1. Wolf Theiss' lawyer retreat, held in Loipersdorf, Austria, presented a unique platform for
practice development never before seen in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe
(CEE/SEE). The firm, with more than 300 lawyers comprised of 30 different nationalities
and speaking more than 25 languages in 12 offices throughout the region, is home not
only to arguably the top law firm in Austria, but also to the first generation of non-ex-pat
lawyers to practice law following the collapse of the Soviet Union; the average age being
34 years old.
HOW THE IDEA CAME ABOUT
Like most large law firms, Wolf Theiss
has made a point of bringing together the
firm’s entire cadre of lawyers every few
years for a weekend training session in
which the lawyers have the opportunity
to get to know one another on a firm-
wide basis and to engage in a variety of
group discussions. These sessions have
provided the training ground for the
development of practice-related skill sets
and other core competencies. However,
they have largely been hosted and
trained by firm lawyers on narrow areas
of technical expertise, together with
"outside" legal consultants that provide
their own "subjective" views on what
they believe clients really want and need.
This being the first firm-wide retreat
since the onset of the global financial
crisis, it was critical to create the type of
program that would take out the "guess
work" and cut straight to the core of how
clients actually buy legal services and
what they seek out from their legal
service providers when selecting counsel
for their high-value work. The decision
was therefore made to take the partners
and consultants out of the mix and to
bring in the "actual buyers" of law firm
legal products and services to
"objectively" teach these young lawyers
what it would take to not only become
the type of lawyer that was skilled
enough to legally advise top-level
multinationals on a local level, but more
importantly how to leverage both their
technical expertise and business acumen
to secure a spot on one of their small
panels of "regional preferred providers."
Lessons Learned From the
Wolf Theiss Lawyer Retreat
Nothing is impossible. By presenting a
unique opportunity to teach young lawyers
who had never before had the opportunity
to present to top decision-makers, let alone
advise them, the firm was able to secure
eight leading General Counsel to
participate at the retreat.
Times they are a changing. The
professional services environment has
gone through a transformation and
business development plays an ever-
increasing role in a firm's strategy. All
lawyers need to be cognizant of this fact.
Preparation is key. The firm was able to
keep 300+ lawyers and eight top legal
leaders actively engaged for three solid
days of business development training.
These types of programs can ignite a spark
and reenergize a firm's business
development efforts.
It cannot be all work and no play. In
addition to tremendous amounts of
guidance, the firm was able to foster an
atmosphere of camaraderie and fun.
Exiting the retreat, it was easy to witness
the excitement and enthusiasm on young
attorneys' faces who had experienced their
first real opportunity to prove themselves.
Buckle-up for an increased interest in
business development. Business
Development and Marketing Departments
should be prepared.

2. The program was the brainchild of the Firm's Chief Strategy Officer, Janis Nordstrom, a
top legal strategist, "innovation agent" and 25-year pioneer in international practice and
business development, who has served as a key architect in helping to build and unify
some of the largest and most profitable law firms in the world.
"I know from first-hand experience, that the best way to find out what it is you really need
to get a client mandate is to go directly to the source. That way, you can get clear-cut
advice on what it will take to succeed with a particular audience and narrow your focus on
exactly what they want. Over the years, I have learned so much from speaking and
interacting with General Counsel, that I felt strongly that this would be the type of
opportunity that would leave a lasting mark on a young attorney's career and I was very
pleased with the results."
THE PROGRAM
Over the course of three days, the firm put forth a "first-to-market" program designed to
unite the firm's highly diverse talent, with the goal of transforming these young country-
specific "technical" lawyers into more regional "trusted advisors" while embedding them
with eight of the world's leading General Counsel to learn directly from them, as the true
experts, how to pitch for high-level work and to be judged on their own merits as to
whether or not they could secure a spot on one of their coveted panels. A daunting task for
any young lawyer let alone a "first generation lawyer" from Central and Eastern Europe.
For unlike their western counterparts, these lawyers had never before been exposed to any
high-level business development training, or undertaken in-depth market research and
case study analysis in preparation for pitching to some of the most prominent General
Counsel in the world.
Such a wide-ranging program had several challenges and it required the firm's entire
business development department to put together the program in which they secured the
general counsel participation, helped in drafting case studies and panel questions,
assembled 300+ lawyers and kept everyone occupied for three days -- a process which
took over four months.
Two different case studies were prepared and the lawyers were broken up into eight
different groups with each group being represented by lawyers from different countries,
practice areas and seniority. The aim of the exercise was to create a roadmap of solutions
for a client’s multijurisdictional legal issues and to provide advice on how to achieve the
most successful business result. As the largest law firm operating in the region, this
exercise fit in well with their goal of breaking down silos, drawing upon diversity to
achieve a "one firm, one voice" culture with similar standards of excellence in all offices,
and a true understanding of client expectations from their outside legal advisors.
To facilitate this effort, the firm brought in eight General Counsel from world renowned
companies such as Siemens, EADS, Borealis, and members of the Association of
Corporate Counsel to work together with the lawyers. The General Counsel panel also
reflected the firm's diversity with representatives from Germany, Belgium, France, Russia,
Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States participating. In a region that has had no
formalized legal business development instruction before, this was a true "coup de gras"
to have the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with lawyers of this caliber.
During the first day's panel discussion, the General Counsel were forthcoming in their
commentary and eagerly engaged with the young attorneys on topics such as the

3. characteristics they seek out in lawyers and the firms they retain, what lawyers
consistently do to irritate Counsel, how firms have been able to favorably differentiate
themselves from the competition, and the trend in moving away from hourly billing, etc.
Following the panel discussion, each group was sequestered to take on the case studies,
with the luxury of working directly with one of the General Counsel inside the room. In an
era when diversity is demanded from corporate counsel, each group had to call upon their
cultural, regional and vocational expertise in order to successfully complete the exercise.
This was a true test of real diversity with lawyers from traditional "hot-spot" countries
such as Kosovo, Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia working together towards a common goal.
The results of each case study were then presented on the final day of the retreat to the
General Counsel, who then selected the legal team they would have hired and provided the
reasons why they had won and why the others had not. It was stipulated in advance that
partners were not allowed to play major roles in the pitch to the panel, only associates.
This allowed the associates to control the process.
In a region that traditionally has seen senior figures rule with a heavy hand this
requirement provided an exceptional opportunity for younger lawyers to engage directly
with in-house counsel and to take center stage.
As one of the General Counsel made clear:
"Your Wolf Theiss retreat was an unforgettable event for me. I envy Wolf Theiss for
having such a young and enthusiastic lawyer community which brings across the message
of unlimited energy and commitment to the client with the optimistic spirit of emerging
Eastern European countries."
The biggest ROI for the firm was not only the business they received as a direct result of
this exercise, but seeing what had been accomplished by these young lawyers. Priceless.
HOW OUR RETREAT OBJECTIVES HAVE BEEN MET
Since the retreat, it has become more and more apparent that the firm has succeeded in
reaching its initial goals. The firm has successfully built a rapport across both borders and
practices and now operate as fully integrated firm-wide industry groups that are specific to
client needs.
The Loipersdorf experience also has empowered their young lawyers and has given them
the confidence to become more actively engaged in client-facing settings. Working hand-
in-hand with General Counsel for three days taught them to address true-to-life client
needs and tackle legal issues looking through the eyes of the client which transformed
them into true "trusted advisors."
Looking back, the collapse of Lehman Brothers has put mounting pressures on law firm
economic viability and profitability. Fortune 250 companies have reduced spending by an
average of 14% on outside counsel and law firms are no longer able to keep pace with
historic profit margins. The traditional relationship between clients and outside counsel
has dramatically changed with General Counsel now facing increasing cost pressures, and
hoping to extract even greater value for each dollar spent on their firms.

4. And yet, this downturn appears to have actually brought clients and firms even closer
together as they have explored for ways to increase their performance and become even
more intertwined as mutually beneficial teams.
The Wolf Theiss lawyers retreat was a large investment in marketing and client service.
The firm wanted to put the client at the epicenter of its efforts and to further unite its 12
offices in that process and early evidence suggests that it has accomplished just that. Over
the past year, the firm has received numerous awards and recognitions for its efforts,
including The Lawyer's "Law Firm of the Year for Central and Eastern Europe," "Law
Firm of the Year for Eastern Europe and the Balkans," the Legal Marketing Association's
"Top award for Practice Development" on a global basis and has also been cited by
Chambers and Partners as a "Client Service Law Firm of the Year."
FUTURE PLANS
The Loipersdorf program was the first small step taken in the Wolf Theiss quest to
become a better firm on behalf of its clients. At the retreat, they preached client service,
unity and communication, and the necessity for becoming a true trusted legal and business
advisor.
The next step is to equip this army of lawyers with the tangible business tools that will
give credence to the lessons learned and the message that have been broadcast throughout
the firm.
According to Nordstrom, "What makes our firm special is that it has been built upon the
shoulders of entrepreneurial pioneers in the region who are willing to invest in what it
takes to make a great firm even greater. We firmly believe that better understanding of our
clients and continuing to educate our young lawyers will provide us with a life-long
journey in which we can help to stimulate and enhance young attorney careers. Our next
step in that process is already well underway. Presently, we are in the process of
implementing a firm-wide school that will ensure that all of our lawyers, from junior
associates through to our most senior partners, are constantly improving themselves in an
effort to better serve our clients and to not only meet their expectations, but to exceed
them wherever possible. Going forward, that will always be the litmus test upon which we
measure our success."
POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN DEVELOPING A NEW BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT RETREAT
DO's DON'Ts
Reach out to your client base and business
network and ask what they expect from
their outside counsel and then engage them
Have outside "talking heads" educating
your lawyers on what they think clients
might want
Make your program as interactive as
possible and solicit as many different
opinions as you possible can from diverse
sources to make your retreat a success
Have lawyers or outside consultants lecture
rather than engage

5. Give every participant a voice Use your office as a location for your
retreat, it is too easy to recede back to your
work and tune out the program
Draw upon all of your resources for input,
preparation, and execution
Have a monogamous program, schedule
regular break and different activities at
various intervals
Continuously check in with your senior
lawyers
Don’t forget to add the "social" element
Have fun! Business development training is
an exciting activity that should encourage
attorneys to want to get involved
Let the program be dominated by a small
group of individuals
Use the moment from your retreat to propel
your next business development venture
Exclude "the firm". Business development
involves all members of a firm, top to
bottom, not just the lawyers

6. Give every participant a voice Use your office as a location for your
retreat, it is too easy to recede back to your
work and tune out the program
Draw upon all of your resources for input,
preparation, and execution
Have a monogamous program, schedule
regular break and different activities at
various intervals
Continuously check in with your senior
lawyers
Don’t forget to add the "social" element
Have fun! Business development training is
an exciting activity that should encourage
attorneys to want to get involved
Let the program be dominated by a small
group of individuals
Use the moment from your retreat to propel
your next business development venture
Exclude "the firm". Business development
involves all members of a firm, top to
bottom, not just the lawyers