Comments on 3 Geeks and a Law Blog: Law Firm Project Managers - Lawyer or Non-Lawyer?

On my opinion it is not possible for a lawyer to b...

2010-04-16T06:09:16.310-05:00

On my opinion it is not possible for a lawyer to be a project manager

Great post on a very important topic. I don't...

2010-01-25T14:31:18.987-06:00

Great post on a very important topic. I don't think there's a simple answer and believe successful approaches will vary from firm to firm. For details, see the item I just posted in my blog at www.jimhassett.com.

Thanks Lisa.... and don't be afraid to take cr...

2010-01-21T18:03:32.605-06:00

Thanks Lisa.... and don't be afraid to take credit for other people's work. I claim credit for any of the good stuff Toby puts up on the blog! ;-)

There is some addition conversation going on over at Laudable as well.

Thanks goes out to Carla for getting the conversation going!

It's great to see so much discussion on this i...

2010-01-21T17:42:41.872-06:00

It's great to see so much discussion on this issue. Unfortunately I can't take credit for the original post as it was written by my esteemed colleague Carla Landry and as editor, my contribution was to post it. It's a great topic and Carla and I look forward to more discussion.

Great post. The more dialogue on this, the better....

2010-01-21T14:32:32.728-06:00

Great post. The more dialogue on this, the better.

Thanks Alison. I think you're hitting the iss...

2010-01-21T10:57:58.765-06:00

Thanks Alison. I think you're hitting the issue right on the head when it comes to actually implementing a Project Management process (whether for lawyers, marketing, or any other team within the firm.) While 'gut' can get you close to a target price, it can't do much with making things run smoother, or actually managing a project. PM is going to be uncomfortable for many in the law firm environment because it means someone is going to attempt to keep you on task, and ask a number of "why do we do this?" questions. I think it will probably be more palatable if that is coming from someone you think understands the overall culture and process of a law firm and can explain to you that there is a better way to do some things.

My 2 cents: Even if you have a lawyers with PM sk...

2010-01-21T10:52:28.937-06:00

My 2 cents: Even if you have a lawyers with PM skills and a firm that would dedicate them full-time, I'm guessing you won't get many takers. An associate who signs up for this has effectively just crossed their name off the future partner list (not that that's such a hot list to be on these days).

Second - the best non-lawyer PMs will likely come from CPA firms. These people will know PM in a professional services environment and be the most applicable skill set to poach.

Greg, I have two comments on this post. First, at ...

2010-01-21T10:43:31.156-06:00

Greg, I have two comments on this post. First, at my last law firm, an AmLaw 200 firm in Atlanta, the departments are managed by non-attorney, MBA/consultant department operating officers. While they are not project managers per se, they are responsible for managing all department operations and business functions. Second, I am going through the process now of securing my project management certification. I see a real need for law firm professionals, and in my world of legal marketing specifically, to have this skill set when managing projects of all scopes and sizes. While, yes, you do have to trust your gut and experience in a lot of circumstances, law firms need people to propel them past the planning phases into the tougher implementation and follow-up phases.