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Matter profitability matters. Yet most firms struggle to measure it in a manner that is accurate, focused on the levers partners control, and inclines partners to take action. Using margin per partner Hour (MPH) to measure profitability delivers on these objectives. The MPH measure enables assessment of profitability on matters…

Recently, I was speaking with a colleague who provides contract technology training services to law firms. This woman told me about a year-long experience that she recently had with a firm and it was so universally applicable that we agreed to share it as a case study. Here are the…

This is the season of long range planning, of budgeting and forecasting, and planning for 2019 both personally and in our organizations. If you are embarking on this path for the first time you likely have more than enough information to overwhelm your process, and your discussions. If you’ve ‘been…

If you feel like there is a lot of talk about innovation and disruption in the legal services, but very little actual change in the way lawyers and law firms are operating day-to-day on the coalface, you might be right. What is changing? There has been a 484% increase in…

What is process improvement? Let’s start with the basics. What, exactly, is “process improvement”? A primary goal of Lean Six Sigma for Law Firms is to provide an introduction to the two most important process improvement tool kits (Lean and Six Sigma) for law firms, the main concepts behind each, and the…

The more we facilitate strategic planning meetings, the more we recognize the challenges that you face as a leader who is wanting to create change and a develop a new future for your organization.  You may understand the importance of strategic planning (or our custom Aligned Strategy Development), but does…

Old-school organization and business processes were built around repetitive, manual, paper-based workflows. But today, agility, flexibility, and precise execution make the difference between success and failure for almost any enterprise. A workflow automation solution digitizes and automates repetitive processes, especially manual and paper-intensive ones, so you reduce or eliminate the…

This article on cognitive diversity came out late July on Forbes.com by Rob Toomey, Co-Founder of TypeCoach. Rob, (who, incidentally, was a lawyer), and his team at TypeCoach have developed a communication system based on personality type differences. Cognitive Diversity by Shuttercock Every good manager should understand workplace diversity’s value…

A habit is an acquired behaviour pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary; it is a result of repetition. Over the past 25 years I have visited hundreds of small law firms throughout seven different countries. I have been fortunate enough  to speak to the successful, the unsuccessful, the…

Process Excellence doesn’t happen by accident. The output of any system will tend to be informed by the quality of the foundations laid and the instructions followed. There is no recipe for success, but there is a formula for giving you the best chance. Peter Marshall is Chief Operating Officer…