • Within these 6 core motivations we found 24 specific client needs • These needs are by far not as logical and straight as they are made out to be (for example, ‘playing with the rules’ or ‘over-ruling’ are needs that have little to do with rational thinking) • Many needs are misinterpreted and not fulfilled, providing rich pickings for those firms that start to look into them

1. Legal Minds!
Analyse and map client
needs & motivations for
legal services.
HuNeeds®
June 2013
This publication and all its content are copyright mext 2012. HuNeeds is copyright and trademark of mext/ifm. The content of this publication may not be copied or stored or duplicated in any media without express permission of
the copyright owner.. www.mextconsulting.com www.hutrust.com

2. Background
mext is a customer and
consumer engagement
consultancy that helps you
create greater customer
value.
With strong international
experience, rigorous
processes and world best
tools we work with many of
the foremost organisations
to significantly improve their
performance.
2
Methodology
Legal Services
HuNeeds®
Conten
t 3/15
16/29
30/43
What to
do?
44/46
Industry Dynamics

3. The legal services sector is
in a state of fundamental
structural change.
3
Industry Dynamics

4. Global © onsolidation goes
in hand with local shifts.
4
Industry Dynamics

5. Offshoring will continue to
change value generation in
the industry.
5
Industry Dynamics

6. Industry Dynamics
Client in-housing provides
opportunity and competition
at the same time.
6

7. Industry Dynamics
The decision making and
purchasing dynamics have
changed considerably and will
change more in the coming
.
7

8. Industry Dynamics
Other professions including
counsel become competitors.
8

9. Industry Dynamics
The role of personal partner
brand is being challenged and
firms are facing the need to
build, relevant and
differentiated organisational
brand propositions.
9

10. Industry Dynamics
The traditional tier system
fragments into multiple
segments.
10

11. Industry Dynamics
This leads to more and more
margin and pricing pressures.
11

12. Industry Dynamics
12
Opportunity for firms lies in
finding new and better ways to
create client value.
New and better client
experiences.

13. Industry Dynamics
All firms we talked to consider
better understanding and
delivery on client needs a key
priority and growth driver.
13

14. Industry Dynamics
The clients we talked to said the
firms they worked with the most
understood their needs the best.
They knew what was valuable and
how to create valuable experiences..
14

15. Industry Dynamics
But, both sides found it hard to
define and pinpoint which client
needs build better value.
15

16. We decided to
change this!
16
The Methodology
Keep your Coins,
I WANT
CHANGE!

17. Having de eloped client needs
models for the last 12 years in
over 60 categories from Air
Travel to Yogurt and Australia to
Qatar and having worked with
leading legal firms we
researched legal services needs.
17
The Methodology

18. 18
The Methodology
95% of our mind's workings are
unconscious. That's why clients
and firms can't simply articulate
their needs.
That's also why surveys and
rankings of client needs can be
misleading and
counterproductive.

19. The Methodology
19
To understand the underlying
needs that really motivate
clients we use the world’s
most modern psychology to
look 'under their bonnet'.

20. The Methodology
We use a proprietary tool
called HuNeeds® (Human
Needs).
mext applies this tool
globally and licenses it to
partners in key locations.
20

21. HuNeeds®
allows for the
development of
a map of the
category as
seen in the
client’s mind.
21
The Methodology

22. And within that
map we can
identify the
specific needs
much like the hot
buttons of the
mind.
22
The Methodology

23. We can bring these to life for our
clients and identify which needs
need to be fulfilled in which way.
23
The Methodology

24. ...understand if
and how well
needs are being
fulfilled – and how
they could be
better fulfilled.
24
The Methodology

25. ...understand
what needs are
unfulfilled or
constitute a white
spot.
25
The Methodology

26. ...know how
products,
services and
brands are
positioned.
26
The Methodology

27. And know what
needs specific
clients have;
personally,
organisationally
and for specific
areas and tasks.
27
The Methodology

28. Thus providing firms with an intuitive and structured
understanding of their clients’ needs, ways to better
fulfil them and create greater customer experiences
and value.
28
The Methodology

29. 29
To develop this unique HuNeeds® model we conducted
33 face to face interviews with senior client lawyers from
government and industry - SMEs to multinationals. We
also interviewed 16 partners and senior staff from mid
and top tier firms, and we added a couple of barristers
for good measure.
These interviews were analyzed using the morphological
psychology framework. The resulting HuNeeds® model was again
validated through a further 7 discussions with clients and firms.
The Methodology

30. In legal services clients have 6 core
motivations.
30
Legal service
HuNeeds®

31. 31
Determine
and set the
future.
Psychologically this is the
drama of our lives:
Determining the
indeterminable.
Rules & regulations are
used as tools to determine
the course of the future and
trying to gain influence on
the way the future
transforms and unfolds.
Legal service
HuNeeds®

32. 32
The dream of
omnipotence.
The desire to have the power and
ability to make the rules instead of
living by the rules. This need
comes with a sense that the rules
do not apply to oneself.
Legal service
HuNeeds®

33. Safe haven &
protection.
The need to be able to hand over
leadership and responsibility (to a
higher authority) gaining protection
and a safe haven from events around
them.
333
Legal service
HuNeeds®

34. 34
Abide by and
reinforce the
rules.
Seeking structural stability in
rules and rituals. On the one
hand to ensure mental and
organisational operation without
hick ups. On the other reinforcing
the rules and rituals to affirm
one’s own actions and position in
the structure.
Legal service
HuNeeds®

35. Dealing with
and thriving on
complexity.
The ability and desire to cope
with complexity and manage it for
specific outcomes.
Creating additional complexities
to test the limits and engineer
something new.
35
Legal service
HuNeeds®

36. Bending the
rules.
Considering rules malleable
and open to interpretation.
The drive to bend and skew
the rules, rituals and process
in one’s own favour.
36
Legal service
HuNeeds®

37. These 6 core needs form the corner
points of the legal services map.
37
Protective safe
haven
Determine the future
Fix the future
Bending the rules
for me
Dream of omnipotence
& making the rules
Adhering to & relying
on the rules
Dealing with Complexity &
intellectual prowess
Legal service
HuNeeds®

38. They form 3 complementary pairs that form the whole of the
legal services landscape. It is within these pairs that clients
unconsciously weigh up what they want and need.
38
Protective safe
haven
Determine the future
Fix the future
Bending the rules
for me
Dream of omnipotence
& making the rules
Adhering to & relying
on the rules
Dealing with Complexity &
intellectual prowess
Legal service
HuNeeds®

39. Four clear quadrants emerge.
Legal service
HuNeeds®

40. Within this legal services mind map we identified 29
specific needs that differentiate in what clients want and
how well it is fulfilled – or not.
Many needs identified are far from rational or straight.
40
Legal service
HuNeeds®

41. Example: Playing the rules
41
Description:
Not purposefully or in an aggressive manner,
but enjoying the intellectual challenge of
juggling rules and turning them on their head.
It requires very good knowledge of the rules
and of associated areas that allow for
interpretation and application of different
thoughts, examples precedents and the
system.
Fulfilment:
Veering off, playing with ‘what ifs’ and
opportunities to bend and twist the rules
and processes of the system.
Eloquent and finely chosen language,
ambiguity and layering of arguments.
Understanding and viewing the system
as a malleable process.
‘One of my firms is great. They always come up
with a slightly different thought and look how we
use the rules and systems to our advantage.’
Thinking and advising linearly without
some left of centre or surprising thought.
Talking about risk management all the
time.
Providing vague and indecisive advice.
“They are so straight and all about risk
management.”
‘It’s all a matter of
interpretation and
checking what else
could apply. That’s
the fun in law. It
seems to be set, but
everything is open to
interpretation.’
Legal service
HuNeeds®

42. Every detailed
needs description is
accompanied with
new ideas for
inspiration and to
make the application
tangible.HuNeeds
is as
practical
as it
gets.
HuNeeds comes
with step by step
descriptions and
worksheets on how
to use the needs in
day to day work.
Opportunities for:
• Specific clients
•The practice group
•The firm
Legal service
HuNeeds®

43. We found that many needs are not well fulfilled. Many needs and motivations are
continuously misjudged and firms drive clients either mad or to avoid them.
43
“I often act as a post box for my peers. They don’t want
to deal with the firms because they know that they get
the hard sell, everything gets overly complicated and a
hassle with a big bill attached.”
In-house Counsel
Legal service
HuNeeds®

44. 44
We identified:
•areas of opportunity and threat outside the current legal services
landscape.
•areas of need currently not fulfilled by legal services, but desired by clients.
•areas that, may be addressed by law firms as well as their competitors.
creativity
lead
connect
holistic solutions
Legal service
HuNeeds®

45. Now over to you!
How you can use the Legal Services
HuNeeds® Model?
What for?
HuNeeds® provides a structured foundation for all your
customer oriented activities including:
•Service & product value creation and innovation
•Service refinement
•New business development optimisation, including
tenders
•Client segmentation
•Brand and product positioning and value proposition
development
•Communication and engagement strategy

46. 46
How
to…
I would like to
know more
about client
needs in legal
services and get
our people to
have a better
understanding.
I want to have a
clear and
appealing
firm/practice
positioning to
improve our
performance.
I want (my
team) to know
how to better
understand our
clients’ needs
and be able to
deliver on them
– intuitively and
self directed.
I want our
people to have
a better
foundation in
understanding
and delivering
on client’s
needs.
I want to
increase my
revenue from
existing clients
or increase my
business
development
success.
I want to
integrate an
understanding
of client needs
into our practice
development.
Leadership
Practice
Heads
Partners
Practice
Groups
Business
Dev.
Buy report (basis
for all offers)
Workshop/develop
Positioning
Workshop to
develop better
client HuNeeds
fulfillment
Present and train in
HuNeeds and usage
Specific BD or
client development
sessions
Buy the streamed
video presentation
and workshop
(coming soon)
How to apply HuNeeds® across the firm.

47. 47
How do I do it?
•Purchase the study
•Workshop with the key partners & BD
•Workshop with specific practice areas to embed
and guide daily action
•Train through programs & self learning tools.
Click here to download this presentation
Who do I contact?
The global key contact is Melissa Wraith, mext’s
services practice lead.
melissa.wraith@mextconsulting.com
+61 3 9428 5417
Melissa can help you with the purchase of the
study, discussing your needs and can hook you up
with the right HuNeeds® partners if you are in
Asia, North America or Europe.

48. Mext is an international, multi-disciplinary
consultancy group.
grow with vision, precision and certainty®
Duxton Consulting
Singapore
Email:
laurenz.koehler@duxton
consulting.com
Address: 26 Duxton Rd.
Singapore 089490
Phone: +65 6323 3340
Christina Eisenschmid
Email:
christina.eisenschmid@
psyma.com
Address:
Nymphenburger Str. 14
80335 Munich
Phone+49 (0)89 20209610
Australia:
Adam Thorpe
Email: athorp@huthwaite.com.au
Level 7, 120 Sussex Street, Sydney
NSW 2000
Singapore: Greg Moore
Email: gmoore@huthwaite.com.sg
111 Somerset Road #10-06
TripleOne Somerset 238164
USA: Stephanie Woods
Email: swoods@huthwaite.com
Headquarters 901 N. Glebe Road,
Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22203 USA
M
extConsulting
Australia
Stefan
Grafe,M
anaging
Partner
Em
ail:
stefan.grafe@
m
ext.com
.au
Address:165
Crem
orneSt.
Richmond
VIC
3122
Phone:+61
39428
5417
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