About Susan
Susan Saltonstall Duncan, Founder and President of RainMaking Oasis, has provided management consulting and coaching services for over 40 years to law firms, other professional service entities, associations and individual professionals. She is an expert in helping clients build long-term, deep and loyal relationships with their clients and customers. Through coaching with partners and advice to leaders, management teams, and client service professionals, Susan develops strategies for individuals and teams to better understand and serve the needs of clients, to grow their business and to stay competitive in their marketplace.
Susan is a thought-leader and has published a book entitled Building Enduring Client Loyalty: A Guide for Lawyers and Their Firms, numerous book chapters, articles and blog posts on culture, innovation, leadership, business growth, practice development, succession planning, success strategies for women, and client relationship and development.
Susan currently works selectively with firms, partners and business leaders to:
- Conduct service feedback and needs assessment interviews with clients’ clients and customers
- Design client service and loyalty programs
- Provide business development and leadership coaching to partners and leaders
- Advise on practice and business development growth strategies
- Consult on firm values, vision and culture
Susan has been an innovator in the legal profession having served as one of the first in-house professional development directors in the country in 1982, one of the first law firm marketing directors in 1984, one of the first Chief Strategy Officers and is a founding member of the Legal Marketing Association. In 2002, she launched a SAS software version of her personal business development and coaching system called RainMinder® – “Mind your business, grow it every day.”
Prior to forming her first consulting business in 1987, Susan worked in two national law firms where she assisted in organizing efforts in client and practice development, communications and public relations, governance and planning, attorney recruitment, performance evaluation and training and paralegal management. From 2011 to 2012, Susan went back in-house and served as Global Chief Strategy and Development Officer of a 1,250 lawyer firm with 37 offices in 17 countries.
Susan was inducted as a Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management (COLPM) and into the Legal Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. Her articles have been published in numerous national publications and for eight years she was the author of “Rainmaking” and “Fresh Out”, two quarterly columns for the ABA’s Law Practice magazine. Susan has presented to numerous organizations including the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), Ark Group, NALP-PDI, the Legal Sales and Service Organization (LSSO), the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), the American Bar Association (ABA), the College of Law Practice Management, state bar associations, the Society for CPAs, the American Marketing Association (AMA), the Practicing Law Institute (PLI) and the Institute for CLE.
Susan received her bachelor’s degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College in Connecticut and completed graduate courses at Harvard University and New York University.