For Law Firms

The firms that
win on PERSUIT
win on merit.value.strategy.

Partners & Attorneys
A client just sent you a Request on PERSUIT.
You want to know what this is, what your client expects, and how to respond well. Three minutes gets you there.
Read this first Pricing & Business Development
You want to win more work — and understand what actually drives selection.
What clients evaluate, how to structure winning responses, what AI means for your competitive position, and how to use PERSUIT data to your advantage.
Jump to the full guide
4,800+
Active firms on PERSUIT —
including 100% of AmLaw 100
48%
Of the time the lowest bid
wins — quality dominates
$22B+
In proposal data — benchmark
behind every rate conversation
79%
Of value awarded through
PERSUIT is under an AFA
For Partners & Attorneys
A client sent you a Request. Here's what that means, why they did it, and how to respond well — in about three minutes.
Firm Advantage

This isn't your client
replacing you.
It's them justifying you.

This is an industry movement — a decade in the making — toward value-based pricing and transparent legal engagement. Your most successful clients are already part of it. The firms that thrive are the ones that embrace it. Your client is under pressure. Their CFO wants cost predictability. Their GC needs a documented rationale for every firm selection. Their procurement team wants a structured process. PERSUIT is how they build all three at once.

The relationship isn't the thing being replaced — the absence of documentation around it is. The firms that win most consistently on PERSUIT are the ones their clients already trusted. Now they have data to prove why.

Your client chose to include you. Being invited to a Request on PERSUIT is a seat at the table. The alternative — your client awarding the matter to another firm without calling you — is exactly what PERSUIT is designed to replace. An invitation is the relationship working.
Quality wins. Not just price. Clients on PERSUIT evaluate team composition, approach, track record, and fee structure — not just the rate card. A strong qualitative response regularly beats a cheaper one. The firms that invest in their response win disproportionately.
This is your chance to make the case properly. A 30-minute relationship call can't convey what a structured response can. PERSUIT gives you a format to present your team, your approach, your track record, and your pricing — side by side, on equal footing, with nothing lost in translation.
Transparency cuts both ways. You see market benchmark rates. You see what comparable firms are pricing similar matters at. That's not just pressure — it's intelligence. Use it to price confidently and position your response against the actual competition.

How responding to a Request works.

Four steps. Most firms complete a first response in under two hours. The platform guides every step.

Receive the Request
Your client sends a structured Request via PERSUIT. You'll get an email with a secure link and a deadline. Log in — or create a free firm account in minutes.
Review the scope
The Request lays out the matter in detail — scope, timeline, evaluation criteria, and any qualitative questions. Read it carefully. The qualitative section is where most firms differentiate.
Build your response
Submit your team, your approach, your pricing, and your answers to qualitative questions. The platform guides the structure. You bring the substance.
Client reviews and selects
Your client evaluates responses side by side. If you're selected, you're notified on platform and confirm terms. If not, structured feedback is available to improve next time.

Ready to respond to your Request?

Access the platform, complete your firm profile, and submit before the deadline. PERSUIT's firm support team responds within one business day if you need help.

Access the Platform
For Pricing & Business Development
What clients actually evaluate, how to build responses that win, and what your competitive position looks like on PERSUIT.
What Wins

Price is a factor.
It's rarely the deciding one.

The firms that win consistently invest heavily in their qualitative response. Nearly half of all Requests on PERSUIT include a qualitative questionnaire — and clients say it's where the real differentiation happens. Here's what they're actually weighing.

01
Team Quality & Composition
Who is actually doing the work? Senior partner involvement, matter-relevant track record, team structure. Clients are evaluating whether the team proposed is the team that will show up. Specific names and experience win here. Practice group descriptions don't.
02
Approach & Matter Strategy
How will you handle this specific matter — not generically, but concretely? Clients can tell the difference between a templated response and one written for their problem. The firms that win describe a strategy. The ones that lose describe a capability.
03
Relevant Track Record
Comparable matters, comparable outcomes, named specifics where possible. Abstract claims of expertise are discounted heavily against firms that cite specific comparable engagements. One named matter beats three paragraphs of general practice description.
04
Fee Structure & Predictability
Clients increasingly prefer AFAs over open-ended hourly billing. A well-structured phased fixed fee signals that you understand the scope and are willing to own it — which is exactly the confidence clients are looking for. 79% of value awarded through PERSUIT is already under an AFA.
05
AI Capability & Efficiency
AI questions now appear in 1 in 5 Requests on PERSUIT — up 2.6x since 2022. Clients want to know how AI affects pricing, speed, and quality. Firms with a clear, honest answer win. Firms with vague innovation language lose to firms that don't bother.
06
Rate & Total Cost
Price matters. What it mainly does is disqualify — a rate egregiously out of market closes doors. A competitive rate opens the door. The rest of the response wins the matter. The lowest bid wins only 48% of the time.
The AI Question

AI is now a competitive differentiator. Most firms aren't treating it like one.

2.6x
growth
In AI-related questions appearing in PERSUIT Requests since 2022. Now in 1 in 5 Requests and climbing.

In 2022, less than 1% of Requests on PERSUIT included an AI question. By 2025, 1 in 5 includes one — and that number is still growing. Clients want to know how AI affects what they're paying, how fast work gets done, and what quality controls are in place.

Firms with a clear, honest answer have a meaningful advantage. Firms that respond with vague innovation language are being compared unfavourably to firms that say nothing — because at least saying nothing doesn't sound evasive.

What clients are actually asking
Which AI tools are you using on this matter type? How does that affect your fee structure? Are efficiency gains going to us, or to your margin? What's your quality control process for AI-generated work product?
What a winning answer looks like
Specific tools named. Honest description of how they reduce time on task. A clear pricing position: "AI reduces our drafting time by X, reflected in our fixed fee" beats "we leverage AI to enhance client value delivery" every single time.
The risk of saying nothing
Clients evaluating responses side by side notice which firms answered the AI question seriously. A non-answer now reads as "we don't have a position" or "we're not passing savings through." Neither is a winning position.
Response Quality

How to build a response that wins.

The difference between firms that win consistently on PERSUIT and those that don't is almost never price. It's response quality. These are the specific things that move decisions.

01
Name the team. Don't describe the department.

Clients don't want to read about your "deep bench of experienced litigators." They want to know who will be in the room, who will be on the calls, and who signs off. Name names. Include bios specific to this matter type, not copied from the website.

02
Write a strategy, not a capability statement.

"We have extensive experience in cross-border disputes" is not a strategy. "Here is how we would approach the first 90 days of this matter, and why" is a strategy. Clients can feel the difference in the first paragraph.

03
Cite specific comparable matters.

Industry, jurisdiction, outcome where possible. One specific comparable matter beats three paragraphs of general practice description every time. If confidentiality prevents naming the client, describe the matter type and outcome without it.

04
Show the logic behind your price.

A rate that comes with a clear explanation of what drives it is more persuasive than a lower rate that appears from nowhere. Show the scope assumptions behind your fee. If scope changes, the fee changes — and that conversation is easier when the original logic is on record.

05
Offer an AFA where the scope allows.

Phased fixed fees, capped fees, and outcome-linked structures all signal confidence in your estimate. AFA matters go over budget 4x less than hourly matters. Clients know this — and they often prefer certainty even when the total cost isn't the lowest option.

06
Treat qualitative questions as the main event.

Nearly half of all Requests include a qualitative questionnaire. These are the questions clients care most about. A templated answer to a specific question is worse than no answer. Read what they're actually asking and answer that — specifically.

Fee Structures

AFAs aren't a concession.
They're a competitive advantage.

79% of total value awarded through PERSUIT is under an Alternative Fee Arrangement. Clients are moving away from open-ended hourly billing not because they distrust firms — but because predictability is now a board-level requirement.

Firms that price confidently using AFAs have a structural advantage. They win more work, often at better margins, because they're competing on the terms clients actually value. And AFA matters go over budget 4x less — which means fewer uncomfortable conversations on both sides.

79%
Of value awarded through PERSUIT is under an AFA
4x
Less likely to go over budget vs. hourly matters
Phased Fixed Fee
The most common AFA on PERSUIT. Break the matter into phases with a fixed fee per phase. Gives clients predictability at each decision point and gives firms a natural mechanism to reprice if scope changes materially.
Capped Fee
An hourly engagement with a ceiling. Works well when scope is genuinely uncertain. Signals confidence in your estimate while protecting the client from open-ended exposure. Often the easiest AFA for clients to approve internally.
Blended Rate
A single rate across all timekeepers. Simplifies billing compliance and rate enforcement — which clients find easier to audit and approve. Particularly effective for ongoing panel matters where timekeeper composition varies.
Outcome / Contingency Linked
Rare but powerful for the right matters. Aligns firm incentives directly with client outcomes. Used selectively by firms willing to back their strategy with skin in the game — and valued highly by clients who see it offered.
Retainer / Subscription
A fixed monthly or annual fee for a defined scope. Common for panel relationships and ongoing advisory work. Simplifies forecasting for clients and provides revenue predictability for firms planning resourcing.
Your Data on Platform

PERSUIT gives firms
their own performance data.

The same data layer clients use to benchmark rates and evaluate performance is available to firms. Most BD teams don't fully use it. The ones that do win more.

Win rate by matter type & client segment
Where are you winning? Where are you losing and to whom? Pattern recognition across your response history tells BD teams exactly where to focus effort and what to improve in categories where you're underperforming relative to your win rate expectations.
Rate positioning vs. market benchmark
Are your rates competitive for the matter type and geography? PERSUIT's benchmarking data gives your pricing team real market rates — not relationship intel or conference gossip — to calibrate rates that are defensible without being unnecessarily conservative.
Client feedback & selection rationale
When you don't win, feedback is available. Was it price? Team? Approach? AFA structure? Structured feedback is more useful than the post-matter debrief most firms never actually get — and it's directly actionable for the next response.
4,800+
Active firms — including 100% of AmLaw 100 and Global 200
48%
Of the time the lowest bid wins — team quality and approach dominate
40,000+
responses published to date — across every matter type
150+
Enterprise legal teams — your most valuable clients, already here
For Pricing & BD Teams

Two products built for firms. Available now.

The same data layer that powers PERSUIT for legal departments — now available directly to law firm pricing and BD teams.

Price Benchmarking

Stop bidding in the dark.

40,000
+
Responses across hundreds of matter types — the only dataset featuring fixed and capped fees on the market.
Access granular benchmarking data down to phase and activity level. Price with confidence using real market data — not relationship intel or conference gossip. Leverage industry data in every pricing and budgeting exercise.
  • Fixed and capped fee benchmarks by matter type
  • Phase and activity-level pricing visibility
  • Rate benchmarks by geography and seniority
  • Data updated continuously from live platform activity
Subscribe to Price Benchmarking
Competitive Intelligence

Know where you stand and how to win.

$1B
+
In annual opportunities on PERSUIT — understand your share and where to grow.
A comprehensive, objective view of your firm's performance on PERSUIT. Winning new work isn't just about having the right price — it's about leveraging data to better compete. See exactly where you're winning, losing, and leaving money on the table.
  • Win rates by client sector and matter type
  • Wallet share breakdown across industries
  • Pricing comparison against peers — wins and losses
  • Actionable insights to sharpen your competitive position
Request a Demo
What To Do Next

Turn PERSUIT into
a BD advantage.

Most firms treat PERSUIT as an obligation — something they respond to when a client asks. The firms that treat it as an intelligence and positioning asset win more, and they know exactly why. Here's where to go.

Firm Resource
Response best practices & templates for Pricing teams
→
Platform Access
Firm dashboard — win rates, rate benchmarks, client feedback
→
How Clients Use the Data
Data & Intelligence — the $22B+ in proposals from the client side
→
The Full Picture
Why PERSUIT — what clients are trying to solve and why they chose it
→
Talk to the team

Want a deeper conversation about your firm's competitive position on PERSUIT?

PERSUIT works directly with Pricing and BD teams — on strategy, response positioning, and how to use platform data to sharpen your competitive approach. Not a pitch. A working conversation.

Get in Touch
Persi — For Law Firms

Better responses.
More wins.

Your clients are using Persi to run smarter procurement. The firms that respond well win more work. Persi helps your BD and pricing teams understand exactly what clients are asking for, benchmark your rates against comparable matters, and structure responses that compete on value — not just price.

Persi is available to law firms through PERSUIT — the platform 4,800+ firms already use.

See Persi in action →
Smart agent. Wise counsel.
Persi
Persi — Working with you
Create an RFP response for a product liability defense matter. Include Fox & Hound and suggest competitive pricing.
Response drafted Response created. Benchmark for comparable matters is $410K. I've positioned Fox & Hound at $385K — within benchmark and competitive. Included a litigation strategy section. Ready to review.
Part of PERSUIT