TRP 342: [Legal] What Would Private Equity Do? With Brad Blickstein

Most law firm leaders reject private equity on principle. But what if you could use the PE playbook to grow your firm — without taking a single dollar of outside money? Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist, founder of Blickstein Group, and author of What Would Private Equity Do? Unlocking Value in the Law Firm You Already Own. In this episode, Brad joins Scott Love to break down exactly what private equity would do to professionalize business development, pricing, and accountability at a law firm — and why every managing partner should be asking this question whether or not they ever plan to sell. What you'll learn: Why you don't need a PE fund to apply the PE playbook — and what that playbook actually looks like Why pricing is the lowest-hanging fruit at most firms (and why too many decisions are made by instinct) What "eminence marketing" is — and why it's not the same as pipeline management Why law firm business development is still largely episodic and partner-dependent — and how to systematize it The heresy that will make some partners hit pause: "Clients are firm assets, not partner-owned" Why the origination credit model is the #1 structural barrier to cross-selling — and what to do about it How PE-backed portfolio companies manage their sales pipeline — and what law firms can learn from it Why "sales" is a capability, not a dirty word — and how one mentor reframed it forever What AI-native spin-off firms and firms like Pearson Ferdinand signal about where the market is heading 3 action steps for law firm leaders ready to start thinking like a PE-backed firm Visit: https://therainmakingpodcast.com/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/_cYCbz0U1TU ---------------------------------------- If you are a successful law firm partner or law firm founder and want to hear about other options, please book a time on Scott Love's calendar here: https://calendly.com/scott-736/half-hour-phone-meeting-with-scott Or email Scott to connect with him at: scott@attorneysearchgroup.com ---------------------------------------- 🎙️ The Rainmaking Magazine helps lawyers, consultants, and professional service providers build thriving practices through smarter business development. 📖 Subscribe to Rainmaking Magazine — free complimentary subscription: https://www.rainmakingmagazine.com ---------------------------------------- This podcast is sponsored by SurePoint Legal Insights (formerly known as Leopard Solutions)–turning legal intelligence into opportunity. For a free demo, visit this link: https://surepoint.com/legal-insights/ ---------------------------------------- About Brad Blickstein: Brad Blickstein is a legal industry futurist – he has developed a national reputation for his insight into the changing ways that legal services are being consumed and delivered in the modern marketplace. As the founder and principal of Blickstein Group, Brad focuses on helping legal service providers better understand and serve their clients while providing information about law departments and legal operations. Brad also helps clients see the future – educating them on the industry's evolution of legal services and their consumption, and helps position them for success by developing novel products, systems and solutions, which make the delivery of legal services more modern and efficient. A highly respected legal industry strategist and futurist, Brad has been responsible for multiple initiatives that have created a deeper understanding of—and driven change in—the market for legal services. Before most corporations even had legal operations departments, he launched his Annual Law Department Operations Survey, which remains the most comprehensive survey on the topic. He also conceived the long-running Annual Legal Spend Survey, the Legal AI Efficacy Report, and in 2020, the Annual Legal Pricing & Project Management Survey. Brad is a frequent speaker and writer who has contributed regularly to Above the Law and Legaltech News. He is a fellow in the College of Law Practice Management. He received his A.B. from the University of Chicago. Links: https://blicksteingroup.com/team/brad-blickstein/ Order Brad’s book: https://blicksteingroup.com/wwped/ linkedin.com/in/bradblickstein Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices