Client satisfaction scores for the entire law department or for portions?

It’s not as useful to get clients’ opinions on the department’s performance considered in total as it is to understand clients’ opinions about different practice groups within the department (See my post of Aug. 28, 2005 on performance and importance.).

Without that specificity of ratings, such as for the IP group or North American widgets or litigation, none of the department’s senior lawyers, responsible for such groups, will fully accept accountability for the results. How do they know that generic criticisms lash them, or praise boosts them?

In some of my client satisfaction surveys, I have included a question along the lines of, “With which group of lawyers did you work most during the past year?” I then analyze the responses according to the groups identified. (See my post of Nov. 21, 2005 about two unusual client satisfaction questions.)