The Value of Outside Counsel

Many of our clients value DStreet for our ability to view their businesses from an outside vantage point. So while we are often hired for our team’s in-depth understanding of a market and communications expertise in today’s ever-changing digital landscape, we are also equally valued for our outside counsel.

Case in point? My phone rang just days ago with an ex-colleague asking for advice on a positioning and messaging issue. She has more than 20 years experience in senior communications roles and has guided dozens of organizations through positioning and messaging. Now in an in-house role she felt an outside resource was needed. She was quick to report that serving in her in-house position had changed her ability to view the issues from an unbiased standpoint. And she knew we could help.

The value of outside counsel was also driven home as I rebranded my own company from Downing Street Communications to DStreet. Brand attributes and web copy are nothing new to me—nor to our team—but within a few weeks of initiating the project, we knew an outside consultant was a necessity. I cannot express how critical this outside consultant was to our success (or what difficult client I was). But as the materials and this site come together I know that I experienced what our clients often experience – the hiring of a partner who has experience that is equal to my own and the added bonus of coming to the assignment with fresh eyes, the ability to deliver new insights and the integrity to challenge some of my in-house thinking. Ultimately this outside counsel gave me the ability to truly challenge some long-held beliefs and assumptions – and to push well beyond what I would have achieved on my own.

What about you? Have you ever felt you possessed the needed skillset but needed outside counsel?