A recent article by The American Lawyer outlines the Legalweek panel "Developing Client-Facing Solutions that Highlight Your Firm’s Expertise," where professionals from Paul Hastings, Husch Blackwell, Redgrave LLP, and others discussed whether firms should buy or build and what are the cultural costs if legal tech teams also develop client relationships.  The article highlights Redgrave LLP's Martin Tully's comments related to client relationships and how to manage sensitivities around these issues.  An excerpt is below, and the full article can be read here. 

The American Lawyer writes:

Panelists also raised control over client relationships. While law firms have been running more like corporations for decades now, law firm partners still hold most of the cards, especially if that partner “owns” a relationship with a client.

Taking some of that capital away — as in having business teams do analysis and work with the client on non-legal, business issues — could rub some partners the wrong way and trigger some fear that they are losing the relationship.

“If you are going to have issues where the relationship is threatened, then you shouldn’t do it,” said Martin Tully, partner at Redgrave. “If a firm wants to do that, they need to be all in as a firm.”