Which comes first: Legal Project Management or Legal Process Improvement?
Experience has shown us that it doesn’t really matter whether you start with legal project management (LPM) or legal process improvement (LPI). Seemingly, you should start with legal process improvement. You identify short-term and long-term opportunities to streamline processes. Then you overlay that with sound legal project management strategies and – voila – you start to realize much greater efficiencies. It’s been said that to do the opposite would be to fall victim to the often-used expression “paving cow paths” where you automate, rather than fix, an inefficient process.
However, the reality is that LPM and LPI support each other. Of course, if some of your processes are egregiously broken, it may make sense to address them first. Otherwise, just get started wherever you have the momentum and the will. With a bit of strategic encouragement, the rest will follow.
Coaching and Implementation
You lose most lawyers and legal professionals with vague chatter about legal process improvement. That’s because these law firm professionals feel deeply responsible for outcomes. This includes maintaining confidentiality, meeting regulatory requirements, and boosting client satisfaction. But process improvement? Not so much. Law firm matters are inherently complex. It’s no surprise that lawyers prefer to stick to the tried and proven. Give them practical approaches that work.
When it comes to high-performing lawyers, forget theoretical mumble-jumble about efficiency gains and culture change.
We have discovered that if a business concept like process improvement is going to fly in a law firm, the approach must be simple, yet essential. It becomes essential when (1) it enhances profitability and other performance metrics and (2) it promotes the vision that lawyers have for their practices and the entire firm. Our data-backed approach to legal process improvement is based on decades of experience implementing solutions that law firms can immediately apply.
Legal process improvement succeeds when professionals are put to best and highest use and lawyers have more time for the value-added work they love.
Getting Started
Your firm’s approach to legal process improvement will depend upon several factors, not the least of which are your available resources and the culture’s appetite for change. The initiative alone can lead to some exciting ah-ha moments as teams begin to percolate ideas, communicate more effectively and reimagine how they deliver services. Whether you begin with targeted areas for incremental improvements or pursue breakthrough innovation in every one of your processes, you’ll find that the benefits accrue quickly. These include more loyal clients, satisfied team members, and more productive and efficient use of resources — leaving your firm with an agility that allows it to respond to marketplace changes like never before.
If you’d like more information on how to get started, we would love to hear from you.
