Thomson Reuters Elite (TRE) promised to put the client more at the heart of its business during its latest worldwide user conference and it has begun to make good on that promise with the creation of a new advisory board comprised of senior leaders from across its global client base.
Inaugural members of the board, drawn from the Elite global base of large law firm clients with more than 135 lawyers, include Robert Burger, executive director and chief operating officer of Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox; Doug Doerfler, chief financial officer of Stinson Leonard Street; Christy Gant, director of finance at Carlton Fields Jorden Burt; Rodney Miller, director of business information governance at Alston & Bird; Stuart Whittle, partner and information systems and operations director at Weightmans; Sue Wilder, associate director of finance at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton; and Mike Williams, director of information services at Robins Kaplan.
The board will meet in person twice a year and serve an initial two-year term, with the aim of providing in-depth insight into a number of strategic issues, including the development of products and services, feedback on customer priorities moving forward, and the overall experience of working with Elite.
In an announcement published in the US on 13 November, Elite’s vice president of customer advocacy Patrick Hurley said: “Our commitment to customer advocacy allows us to focus clearly on what is best for our customer, and our new Client Advisory Board is very much part of that focus.
“User group and customer feedback is of paramount importance as we seek to not only improve our range of products and solutions, but also create a more seamless customer experience.”
Eric Ruud, managing director of Legal Enterprise Solutions at Thomson Reuters added: “By taking strategic input directly from our customers, we can ensure that our range of market-leading products and services continues to improve and adds even greater value to our clients’ businesses.”
The move, which has echoes of the in-house consultation board put together by Thomson Reuters in January, has been welcomed by the new board members themselves, with Wilder commenting: “They are giving us the opportunity to have input in the direction they intend to take their product offerings as well as to hear about the challenges faced by law firms today. It shows that they are invested in partnering with law firms to successfully deliver quality solutions for our internal and external clients.”
The board:
Robert Burger, executive director and chief operating officer, Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox
Doug Doerfler, chief financial officer, Stinson Leonard Street
Christy Gant, director of finance, Carlton Fields Jorden Burt
Rodney Miller, director of business information governance, Alston & Bird
Stuart Whittle, Partner, IS and Operations Director, Weightmans LLP
Sue Wilder, associate director of finance, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Mike Williams, director of information services, Robins Kaplan
