Over the last 12 years, I have regularly conducted Legal Project Management training and coaching for a boutique firm that specialises in the Aviation industry. I launched my training programs with them and I go back in regularly to provide refreshers and support new lawyers.
I was briefed by the Joint Managing Partners on the challenges being faced by the firm and their personal frustrations.
They had little time for supervision, as a result new lawyers were not meeting delivery timeframes and often spending far too long on basic activities. Overall there were higher than acceptable write offs required before billing, and a lack of visibility of progress towards delivery dates.
Firstly, I delivered introductory Legal Project Management and Personal Productivity training sessions for all fee earners and paralegals.
Next, I undertook one-on-one coaching sessions for all fee earners. During these sessions I identified key tools, and worked with lawyers to develop and tailor these tools in our follow up sessions.
I also observed behaviours and ways of working, and then went back to the partners with recommendations about how they could adjust their supervision and delegation techniques.
We developed some new non-negotiable delegation behaviours. Specifically, when bringing new team members into a matter, the supervising partner would make time to brief them on the letter of engagement, matter plan and specific client objectives - rather than leaving everyone to waste time 'reading in' to the matter, and making incorrect assumptions.
Improved delegation reduces write-offs!
For larger matters with many team members, they started to conduct kick-off briefings and regular progress updates, as well as adopting some specific tools including -
+ Responsibility Assignment Matrices to make it crystal clear which team member had responsibility for each of the deliverables contained in the scope of the matter; and
