In-House Counsel

Project management discipline useful inside law departments

By Rees Morrison

Law Practice, Vol. 35, April/May 2009 at 45, refers to Diderico van Eyl, intellectual property counsel for SABIC Innovative Plastics, who uses project management techniques to improve legal work flow.

As background, van Eyl mentions the Project Management Institute, which defines a project as ?a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.? By unique, I assume the Institute means one-off, not a service never done before by anyone.

The Institute encompasses five project process areas within its framework: the initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling and closing processes.? (See my post of June 24, 2007: project management with 5 references; and Feb. 1, 2009: project teams of law departments with 39 references and 4 metaposts.).

The sidebar that describes van Eyl?s efforts to apply the discipline of project management does not say so, but I suppose the ?temporary endeavors? he is interested in include invention disclosures, application processes, invention review committees, and other aspects of his responsibilities (See my post of March 25, 2008: patent activities except litigation with 49 references.).

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