Male and female general counsel approach the purchase of legal services in different ways, research has shown.
A survey of more than 2,000 general counsel by legal market research provider Acritas suggests that the cultural barriers that often prevent women rising through the ranks in private practice may also hinder men’s ability to win more work from female general counsel.
For example, men were more influenced by “trustworthiness and reliability”, and “experience and track record”, while women preferred “understanding of my business” and “knowledge of how I work”. One female general counsel in a large technology company said of her preferred firm: “They understand the peculiarities of our very narrow market niche. So for instance I get more focused and practical advice from them and I have to do a lot less explaining and a lot less re-writing.”
Women valued effective, prompt communications more highly than men did, particularly “checking in” to make sure the work was going well.
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