Columbia partner John Kuppens moderated a panel at the Managing Partners and Law Firm Leaders Conference held by the Defense Research Institute (DRI) on Sept. 5. The panel facilitated a discussion of the questions below and offered strategies for working cooperatively and effectively to meet client needs.

• What are clients looking for when they retain outside counsel?
• What weight do they give to issues like expertise, trial experience, hourly rates, breadth and depth, technological capability, and other factors?
• Once retained, what tools do clients use to evaluate their outside counsel?
• What tools and resources are available to law firms to better serve clients?
• What is the best way to sustain a long-term relationship with a client?

John Kuppens has experience in consumer product risk prevention and regulatory counseling, product liability litigation, commercial litigation, and state procurement matters. He currently serves as Immediate Past President of the 22,000-member DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, the leading organization of defense attorneys and in-house counsel.