It has been years since the legal industry adopted the C-Suite framework–so common within its clients–for its business functions. It has been slow to invite the Pricing function into that club. The momentum shifted in 2018.

The Beginning: In 2010, Drinker Biddle created the legal profession’s first Chief Value Officer role. Although not truly a Chief Pricing Officer, the role incorporated the pricing function. Some firms will follow its lead, opting to use the “value” label in place of “pricing.”

The Milestone: In 2014, Greenberg Traurig promoted its Director of Revenue Management, Matthew Beekhuizen, to Chief Pricing Officer, becoming the first law firm to create the CPO position. Over the next four years, five law firms will hire a CPO.

The Inflection Point: In 2018, two law firms hired a Chief Pricing Officer and three law firms hire pricing-related Chiefs, the first time five C-suite leaders have been hired in the same year. Also, it is the first time two Chiefs have changed firms in the same year. And, it is the first time any law firm with less than 125 attorneys has hired a pricing professional.

YEAR	FIRM	TITLE	NAME
2010	Drinker Biddle	Chief Value Officer	Kristin Sudholz
2014	Greenberg Traurig	Chief Pricing Officer	Matthew Beekhuizer
2014	Akin Gump	Chief Practice Officer	Toby Brown
2015	Covington & Burling	Chief Strategic Pricing Officer	Hushman Cott, Esq.
2015	Steptoe & Johnson	Chief Strategic Pricing & LPM Officer, Chief Client Value Officer	Linda Novosel, Esq.
2015	Bryan Cave	Chief Practice Economics Officer	Chris Emerson
2016	Perkins Coie	Chief Practice Management Officer	Toby Brown*
2016	Simpson Thacher	Chief Pricing Officer	Eddie Raychaudhuri, Esq.
2016	Stinson Leonard Street	Chief Strategy & Pricing Officer	Doug Doerfler
2017	Robins Kaplan	Chief Strategy, Pricing & LPM Officer	Bree Johnson, Esq.
2018	Ballard Spahr	Chief Client Value Officer	Melissa Prince, Esq.
2018	Bergman Singerman	Chief Pricing & LPM Officer	Eddie Raychaudhuri, Esq.*
2018	Blank Rome	Chief Innovation & Value Officer	Linda Novosel, Esq.*
2018	Goulston & Storrs	Chief Value Officer	Christopher Ende, Esq.
2018	Pepper Hamilton	Chief Pricing Officer	Peter Secor
2018	Shearman & Sterling	Chief Knowledge & Client Value Officer	Meredith Williams-Range, Esq.

*Change in firm or title.