Before undertaking any marketing, you should undertake a conflict search on your prospect. You will be advised if there is a conflict and if that client is already owned by a colleague. If the client is owned by a colleague, then you should discuss with them the approach you wish to make. That colleague in turn should tell you what rates that client is paying and what work the firm is doing for that client. The approach should be made in a mutually acceptable way, and you should work collaboratively with the Client Owner throughout the matter. Fees for new work must never be discussed without first understanding historic fees charged to the client and should be at levels acceptable to the relevant colleagues, bearing in mind client ownership.
We need to take this joined-up approach for many reasons. You will find you stand a better chance of winning the work if you have a warm introduction from the Client Owner, the client will receive a seamless service, the Client Owner will not be cut out of the client relationship and the firm will be spared the embarrassment of one colleague directly competing with another.
If you don't wish to make the approach through a colleague, then you should discuss the approach with the Director of Community and Engagement. There may be some circumstances where your making a direct approach is both fair and reasonable, for example (and non-exhaustively) where you have a prior and entirely separate relationship with the client, where Keystone is not known to the decision maker at the client you wish to approach or where you know that the decision maker is currently not enamoured with Keystone.
If an existing client approaches you for work, then the general rule applies; that is that the work offered will be owned by the Client Owner. This is because client ownership lasts as long as the Client Owner remains with the firm and because the most likely reason for that approach is the existing client relationship. However, if you believe that produces an unfair result, then you should discuss the approach with the Director of Community and Engagement. Where she is satisfied that the source of the new work is entirely independent from the existing client relationship and that you have acted fairly at all times, she will award you ownership of that matter.