Client databases are often seen as a dull subject – complex to manage and just getting in the way of fee-earning. But databases are necessary for every legal services practice that wants a future. Recently, in my work with clients and in discussions with law firms’ management, I have kept coming across the same lack of enthusiasm for what is and will be the saviour of most law firms.

The starting point is not the IT and software your firm uses. It's the attitude of the fee-earners. Many firms have tried various combinations of matter closing and incentivised cross-selling schemes to capture vital client information. What's missing is the ability to monitor the participation of each fee-earner.

When fee-earners are aware that their actions are being tracked it has a remarkable effect on their efforts to get it right. It goes right to the heart of a solicitor’s work, looking after the best interests of the client. Not just for the matter at hand but for the client’s future as well.

All software systems [see the Gazette feature on using customer relationship management] and even paper-based records can be set up (usually quite easily) to allow a fee-earner to spend one minute at the end of a matter recording the contact details for a client and what that client may need next from legal services (including nothing). The same system can then collate that information and provide targeted promotional contact lists.

What it can also do is identify fee-earners who are not bothering to think about the client's future needs beyond the current matter.

As the commercial pressure on solicitors continues to rise, having a useful database becomes increasingly important, initially by having a measurable future value in potential profit from client records. In addition, a useful database provides a method of distinguishing between fee-earners beyond simply analysing immediate fee income. From partners to trainee solicitors, it can show who is thinking about the long-term requirements of the client, and therefore the firm – and those who are just turning the proverbial handle.

Forget the equity partners’ stake in the firm, WIP and the past few years’ profits. The legal services industry has changed and the value of any solicitors firm is in its database. It’s something worth getting excited about