The next generation of legal project managers

The apprenticeship model for training new lawyers simply isn’t adequate for legal project management skills, with potential competitive losses for law firms that retain the old model. Here’s a better blueprint for LPM training within your firm.

Law firms are waking up to client demands for more efficiency and value for money in managing matters. True, some of those demands are clumsy and blunt: “No first-year associates on our matters,” or “We cap each deposition on this case at XX hours.”

Nevertheless, firms can now respond in a constructive manner with a counter-proposal that demonstrates strong capacities in legal project management (LPM) and fee management. Instead of “ticking boxes” and offering itemized responses to itemized cost controls, firms could show clients they’re “on their side” by pro- viding more management efficiency to achieve the overall client goal of value.