{"id":50005,"date":"2023-07-05T11:56:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T16:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/?page_id=50005"},"modified":"2023-10-09T10:55:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T15:55:13","slug":"legal-project-management","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mcguirewoods.com\/legal-project-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal Project Management"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Legal Project Management<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Clients expect more from their outside counsel than ever \u2013 more efficient solutions, more accurate and transparent budgeting, more right-sized staffing, more predictable pricing, and more innovative use of technology. And rightly so. CEOs and CFOs expect more from their in-house legal teams, and they expect them to do it with less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One specific demand, as reflected with increasing urgency in surveys such as Altman Weil\u2019s annual survey of chief legal officers, is for more effective project management. Clients, of course, have been using project management for decades to control costs, mitigate risk, and speed up time to market. They recognize the value. As one law department operations director recently told Inside Counsel<\/em> magazine, \u201cNext to a cost-effective e-discovery program, legal project management has the greatest return on investment of time and resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They expect the same from their outside law firms, and they believe legal project management (LPM) to drive value by, among other things, making budgets and schedules more predictable and encouraging proactive efficiency among outside law firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where ClientSync\u2122<\/strong> comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ClientSync<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ClientSync: Driving Client Service to New Levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ClientSync<\/strong> is our proprietary legal project management program. As conceived and developed by McGuireWoods, it combines people, technology, process improvement and project management to deliver unparalleled value to our clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through ClientSync, we tailor our service offerings to the specific needs and goals of each client. We collaborate with clients to better scope, budget, and manage their matters. We enhance transparency and communications to assure there are no unnecessary surprises in our work together. In the process, we expand our knowledge of your business and fortify our long-term relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many benefits to ClientSync. Complex matters are properly scoped and defined, staffing is aligned with client needs, and budgets and timetables are designed to advance client operational and strategic goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most lawyers are, to some extent, project managers, our dedicated ClientSync program brings a rigor and focus to matter management that makes a very real difference. Our attorneys identify client priorities and make sure our services timely and cost-effectively advance those priorities. This frees clients and their counsel to focus on the mission-critical legal aspects of the case, which translates into better results. That\u2019s more-for-less in action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How It Works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ClientSync is not a tool. It is a program, and a mind-set, which provides a roadmap to incorporating legal project management principles into our legal matters. There are, however, tools involved. But they are a means to an end, which is to use everything available to us to enhance service and optimize value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One key ingredient is<\/em> a tool. It\u2019s called Compass\u2122 and it was developed by the McGuireWoods technology group with input from attorneys and clients. Our lawyers and project managers use Compass for budgeting and then for tracking work, in real time, performed on legal matters against the budgets or fee estimates we\u2019ve agreed upon with our clients. Compass makes it easy for us to keep you fully up to date on how your matters are progressing. When something unpredictable happens, which is not unusual in complex litigation and transactions, our lawyers and clients are positioned to adjust to changed circumstances immediately. That elevates efficiency, cost control and communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ClientSync<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A Robust Program Tailored to Suit Your Needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are other key elements of our ClientSync program that we leverage to advance our clients\u2019 legal and business goals. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n