What is legal project management and why should you care?

Think legal project management (LPM) is only for big law firms handling huge cases with a whole army of lawyers? Think again.

Most legal professionals already engage in some form of LPM. They just don’t realise it. Whether it’s every time they take on a case or when they’re managing admin tasks, all legal services consist of highly structured processes. LPM is a means of enhancing that service with traditional principles of effective project management.

Why should you care about LPM?

Employing strong project management methodologies, and being strict in their application, will make your firm more efficient, resulting in reduced write-offs, better team collaboration and improved profitability. These efficiencies result in more time – time you can spend on going the extra mile for your clients.

Clients have always wanted their chosen firm to be proactive and transparent, to communicate effectively and to meet deadlines. LPM is the best thing you can do to ensure you meet these expectations.

A true statement of competence

The other major benefit of LPM is that it’ll go a long way in meeting the competencies set out in the Statement of Solicitor Competence by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Section D sets out that solicitors must “initiate, plan, prioritise and manage work activities and projects to ensure that they are completed efficiently, on time and to an appropriate standard, both in relation to their own work and work that they lead or supervise”.

LPM issues are often at the heart of matters when things go wrong. Mistakes can lead to reports to the SRA. Plus, smaller firms are actually more likely to receive reports to the SRA, due to the fact they often don’t have the necessary procedures in place.

How to unlock your hidden LPM skills

1. Define scope – Ensuring that you and your client are on the same page is a crucial aspect of LPM. Make sure you understand exactly what the client needs, and be clear about what you might require from them in return.

2. Establish a project plan – If you want your project to be successful, you need to provide a clear plan for how you’re going to get from A to B. Set achievable milestones, list every action and be upfront about pricing.

3. Conduct your legal case – This is the part where you crack on. And, if you do it right, then this phase should look very similar to the previous one. When things arise that you weren’t anticipating, deal with them expeditiously and communicate appropriately.

4. Review the process and outcome – There’s no point sticking to a process if it isn’t working. Look back at the previous three phases and ask yourself what went right, what went wrong and how you could improve. If you do this properly and keep accurate records throughout, you’ll be rewarded with fewer surprises in the future. Don’t forget to give feedback to your team to share learnings.

How to get started with LPM

Start by addressing the phases where you’re failing first. Be truthful, look at what you can improve easily and begin improving it. Don’t worry – it’s easier than you think.

What you’ll find is that most firms are pretty good at managing the first three phases of LPM, but most frequently fall down in phase four. When was the last time you had an honest debrief and dug into data to understand why costs ran away from you or delays happened? Focus your time and energy here, and you’ve won half the battle.

Which LPM technology do you need?

There are some essentials which you’ll need:

• Project plan checklist/templates – Search for them online, find something you like and make it work for you. Better yet, look at the technology you already use – are there any tools that you’re not taking advantage of?

• Milestone calendar with tasks – Ensure you have a place where you can track all the key dates you need to hit, and a workflow so your team has a process to follow.

• Monthly reporting – Keep a clear audit trail and review how effectively you’re meeting client expectations on a regular basis.

• Multiple communications channels – Communicate with clients via the method which is most convenient for them.

• Debrief protocols – Make the review phase, and the learnings which come with it, compulsory.

The easiest way to do this is using an effective practice software solution (like Quill) to streamline the process. Having an all-in-one system to flag issues, manage documents and record time (among other things) will make managing projects smarter, not harder. ■

This ‘What is legal project management and why should you care?’ guidance is written by Catrin Macleod, Quill’s business analyst and a former solicitor. It was originally published on the Law Society website in August 2023.