[SMULA] Professional Certificate in Legal Practice of the Future Module 6: Rapport Building and Customer Profiling (PCLPF)

Even though law firms are starting to adopt more technology in the practice of law, one thing that a computer is unable to replace nor replicate is the ability to connect with another human being. It is important for lawyers to continue to hone their skills in building rapport and trust with their clients whilst also learning how to read verbal and non-verbal cues.

This module will help participants determine their client's dominant mode of processing information. Participants will also learn to strategically create rapport through matching and mirroring the person they are talking to - valuable skills that will give them a distinct advantage throughout their career.

This module is part of the Professional Certificate in Legal Practice of the Future. It is also available on a standalone basis.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the 1-day module, participants will be able to:

• Develop better rapport building skills when interacting with clients
• Develop basic profiling skills to understand the concerns, hopes, and interests of prospects they are speaking to

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Senior Associates with 3-4 years of experience
• Junior Partners with 5 years’ experience and above
• Paralegals and HR Professionals in the legal services industry

PREREQUISITE

Participants should have at least 3 years experience in a legal services firm.

ASSESSMENT

As part of the requirement for SkillsFuture Singapore, there will be an assessment conducted at the end of every module. The mode of assessment, which is up to the trainer’s discretion, may be an online quiz, a presentation or based on classroom exercises.

Participants are required to attain a minimum of 75% attendance and pass the associated assessment in order to receive a digital Certificate of Completion issued by Singapore Management University.

Rodney Yap

Rodney is the Co-Founder and Director of Regall Private Limited and UserTip Private Limited, and represented Singapore in the New York finals at the inaugural 2018 Global Legal Hackathon. As Regall’s director, Rodney has taken on multiple legaltech development projects and consulting projects with solution providers, law firms, and government affiliated agencies. Regall is also the first Singapore based company to provide legal design services to the market. As UserTip’s director, Rodney oversees the development and implementation of technology that is specifically designed to smoothen out the process of digital adoption. The UserTip platform is the only digital adoption platform in Singapore enabling the building of in-application guidance for solutions without the use of code.

Rodney’s prior experience also includes helping with the implementation of a legal technology solution with many local law firms of varying sizes, ranging from sole proprietors to mid-large size firms. This experience lends well to identifying potential roadblocks or pitfalls in the legal operations of a firm that would impact the effectiveness of any digital transformation efforts by the firm. Being called to the Singapore Bar, Rodney is also able to understand the requirements for certain areas of laws and how the legal operations of the firm needs to cater for certain situations.

Rodney is also an adjunct faculty with the Yong Pung How School of Law, where he specialises in teaching Legal Design and Design Thinking to both undergraduate and professionals. Rodney is 1 of only 3 Singaporean members in the global Legal Design Alliance which links professionals and researchers in the Legal Design space.