Project Management Consultancy for Law Firms

Successful Project Implementation

I help law firms, especially SME law firms, implement change successfully. I do this by:

Throughout my career I have been instrumental in effecting lasting change in the organisations I have worked with.  Most often this change has come about through the implementation of new IT systems.  These systems have then helped drive operational change in terms of processes used and procedures adopted by staff.

Managing Legal IT Projects

Many SME law firms lack the resources and experience to identify, select and implement new I.T systems successfully.  For some this work looks so daunting they wait until there is no other option, which usually means their supplier no longer supports the application software and / or its supporting technological platform.  In this scenario, it soon becomes a damage limitation exercise and a race against time to ensure the I.T infrastructure continues to support the firm’s business operations – including legal service delivery.

It need not be like this.

As a non-practising solicitor, I.T software developer and project manager, my particular strengths lie in assessing law firm needs then identifying and implementing the most appropriate legal I.T systems to meet those needs.

In practice this means working with:

• Practice Management Systems
• Legal Workflow Systems
• Legal Data Analytics
• Legal Project Management Systems
• Legal Expert Systems and Legal A.I (I started off my legal I.T career as a legal expert system developer).

I have experience of working on both sides of the table.  I have worked for legal software suppliers and in law firm I.T departments.  I know how legal I.T procurement should be done and I help all stakeholders focus on the issues that really matter.

I can help you select, and implement, the most appropriate legal I.T systems for your needs.

Rescuing Failing Projects

There are lots of well-known reasons for projects, especially legal IT projects, going awry.

One of the most common is that those acting as project managers also have their usual ‘day job’ to fulfill and simply can’t afford to devote as much time required to new project work.

Nearly everyone faced with this situation realizes the problem at the outset and so become determined to scale back their ‘day job’ to accommodate project work.  Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.  What usually happens is that both project work and business as usual work suffer because good people try to do too much.

Hire me to work on a specific project(s) and this is no longer a problem.  I can provide objective assessment about why some of your projects may be failing, propose remedial action and implement it.

As you would expect I create all appropriate project documentation and follow best practice project processes and methods.  Most importantly of all, I keep everyone involved and up to date by providing excellent project communications.

All this means that you and your colleagues can focus on business as usual while retaining overall control of the project(s) at hand.

Programme Management

You will undoubtedly have lots of ideas about how to improve your practice, but where to start?  Which ideas align most closely to your firm’s business strategy?  Which ideas look like being the most cost effective ones to pursue first?  How much and how long will it take before you start to see real business benefits flowing from new initiatives?

As an outside agent, I can help you focus your business development activity.  After key projects have been identified and assessed I will then develop a project plan for each and propose sequencing and alignment of all related projects, to make the most of your resources.  Thereafter project monitoring helps ensure that individual project outcomes are translated directly into business benefits.

You stand a much greater chance of being successful if your business initiatives are run as controlled projects, with related projects run as part of a controlled programme.  After all, the whole point of project management is to deliver business benefits in a timely and cost effective manner.

To take just one example, it never ceases to amaze me how relatively little effort law firms put into collecting client feedback and taking corrective action in light of that feedback.  In terms of aligning projects to business strategy, this must be one of the most important places to start for law firms.