Get the Right People in the Room, with Chris Grant of Goodwin
From re-thinking the billable hour with Effective Fee Arrangements to building trust through transparency, Chris Grant, Managing Director of Client Value at Goodwin shares how clients and law firms can work smarter—not harder. Discover why the right people, the right data, and the right conversations are key to driving change in the legal industry.
On the latest episode of the PERSUIT Podcast, host Jordan Weinstein sat down with Chris Grant, Managing Director of Client Value at Goodwin, to explore his unique journey across the legal industry and his mission to reshape the way law firms and clients work together.
Grant began his career in law firms but recognized the inefficiencies of billable hours. His move in-house, particularly within financial services, sharpened his focus on doing “more with less” and led him to champion legal operations and innovative approaches to outside counsel management. After years of pushing for change from the client side, Grant recently transitioned back into private practice—an unusual move he describes as becoming both “gamekeeper and poacher”—to drive transformation from within.
One central theme of the conversation was the evolution from Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) to what Grant calls Effective Fee Arrangements (EFAs). Unlike traditional billing models, EFAs emphasize collaboration, cost certainty, and continuous dialogue between firms and clients. While adoption remains uneven, Grant believes the industry is at a tipping point, with increasing openness from law firms and growing client demand for predictability.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of transparency and trust. Drawing on his experience at HSBC, Grant emphasized how sharing data and engaging in honest conversations can reset client-firm relationships and unlock innovation. For him, the true product isn’t just legal advice—it’s the relationship itself.
This candid exchange underscores a growing shift: rethinking how legal value is defined, measured, and delivered in today’s market.
