Legal Project Management

Working with Outside Counsel to Manage Budgets,

Timelines and Exectations
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Introduction:
Baker Donelson
630 attorneys and policy
advisors in 18 offices
Attorneys licensed in 35
states
Ranked 72
nd
in National
Law Journal
Nationally-recognied !ealt!
and "# practices
$isted as a %&o-'o $a(
)ir*% in +irectory of "n-
,o-se $a( +epart*ents of
'op 500 .o*panies
/Corporate Counsel and
A*erican $a(yer 0edia1
since 2006
What are Clients Looking for from their Attorneys?
Efficiency and Predictability
Traditional Law Firm Practice
$a( )ir* reven-e !as traditionally depended on generating 2illa2le !o-rs3
and efficiency !as not 2een a priority
4etting t!e *eter r-nning at t!e 2eginning of t!e case and c!arging
(!atever takes is at odds (it! good financial *anage*ent
.lients no( prefer pricing *odels t!at enco-rage3 rat!er t!an disco-rage3
efficiency
2 alternative pricing *ec!anis*s to pro*ote efficiency5
$egal #ro6ect 0anage*ent - developing and (orking (it! a relia2le
2-dget
7al-e 8ased 8illing 9 Alternative )ees
Project Management for Lawyers, 8oake and :at!-ria3 Ark /20111
What are Clients Looking for from their Attorneys?
Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
ACC issued a Value Challenge What is it?
#ro*otes t!e adoption of *anage*ent practices t!at allo( all
participants to ac!ieve t!eir key o26ectives
.!allenge to outside counsel to increase val-e and red-ce cost of
services
2ased on t!e concept t!at la( fir*s can red-ce t!eir costs to
corporate clients and still *aintain strong profita2ility
.!allenge to inside counsel to collectively drive t!is c!ange
2ased on t!e concept t!at la( depart*ents can -se
*anage*ent practices t!at en!ance t!e val-e of legal
service spending
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What are Clients Looking for from their Attorneys?
Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
ACC Value Challenge What it co!ers?
'!e A.. 7al-e .!allenge foc-ses on providing reso-rces and training
=for la( fir*s as (ell as la( depart*ents =on t!ese key val-e levers5
Aligning Relations!ips
7al-e-8ased )ee 4tr-ct-res - i;e; not 2ased on t!e %2illa2le
!o-r%
4taffing and 'raining #ractices
8-dgeting
#ro6ect 0anage*ent
#rocess "*prove*ent
>se of 'ec!nology
+ata 0anage*ent
:no(ledge 0anage*ent
.!ange 0anage*ent
What are Clients Looking for from their Attorneys?
Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC)
"n )e2r-ary of 20123 t!e A.. cond-cted a $egal 4ervice 0anage*ent
?orks!op and identified t!e follo(ing traits of t!e @#erfect $a( )ir*A5
Ask 2efore *aking a c!ange in t!e *atter
8e responsive
#lan t!e (ork and (ork to t!e plan
+esign t!e representation to align (it! o-r 2-siness needs
#repare 2-dgets and provide esti*ates for 2riefing and researc!
#rovide acc-rate and ti*ely 2illing
#rovide appropriate staffing and alternate staffing sol-tions
#erfor* a post *orte* and analye (it! t!e tea* (!at (ent rig!t and
(!at (ent (rong
What are Clients Looking for from their Attorneys?
Legal Project Management !o" can it #elp$
"n todayBs econo*ic cli*ate3 2eing a legal e<pert is not eno-g!
C<ceptional legal service incl-des 2eing a good ste(ard of o-r clientBs
reso-rces and providing predicta2le costs
)or years3 ot!er ind-stries s-c! as *an-fact-ring3 constr-ction and
engineering !ave seen t!e efficiencies t!at can 2e realied 2y
i*ple*entation of pro6ect *anage*ent processes and developing a
detailed plan for scope3 tasks3 sc!ed-les and 2-dgets 2efore 2eginning
t!e pro6ect
8aker +onelson identified t!at t!ese sa*e 2enefits can 2e derived in
t!e delivery of legal services and developed its o(n3 patent pending3
LPM %ystem BakerManage
Introduction:
&#at is Legal Project Management$
$#0 dra(s -pon traditional pro6ect *anage*ent
"*proves planning3 *onitoring and co**-nications to ens-re t!at an
engage*ent ad!eres to a set of defined o26ectives for scope3 cost3
and ti*e
.oordinating scope3 cost and
ti*e is so*eti*es referred to as
t!e triple @constraintA
"f scope re*ains t!e sa*e3 2-t ti*e is red-ced3 cost and necessary
reso-rces increaseD like(ise3 if costs and reso-rces are red-ced3 ti*e
is increased
Introduction
Baker Donelson's (ni)uely Designed Process
BakerManage * an LPM Process
"aker #onelson$s LP% &olution:
BakerManage * +ec#nology and ,mplementation
8aker +onelsonEs Project Management ,nformation %ystem (as
developed in 4!are#oint
.o**-nicates (it! )ir*Es financial
syste* /Aderant F .0413 ti*e entry
syste* /+'C1
#atent #ending for 2ot! t!e process
and integration (it! ot!er )ir* syste*s
"n Cdge "nternationalEs 2011 p-2lication3 Staying Power: Legal Project
Management Update - t!e 8aker0anage syste* (as descri2ed as
follo(s5
'Among t#e best is Baker Donelson's BakerManage system- a model of
singular clarity- simplicity and utility. BakerManage ser/es as a onestop
information s#op- neatly integrating project information- budgeting-
team selection and communication in a format t#at ec#oes t#e classic
project management acti/ity se)uence.'
Introduction:
!o" can t#e Client benefit from LPM$
Planning t#e &ork0
#ro*otes predictable results3 e<penses and fees
Cnco-rages client 9 legal tea* collaboration
.onfir*s t!at all stake!older e1pectations are incorporated
Allo(s t!e client to *ake decisions prior to starting t#e "ork
.onfir*s appropriate resource allocation to t!e task
#ro*otes t!e develop*ent of a reliable budget
.o**-nication plans gives t!e client alternatives to a 30 day 2ill
Cla2oration of tasks identifies opport-nities for process impro/ement
Introduction:
!o" can t#e Client benefit from LPM$
Managing to t#e Plan0
Csti*ated ti*e for co*pletion sets #ourly constraints for t!e legal tea*
Daily time entry allo(s real ti*e -pdates on act-al to 2-dget
perfor*ance
$egal tea*Es activities are transparent and accountable to t!e .lient
.lient !as real time access to co*pleted tasks3 *atter stat-s and 2-dget
+ata collection allo(s automated alerts regarding deadlines and 2-dget
2eporting Performance
.lient !as access to real time performance metrics
.lient !as access to *atter data (!ic! can 2e e1ported to reports
'racking perfor*ance enco-rages lessons learned
.ollection of !istorical case infor*ation promotes alternati/e fee
solutions
"aker #onelson$s LP% &olution:
BakerManage * +ec#nology and ,mplementation
E1ample of a BakerManage Client 3 Matter %ite in %#arePoint 45650
Legal Project Management
Working with Outside Counsel to Manage Budgets,
Timelines and Exectations
The single best payoff in terms of project success comes
from having good project definition early.
RAND CR!RAT"N
!a"id #$ %ue&&, 'r$