Legal Project Management
At the ALA National Conference in Nashville, a timely panel brought together operational leaders to explore the evolving expectations of law firm clients. The session, titled “Evolving Client Expectations,” featured senior...more
Outside counsel guidelines (OCGs) are a way for clients to set expectations regarding processes, procedures, and handling of matters. Common guidelines relate to rates and expenses (discounts, alternative fee arrangements,...more
Within the legal ecosystem, two diametrically opposed paradigms for success contend. On one side are corporate law firms, where rising billable hours and billing rates drive revenue. On the other side are corporate legal...more
In this podcast, Nicole Fiamingo of McNees discusses her role and responsibilities as a Legal Project Management Coordinator. ...more
Predicting the future has become a critical skill for lawyers—at least when it comes to budgeting for case work. Clients want as much certainty as possible for planning and allocating legal expenses, which inherently carry...more
One growing trend is for clients to enter into alternative fee arrangements in which one law firm represents multiple parties who “share” fees and costs in a related matter. For example, a law firm might represent...more
There are numerous ways in which the terms of an alternative fee arrangement are documented, ranging from a simple email exchange between client and outside lawyer to lengthy addenda to the retention agreement. While no...more
Alternative fee arrangements provide great opportunities for law firms to partner with clients and strengthen relationships. However, not every matter may be appropriate for an alternative fee or in the law firm’s best...more
In this third article in our series about alternative fee arrangement proposals, we discuss five questions that outside lawyers should be able to answer for themselves before submitting an AFA proposal for a litigation matter...more
In-house attorneys routinely receive, review and compare alternative fee arrangement proposals and nearly all law firms regularly submit them, but the parties often do not follow a disciplined approach in developing a...more
An alternative fee arrangement is frequently required as part of a law firm’s response to a client’s request for proposals to handle new litigation matters. In-house attorneys routinely receive, review and compare such...more
The debates about innovation at law firms can sometimes seem a cacophonous, and discordant, confusion of themes. On the one hand, virtually every day brings some new announcement about the latest “innovation” in the business...more
In 1958, the American Bar Association (ABA) published a pamphlet recommending that attorneys track and keep detailed records of their time. For better or for worse, legal work has since been measured by the “billable...more
We have all heard the expression the "greatest thing since sliced bread." It is believed that this phrase was first used by Wonder Bread® in 1930 to hype its new product of pre-wrapped, pre-sliced bread. We use it now in...more