Lathrop GPM’s Business Development Team Wins LSSO Sales Team of the Year
Catalyst for Growth Biz Dev Training Program Recognized for Significant ROI
BOSTON (June 20, 2024) — Lathrop GPM LLP proudly announces that the Legal Sales and Service Organization (LSSO) has awarded the firm's Business Development team with the 2024 William J. Flannery Sales Team of the Year Award for its Catalyst for Growth attorney coaching program. LSSO bestows this distinction on legal marketing and sales teams that play a crucial role in acquiring new clients and growing business revenue. The team received the award on June 5, 2024, at LSSO's annual RainDance conference in Boston.
Lathrop GPM's business development team earned this honor for its impressive, multi-level, multi-office Catalyst for Growth (CFG) program that illustrates the best in business development for large law firms, particularly those with significant mergers, as well as their increased ROI. The inaugural 2023 CFG 12-attorney cohort team showed a significant increase in new business and new clients brought into the firm between 2022 and 2023. The program was led by GrowthPlay, one of the top legal business development coaching companies, in partnership with the firm's Business Development team.
"One of the consistent pieces of feedback we heard was that partners wanted more training on business development, team leadership, and the business of law," said Jasmine Trillos-Decarie, Lathrop GPM's Chief Client Officer. "We listened closely to this feedback and partnered with GrowthPlay to create and implement Catalyst for Growth."
GrowthPlay specializes in business development training, coaching, and consulting services that unlock growth potential for legal and professional services firms. In partnership with Lathrop GPM, the organization implemented CFG, an 18-month training program consisting of 1:1 coaching, group meetings, and in-person and virtual networking to help encourage integration across the cohort and strengthen opportunities for cross-discipline referrals.
The quarterly in-person training sessions take place during client events and in-person meetings where participants practice their networking skills in partnership with other cohort members with synergistic practices. To create accountable, measurable results, Lathrop GPM's business development team leverages their new CRM system to support the cohorts' business development pipeline tracking.
"By having CFG cohort-focused activities that brought together partners across practices and offices to share what they do and to discuss how to work together most effectively, we built a cohesive business development culture," said Trillos-Decarie. "Also being recognized this year by BTI Consulting Group as a top law firm for attorney business development enthusiasm is further proof that our program works."
A second cohort of 15 partners began their CFG experience in January 2024.
In addition to the award, the following includes participant feedback:
"I learned to narrow my focus on who to target for business development, allowing me to be more efficient and effective in my approach."
"I have completely changed my mind set and approach to business development and learned that building a legal practice the right way is something you need to work on every single day. My business generation credits increased 300% year over year."
"The program and coaching have helped me be more intentional and effective when connecting with people for business development purposes. The program helped enable my promotion to partner this year."
"The entire process was invigorating and allowed me to build new relationships – as well as deepen existing relationships – with colleagues within this group. And working with my GrowthPlay coach helped me to uncover new business development opportunities in the nonprofit and health law fields in central Minnesota. We are quickly becoming the go-to experts for many sophisticated nonprofit and health clients in greater Minnesota who look to us as the ‘local partner' while having a national bench and depth of expertise, which gives us a unique position in the legal market and has been key to growing several new client relationships."
"Building a successful law practice can seem overwhelming at times. But the program taught me a few things. First, while you can't always control the outcomes, you can control what you put into it. Second, by breaking things down into daily and manageable chunks, you realize anything is possible."
"I was able to refine my approach to business development so that it felt more natural for me. Plus, I learned some strategies around focusing on delegation to help me concentrate more on business development. I also started putting weekly self-planning meetings on my calendar – I've found that having dedicated time every week for business development planning helps the seeds I've planted grow."
About Legal Sales and Service Organization
Established in 2003, The Legal Sales and Service Organization, Inc. (LSSO) equips legal and business professionals with innovative thinking, strategic connections, and continuous professional development that enable them to thrive in a dynamic and competitive landscape.