Competitive Intelligence: New Roles for Librarians

By Michael Feit | Best Practices

Apr 20

Competitive Intelligence (CI) in law firm marketing and business development has finally found its place.  If you were one of the early adopters, you know it was a tough sell convincing the marketing department that CI had a role in the RFP process. Or furthermore that CI was essential for a potential client pitch.

A lot has changed since the early years. CI has established itself as a go-to tool in supporting not only marketing but also the business of law. As a result, CI has opened up new roles for librarians to showcase their research and analytical skills. CI has presented new avenues for interdepartmental cooperation.

To fully embrace this component in your role as Librarian, you should consider the following:

  • Help your firm to identify and purchase the ancillary niche products offered by LEXIS, Thomson Reuters and other providers to support your firm’s CI initiative.
  • Offer your services to your recruiting department to assist in the vetting of lateral partners’ portfolios of business as they are considered as possible firm employees.
  • Get a seat at the table as a Competitive Intelligence specialist, helping your firm grow their bottom line and identify new business prospects.
  • Create and roll out an alerting service on top clients of the firm, giving attorneys touch points of information so they can pick up the phone to call their clients.

Librarians are naturals to fill this critical role and promote Competitive Intelligence within their law firms. If you are unsure of where to start or need assistance in creating a CI business plan to present to management, Feit Consulting can help. If you already have CI in place and need a GAP analysis to gauge the effectiveness of your role, Feit Consulting can partner with you on this initiative. Learn more about working with Feit here.

About the Author

Michael Feit earned his J.D. from the Loyola University School of Law in Chicago and was an executive at Westlaw before founding Feit Consulting 16 years ago. Feit Consulting partners with law firm administrators and legal information professionals to optimize vendor contracts and the management and delivery of legal information resources by providing leading-edge, customized solutions. Contact Michael at mike@feitconsulting.com