Posted In: Legal Process Improvement
Legal Project Management is Giving More
Most of us can appreciate the spirit of generosity that this season ushers in. That’s because many cultures, religions, and, well, just plain people love how good it feels to be generous with others.
For legal project management and its teams, there couldn’t be a better time to remember the values that are at the core of the discipline. Despite the polarization that exists all around us, at the end of the day, there remain several values that resonate with nearly everyone. These include, to name a few, respect, understanding, harmony and the sense of belonging. That’s just for starters.
So, let’s all look to the spirit of the season of generosity to move ahead into 2025 and beyond. It’s not so difficult to find common ground. As legal project managers, let’s vow to continue to focus on doing the things we do best. These all invoke the generosity of spirit and include the following:
Build loyal client relationships.
LPM facilitates tighter focus on what the client wants most. This includes generous communications and consistent performance. Clients not only want lawyers to be efficient and effective, they also demand to know what they are doing and when they plan to do it. LPM provides a structured and systematic approach that allows the project team to deliver on time with greater predictability. Further, LPM helps the team to spot and address risks before they occur and control costs with greater precision.
Provide value.
Value is something that is given generously by the best law firms. In most cases, the firm receives something in return, sometimes even more than the value given. Value is, of course, determined by the client. When the LPM team focuses on providing the efficiency and transparency that align with the specific needs of the client, the client perceives value. LPM helps teams leverage its limited resources, thereby optimizing time and resources allocated. This, in turn, makes legal expenses more reasonable, minimizes billing disputes and keeps clients from seeking alternatives. Value accrues in many other ways, too, for example through frequent communication of objectives, timelines and accomplishments. This lets clients know exactly how you are working on their behalf and manages their expectations appropriately. The client relationship thrives through generosity and the law firm gains, as well.
Create a supportive team culture.
It’s important that teams develop from within. This means promoting mentoring opportunities and sharing knowledge from the inside. That’s where generosity plays a role. It’s all about helping others achieve their goals and focusing less on personal pursuits, thereby boosting the overall accomplishments of the group. Of course, there are many other aspects to a supportive team culture. These include creating well-defined roles and fostering accountability, as well as regularly scheduled check-ins and meetings to ensure that everyone is on the same page and moving toward common goals.
Find proactive solutions.
LPM offers tools and strategies that help lawyers and legal professionals stay two steps ahead. Not only can you proactively identify, manage and plan for risks, you can also manage the day-to-day legal tasks just as efficiently. A structured LPM approach keeps the team on track and on budget. When real time adjustments are required, the team will likely know in advance and be able to keep clients informed. This builds trust and virtually eliminates nasty surprises. LPM methodology further allows teams to use information more effectively for its decision-making processes and collect data in the future for meaningful benchmarks. The ability to offer higher quality services to clients is an act of generosity that clients appreciate and will reward through greater loyalty.
Foster positivity.
There are few attributes more important than positivity when it comes to building bridges and promoting unity. Positivity promotes people working collaboratively to find the best solutions, despite their differences. LPM is a structure and a methodology that helps teams focus — and, when needed — refocus on shared common goals. There are clear expectations, accountability, open communications, and, best of all, appropriate allocation of resources that can motivate a team to achieve excellence. Motivation follows a sense of unified purpose.
We encourage you to put on your best holiday cheer face and continue with all your good LPM efforts. And don’t forget to celebrate successes — even the small ones. We at LawVision will continue to cheer you on. We want to wish everyone a beautiful season of giving and grace, as well as a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year filled with all the generosity the season inspires.
Carla Landry is a Principal at LawVision and leads the Legal Process Improvement Practice. She coaches legal teams on implementing legal process improvement and legal project management techniques into their matters, working with teams to identify cost-saving opportunities by streamlining the delivery of services and improving existing processes. Contact Carla at clandry@lawvision.com | 202-406-0955.
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