In-House Counsel

Do general counsel care if law firms are Six Sigma belted, ISO registered or PMI credentialed?

By Rees Morrison

Two years ago, David Munn reported that the law firm Morgan Lewis had adopted Six Sigma in its mortgage loan practice. A detailed presentation on Morgan Lewis? methodology can be found on Garrett Worley?s blog.

Separately, while doing some research for another post, I found a law firm in India, Luthra & Luthra, that markets itself as an ?ISO 9001 Registered Firm.? That distinction comes from showing that the firm?s systems meet certain international standards.

Third, other law firms have pursued project management credentials (See my post of Dec. 22, 2006: Eversheds; and April 28, 2009: a law department applies project management; June 24, 2007: project management with 5 references; Aug. 15, 2008: perceptions of usefulness of project management software; Oct. 2, 2008: can project managers co-exist with litigation managers; and Dec. 12, 2007: project management software and litigation.).

To earn a credential ? Six Sigma, ISO, PMI, TQM -- but have little to show clients in terms of efficiency or quality amounts to window dressing. To shrewdly apply a discipline, even with no ribbons on the chest, means more work will stream in from clients.

Full post as published by Law Department Management on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).