Ballard Spahr’s Client Value and Innovation Team is keeping a close watch on the ways that the legal industry is dramatically changing and evolving. Ballard360 Insider is a way to bring insights and best practices to our clients, colleagues, and legal operations professionals as we navigate the legal world in the “new normal.”
About the Team
Ballard Spahr’s Client Value and Innovation Team is focused on making the connection between value and innovation so that we can provide a customized experience for each of our clients.
The team is led by Chief Client Value and Innovation Officer Melissa Prince and comprises more than 20 business professionals with a unique blend of skills and experience, which include lawyers, CPAs, and backgrounds in business management, finance, project management, computer sciences, and programming, solutions architecture and development, artificial intelligence, and database management.
The voice of the client drives everything we do. We regularly meet with our clients to find out what is important to them and what keeps them up at night. We spend as much time as we can understanding our clients’ businesses and what makes them tick. We then work to develop pricing, matter management, and technology solutions that meet their individual needs.
MELISSA C. PRINCE | princem@ballardspahr.com | 215.864.8140
Melissa is the firm’s Chief Client Value and Innovation Officer sits on the firm Management Committee and Expanded Board and oversees the firm’s Client Value and Innovation program, which includes professionals focused on delivering cost-effective, practical, and innovative solutions for clients.
Under Melissa’s leadership, the firm was named: Financial Times Most Innovative Law Firms Business of Law; BTI Consulting, innovation “Mover and Shaker”; and a finalist for the American Lawyer Industry Awards, best law firm/client team.
Before coming to Ballard Spahr, Melissa held similar roles at two Am Law 25 firms. She is an attorney who, before leaving private practice, managed complex commercial litigation matters. She is a Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified Legal Project Manager, ALPP and ALPM.
JIM BOYER | boyerj@ballardspahr.com
Jim is the Director of Matter Management & Efficiency and focuses on understanding the business needs of firm clients and creating practical and innovative pricing and legal project management strategies and solutions designed to meet those needs. His objective is to provide firm clients with exceptional service centered on value, cost-effectiveness, predictability, and efficiency.
Jim oversees the process by which the data in our business intake system gets integrated with our pricing and management systems. He also works with the team to design and implement systems, processes, and applications focused on matter management and budgeting while providing transparency and added value to clients and our lawyers to enhance their business relationships.
Before joining Ballard, Jim was a practicing attorney at an AmLaw 25 firm, serving both large and small clients. His practice focused on complex commercial litigation.
SARAH HAPPY | happys@ballardspahr.com
Sarah is the Director of Knowledge Management and Competitive Intelligence.
DAN POPE | popedr@ballardspahr.com
Dan is the Director of Strategic Pricing & Profitability and oversees a team of pricing professionals that focus on using state-of-the-art tools and technology to gather and analyze information and evaluate the variables that drive cost. The team partners with firm clients to develop accurate cost-projections, customize pricing and value-based fee arrangements, establish goals and expectations, and identify preferences for cost efficiency, predictability, transparency, and value. Dan also leads an ongoing initiative to review the firm’s top clients to ensure firm profitability benchmarks are met. The program focuses on current arrangements, staffing, and the overall economic health of the engagements.
JOE HARRIS | harrisjc@ballardspahr.com
Joe is the firm’s Strategic Pricing Manager. In this role, Joe works with the firm’s lawyers to model pricing arrangements that provide value to the firm and our clients. With a background in Financial Planning and Analysis and a strong understanding of the firm’s business operations, Joe is responsible for the day-to-day pricing operations of the firm.
JARED GOLDSTEIN | goldsteinjp@ballardspahr.com
Jared is a Business Analyst on the team. In this role, Jared works with the firm’s lawyers to model pricing arrangements that provide value to the firm and our clients. Jared oversees the part of the RFP process that relates to pricing and client value and is responsible for the day-to-day pricing operations of the firm.
EMILIA LEVISAY | levisaye@ballardspahr.com
Emilia is a Manager of Client Value and Innovation on the team. Emilia has finance and technology experience which our clients and attorneys see as tremendously valuable in her role. She is focused on understanding the business needs of firm clients and developing practical and innovative pricing and legal project management strategies and solutions designed to meet those needs.
LISA MAYO | mayo@ballardspahr.com
Lisa is the Director of Data Management. She is a lifelong, adaptive learner and ITIL Foundations certified executive with over 25 years of law firm management experience. Lisa’s current focus is on data analytics, business intelligence, and promoting the use of design thinking methodologies.
STEVE MAGNUSON | magnusons@ballardspahr.com
Steve is the Business Intelligence Manager and is responsible for the creation and support of business intelligence dashboards and artificial intelligence initiatives. Steve’s experience includes the successful implementation of several data projects utilizing Qlik, Power BI, and various AI tools.
MICHAEL EIDLIN | eidlinm@ballardspahr.com
Michael is a Legal Solutions Developer on the team. Michael is a lawyer and a technologist and his combined legal and technology experience is tremendously valuable to the firm’s clients and lawyers. He is focused on understanding the business needs of firm clients and developing practical and innovative strategies and technology applications designed to meet those needs.