Do You Want Swiss With That?
The unabated growth, diversification, consolidation and geographical sprawl of law firms has reached the point where they might better be called “legal service delivery engines” — huge machines designed to capitalize on economies of scale, global footprints, cross-border referrals, myriad offices and specialized practice groups and client service teams.
Think and Do: The battle between autonomy and collaboration
The complex interdependencies of today’s legal world reward team collaboration as much as individual legal skills. Yet some experts claim that collaboration stifles creative problem solving and that originality is hindered by “Groupthink.” Read on for a spirited analysis of the crucial interface between independent “thinking” and collective “doing,” particularly in managing complex legal projects.
Creating a “Communication Engine” through Legal Project Management
Communication lapses are far more than simple misunderstandings or irritations: in the highly complex world of the modern legal transaction, they can derail a major project and fatally damage the lawyer-client relationship. Legal project management practices and principles can revolutionize the way lawyers and clients talk to each other and among themselves. As communicators, most […]
Managing the self-limiting lawyer: New perspectives on professional development
Perfectionist lawyers who crave unblemished success and endless positive reinforcement are likely never to reach their full potential and are at serious risk of burnout and loss. Law firm and law department leaders owe these lawyers and their organizations solutions to their self-limiting behavior. Productivity is on the minds of legal leaders and managers these […]
Ten steps to trust: why it matters and how lawyers can achieve it
Lawyers are notoriously slow to trust. But in law’s “new normal” that demands collaboration, trust problems become business problems no lawyer can afford. Here are ten factors to consider in your effort to build greater levels of trust and achieve better outcomes in your client relationships. Take a moment, if you will, and think back […]
Reflections for Legal Project Managers
In her article on legal project management (LPM) on page 4, Pam Woldow describes the characteristics and benefits of legal project management — what it looks like, how it improves matter management, how it leads to improved metrics and fewer surprises, how it achieves significant efficiencies, and how it fosters more interactive client relationships. At […]