The importance of project management in law

The terminology of Six Sigma and associated project management techniques, particularly the martial ‘belts’, suggests a greater concern with style than substance. MacDonagh makes a spirited argument that there is more to it. The book certainly succeeds in making its central point: project and process management is a critical function for law firms to come to grips with. 

Describing many of the hurdles to simply getting on with the activities of lawyering, MacDonagh explores pinch-points in process terms and illustrates approaches to their deconstruction, streamlining and improvement. My experience of attempting to simplify intake procedures for repeatable low-fee but high-volume work in a large firm suggests this is more easily said than done.  

Process management here is about large-scale interlocking processes where refinements can be made to enhance the performance of the whole chain. These ideas come from the manufacturing space and the lean approach pioneered by leading automotive brands. Whether small to medium-sized law firms have sufficient depth of process for this to be helpful is a moot point. That said, the US firms discussed as case studies appear to have made gains. 

It is also about a cultural shift. A standout moment is the story of asking clients at the outset of any consultancy assignment to identify their most productive lawyer. The expected answer – that ‘X’ has billed an incredible number of hours, translating into tremendous fees – is rejected on the basis that ‘productivity’ is a measure of efficiency. Who has worked smartly rather than accumulating hours? The point is well made: if generative AI contributes anything at all, it will be to encourage a more efficient use of resources, including time. How this translates into hourly rates, targets, and internal recognition and reward is a live conversation.

The book risks becoming a sales pitch, given that the consultancy of which MacDonagh is CEO is described as the only one dedicated to legal Six Sigma. The focus is not on how to go about it, but why you should consider speaking to the experts; this is not a toolkit, more an advocacy piece. Nevertheless, it has something authentic to say about the role of project management in law.

Tom Proverbs-Garbett is a director at TrustPoint Governance