Legal Project Management: Deliver Matters On Time and Budget

What Is Legal Project Management?

Legal Project Management (LPM) applies structured planning, execution, and monitoring to legal matters. It's about delivering predictable results through disciplined processes.

Firms with mature LPM practices report 20% better realization and 30% fewer budget overruns.

Core LPM Principles

1. Planning

• Define matter scope and objectives
• Identify key milestones and deadlines
• Estimate effort and costs
• Assign resources and responsibilities

2. Execution

• Follow established processes
• Coordinate team activities
• Manage client communications
• Document progress and decisions

3. Monitoring

• Track budget vs. actual
• Measure milestone completion
• Identify risks and issues
• Report status to stakeholders

4. Closing

• Confirm deliverable completion
• Conduct post-matter review
• Document lessons learned
• Archive matter materials

LPM Tools and Techniques

Work Breakdown Structure

Decompose matters into manageable tasks:

1. Major phases (Discovery, Trial Prep)
2. Key activities within phases
3. Individual tasks with owners
4. Dependencies between tasks

Budgeting

Build bottom-up estimates:

• Hours by phase and timekeeper
• Rate assumptions
• Expected expenses
• Contingency buffer

See budgeting best practices for detailed guidance.

Risk Management

Proactively address risks:

• Identify potential issues early
• Assess likelihood and impact
• Develop mitigation strategies
• Monitor risk indicators

Implementing LPM

Starting Small

1. Select pilot matters
2. Train core team
3. Use simple templates
4. Measure and adjust

Scaling Up

1. Standardize processes
2. Build template library
3. Train broader firm
4. Integrate with technology

Technology Support

LPM software provides:

• Project templates: Standardized matter plans
• Resource management: Capacity planning
• Budget tracking: Real-time financial visibility
• Reporting: Status dashboards

Common Challenges

Cultural Resistance

Address by:

• Starting with willing participants
• Demonstrating early wins
• Making it easy, not burdensome
• Recognizing adopters

Scope Creep

Prevent by:

• Clear initial scoping
• Documented change process
• Client communication on impact
• Budget adjustment protocols

Enable better project management. IntelliBill includes integrated LPM tools.

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