Why Clients Expect You to Know Their World
By James J. Stapleton
In most business segments—whether local or global—clients think constantly about the big picture. They worry about market share, regulatory risk, pricing pressure, supply constraints, capital, and talent. They’re not buying abstract legal analysis; they’re buying help navigating their industry.
That’s why “industry expertise” has shifted from a nice-to-have to a basic expectation. Clients want counsel who already speak their language, understand their value chain, and can anticipate how legal issues will play out in their specific market.
Legal issues are industry-specific business issues
Too often, lawyers treat matters as if the legal classification is the whole story: “This is an IP question.” “This is a labor and employment issue.” “This is a regulatory problem.”
From the client’s vantage point, those are simply labels attached to business problems:
A “regulatory problem” is a market access issue.
An “IP issue” is a competitive advantage or valuation issue.
A “contract dispute” is a revenue, margin, or supply continuity issue.
Without a working understanding of the client’s industry—how money is made, where risk truly sits, what competitors are doing—lawyers can’t reliably connect their advice to the client’s strategy.
What real industry expertise looks like
Industry expertise is more than being able to name a few big players or read a trade publication. At a minimum, a trusted advisor in any industry should be able to demonstrate:
Thorough insight into the client’s organization How it’s structured, where decisions are made, and what levers matter most.
Comprehensive understanding of operations How products or services are created, sold, delivered, and supported.
Correct use of business and technical terminology Using the client’s vocabulary correctly builds trust and speeds comprehension.
Clear awareness of priorities Knowing what truly keeps the CEO, GC, and business unit leaders up at night.
Ownership of the legal agenda Proactively shaping—not just reacting to—the legal priorities that flow from the business plan.
Substantive knowledge of the business model and competitive position Who the real competitors are, what differentiates the client, and where margin is made or lost.
A grasp of how the company grows Understanding which capabilities and markets drive growth and which are defensive.
The ability to articulate the client’s value proposition In plain language: why customers choose them over alternatives.
When outside or in-house counsel achieve this level of fluency, something shifts. Conversations stop being, “Can we do this?” and become, “Given who we are, how we compete, and where we’re going, what should we do?”
How clients can help their lawyers get there
Clients aren’t powerless in this equation. Business owners and senior executives can accelerate their lawyers’ learning curve by:
Sharing an executive briefing on the company and industry (strategy, financial drivers, key risks).
Inviting key lawyers to attend internal strategy meetings, product reviews, or sales conferences.
Providing regular updates on competitive moves and market shifts, not just legal developments.
Making it clear that industry understanding is an expectation, not an optional extra.
The more context lawyers have, the better they can align legal recommendations with the client’s strategy and risk tolerance.
The endgame: confidence and alignment
Every lawyer should know how each of their key clients defines business success. Every enterprise, in turn, should be able to depend on both internal and external counsel to do more than interpret the law.
In the best relationships:
Lawyers help clients frame decisions in industry and business terms.
Legal strategies are fully aligned with competitive strategy and operational reality.
Clients feel genuine confidence that their advisors understand not just “the law,” but their world.
That level of trust doesn’t come from a single mandate. It’s built over time, from asking smarter questions, listening closely, learning the industry, and refusing to settle for generic advice.
If business acumen is the lens, industry expertise is the focus. Together, they turn legal counsel into something far more valuable: a true partner in the client’s success.
James J. Stapleton is the Managing Principal of Client Sciences and the creator of the Sector Leadership Index and the Client Performance Index. He challenges the way the legal market evaluates expertise, arguing that clients use industry sector expertise as a primary lens into their law firm selection.
After more than three decades building AmLaw 100 law firms and global professional services firms PwC and Arthur Andersen—and advising on over 7,500 law firm/client transitions—Mr. Stapleton now helps law firms communicate their industry credibility and aids clients in cutting through marketing claims to identify firms with genuine sector immersion.
Mr. Stapleton can be reached at 408-440-7660 or james.stapleton@clientsciences.com.
