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CCCA_V4No2_ProjMgmt-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 4/29/10 4:25 PM Page 19 Innovative national law firms in Cover Canada have embarked upon firm- wide project management initiatives: they’ve hired certified professionals, developed platforms and trained part- ners and associates in the principles and practice of project management. B etter Can fixed-fee billing be far behind? service by design: project management and the quest to add value aw firm leaders like to talk about project management, but few firms do anything about it. LAt least that was the impression of Brian Armstrong QC, executive vice-president and general counsel of Bruce Power LP. Project management was a hot topic of conversation last November at the Canadian Bar Association’s Law Firm Leadership Conference in Toronto,where he participated in a panel with other gen- eral counsel and law firm managing partners,even though the latter had little to show for in terms of initiatives. But Armstrong, who leads the legal team at Canada’s first private nuclear generator in Tiverton, Ont., is sold on the merits of project management, especially as pres- sures mount on legal budgets.Gone are the days,he says, when the general counsel or the chief legal officer could go to the CEO or CFO and say:“We don’t know how much the matter will cost or how long the matter will PAUL EEKHOFF by Michael Rappaport ÉTÉ 2010 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association 19