Page 20 - CCCA62_2010

CCCA_V4No2_ProjMgmt-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 4/29/10 4:25 PM Page 20 Cover Marc-André Blanchard Chair and CEO McCarthy Tétrault LLP Toronto “Whether you are in a fixed- fee arrangement or a billable hour arrangement, project management is a useful discipline on both fronts.” take, just give us a blank cheque.” management becomes a necessity,” he said in an interview from his “Corporations today are steeped in project management,” he Taiwan-based office. says.“It’s not just about controlling costs, but also about achiev- Law firms insist it’s all about value.The driving force behind ing a greater degree of predictability.” McCarthy Tétrault’s decision to adopt project management Happily, a few national law firms are listening and say they are principles, says chair and CEO Marc-André Blanchard, was the ready to deliver. McCarthy Tétrault LLP is mapping out the desire to achieve greater predictability and value for clients. future of legal services on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Osler, “Whether you are in a fixed-fee arrangement or a billable Hoskin and Harcourt LLP has launched a matter management hour arrangement, project management is a useful discipline on initiative and is in the process of developing the Oslers Project both fronts. We want to ensure that the hour that clients buy Management Guide Book, which will serve as the firm’s bible from us has the best value.” for legal project management.And Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Whatever the reason, this new approach is booming. continues to build on initiatives started 25 years ago in its trade- mark and patent practice. ‘Project management light’ Some observers say economic pressures are forcing law firms to What exactly is project management? Why is it generating so get serious about managing resources more efficiently.“The adop- much buzz? Ask Seattle-based-guru Steven Levy. He’s the prin- tion of project management is driven mainly by the pressure toward cipal of Lexician, a project management and technology consul- alternative-fee arrangements,” says Paul Easton, managing director tancy and the author of the first book published on this topic. ALENA GEDEONOVA (Asia) for Global Colleague, a legal project management firm.“As He coined the term “Legal Project Management,” which is also corporations begin to demand alternative-fee arrangements,project the name of his book. According to Levy, project management 20 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SUMMER 2010