There has been a take up of legal project management technology lately, but not all firms are convinced of its worth. Jo Haraf says 'selling' it can take time

Listen in on any gathering of IT directors and after the usual stories of budget battles, who's moving to the cloud and maybe a lament about not following mum's advice to study medicine, the conversation usually turns to legal project management.

Not the 'what' of project management – successful IT departments mastered 'what' early on. Nor do the discussions linger on 'how' – Amazon.com lists more than 15,000 entries for 'IT project management' backed by consultants, classes and associations.

It's the 'who' that prompts the most passionate debate – as in, 'who in my firm, besides me, believes the benefits of project management can be applied to the practise of law?'

We've read about the 'who' in partner-sponsored programmes at firms such as Dechert and Seyfarth Shaw. The American Lawyer profiled Seyfarth's adoption of Six Sigma regimens in its April 2010 issue. (Six Sigma focuses on improving quality by identifying and removing 'defects' (errors) and structuring processes.)

Managing partner J Stephen Poor and partner Lisa Damon, chair of the labour and employment practice, started with one project. Today, the entire firm has embraced the system and its IT department has built a technological infrastructure around the ideology.

This spring, Dechert put its attorneys through project management training, winning over initially sceptical partners. The firm retained Pamela Woldow of Altman Weil to train partners and associates.

Morris Manning & Martin have also developed a legal technology project management system. Partner John Yates, who leads the technology practice, says the firm won lawyer take-up through hands-on experience. Linda Klausing, the firm's director of project management, joined the firm in the spring of 2006. She previously worked as a project manager with The Home Depot and Georgia-Pacific.

Klausing was asked to create customised project management systems, tools and templates for use in everything from M&A to litigation or intellectual property, the firm notes.

"Klausing works directly with attorneys and clients to develop customised project plans based on our system," explains Yates. "She takes the burden of building the project plan off of the attorney."

Push and pull

One explanation for the growing interest in legal project management is the combined push-pull of alternative fee arrangements (AFAs) – more firms offer this billing option and more corporate clients demand it, even if they decide to remain with traditional hourly billing (albeit at a discount).

LexisNexis deputy general counsel Mary Clark supervises the development of the company's web-based CounselLink technology, which helps general counsel manage legal spending, generate reports and collaborate with colleagues.

She says the growth in AFAs isn't just a rumour. "From processing $2bn (£1.3bn) a year in outside counsel billings through our e-billing software, we've seen usage of AFAs quadruple from 4% of total fees in 2008 to 16% in the first half of 2010."

Don't give up

If your firm has not embraced project management as a key component of client service culture, don't give up yet – but accept that you can't win this campaign alone. You need a champion to help you re-align traditional IT project management for the practice of law.

As consultant Steven Levy, author of Legal Project Management, points out: "CIOs must examine the limited ways in which IT is similar to the practise of law."

CIOs must also recognise that much of IT work is regular or repeatable, unlike many lucrative areas of legal practice, he says.

"Project management techniques for IT may not only be a poor fit – but also may be resented or dismissed by attorneys," observes Levy, who formerly headed Microsoft's legal technology team.

Breaking through

Does it sound like you need an attorney collaborator to bring the discipline and benefits of legal project management to your firm? Dolly Mack of Nevada-based Dolly Mack & Associates says attorney champions are crucial.

"To bring about change in a group of attorneys unfamiliar with the process of project management (a group likely to jump to the conclusion that 'project management doesn't apply to me'), you need a firm or practice management sponsor who really understands how project management will contribute to the firm's future success," she says.

Personal approach

So how can IT leaders persuade attorney colleagues to embrace project management?

Before you send a firmwide email entitled 'project management-smitten CIO in search of like-minded attorney', try a more personal approach to individual lawyers who just might become those important champions.

Write a short (no more than three pages) proposal describing the benefits and costs of legal project management – and stress the possibly career-expanding role waiting for the right lawyer.

You've sold more difficult projects before. Remember how you made the case to move all the firm's technology to an outside data centre? Pitching legal project management should be a piece of cake compared to that six-digit, 'years in the making' endeavour.

Figure out which senior practice management attorneys could be early adopters. Then ask for referrals to progressive attorneys within their practice who might be willing to try a different approach. The four magic words: 'your boss sent me' work wonders in introduction.

Start small

Don't be afraid to start small; lawyers who tend to brag about their personal successes are your best potential advertising.

A slightly more risky approach is to reach out to an attorney who is struggling with case management – as demonstrated by high write-downs or write-offs. Legal project management may be the tool he or she needs to reform past bad habits.

If all your efforts are for naught and you don't find the right lawyer to join your team, give up. Not forever – just for now. Keep your proposal polished, your knowledge fresh and wait for the seasons, culture and perhaps management of your firm to change.

Like a dog waiting for his walk with his leash in his mouth, being patient – and prepared – is everything.

Jo Haraf is the principal of Haraf Professional Services. A version of this article first appeared in Law Technology News, a Legal Week sister title.