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CCCA_V4No2_ProjMgmt-FIN.qxd:CCCA_V1No1_DriversSeat-FIN.qxd 4/29/10 4:26 PM Page 22 Cover Technology Group at BLG,was one of the driving forces behind patents are fairly predictable, unlike litigation, he points out. its application to the firm’s booming trademark and patent Three years ago, BLG launched a pilot effort to provide project practice. Twenty-five years ago, he says, one of his forward- management training to all partners involved in transaction thinking predecessors started to develop a database of every work. Letalik says the initiative taught the firm, that “one size trademark and patent file on a Tandy computer circa 1985.The does not fit all.” database stored all the details required to run an IP and trade- “Even the most complicated and least cookie-cutter tasks have mark agency practice. elements which can be performed more efficiently with the “The system allows us to run reports on similar files, look at application of project management oversight,” adds Letalik’s col- historical data,such as costs and workflow and go back to a client league Andrew Terrett, BLG’s national director of knowledge with a clear estimate,” Fritz explains. “We can monitor the management.Terrett notes that, increasingly, document review is progress of a patent or trademark application with a degree of being outsourced in large litigation files to document review detail few firms can match. As a result, the turnaround is much service providers, which aggressively market their project man- faster and the costs are lower.” agement acumen. What prompted the shift towards project management? “We had no choice,”Fritz contends.“Fixed-fees have existed in trade- Why now? mark and patent work for over 25 years. Plus we’ve had to com- Project management is not new. It has existed since the era when pete with other professionals such as patent agents and paralegals early civilizations built pyramids.As a formal discipline, however, doing the same work for much less.” Currently, about 60 per it was pioneered by U.S. manufacturing and construction compa- cent of trademark and patent work is performed at BLG on a nies more than 50 years ago. DuPont Corporation, the global fixed-fee basis, says Fritz. chemical giant, is credited with being one of the founders of the Market forces alone weren’t the only factor,however.Norman modern version of the discipline. In collaboration with Rand Letalik, a senior partner at BLG and chair of the professional Remington Corporation, DuPont developed the Critical Path development committee, suggests that trademark and patent Method (CPM) for managing plant maintenance projects in the applications are more amenable to project management than 1950s. So not surprisingly, DuPont was also one of the first cor- other practice areas.The procedures for filing for trademarks and porations to adapt project management principles to streamline its La montée de la gestion de projet De plus en plus de firmes canadiennes engagent des gérants de projets ou développent des plateformes de gestion. Est-ce l’arrivée de la facturation à taux fixe? rian Armstrong, c.r., est vendu aux Hoskin & Harcourt développe le Guide le projet démarré chez McCarthyTétrault Bmérites de la gestion de projet, parti- Osler de la gestion de projet, qui servira de est le fruit du désir pour une plus grande culièrement au moment où la pression bible en la matière. Et Borden Ladner prévisibilité, insiste le PDG de la firme, monte face aux budgets légaux. Fini le Gervais continue à construire sur des initia- Marc-André Blanchard. « Que vous soyez temps où les conseils et les avocats tives de gestion de projet démarrées il y a 25 dans une entente à frais fixes ou à heures généraux pouvaient aller voir le PDG ou le ans dans le cours de sa pratique de marques facturables, la gestion de projet est une directeur financier et dire : « Nous ne de commerce et de brevets. discipline utile, note-t-il. Nous voulons savons pas combien le dossier va coûter ni « L’adoption de la gestion de projet est nous assurer que les heures que le client combien de temps cela va prendre, mais poussée principalement par la pression nous achète ont la meilleure valeur. » écrivez-nous un chèque en blanc », dit ce qui monte pour des arrangements finan- vice-président directeur et avocat-conseil ciers alternatifs », estime Paul C. Easton, Quatre étapes de Bruce Power LP. directeur général de Global Colleague, Steven Levy, basé à Seattle, est considéré Quelques firmes nationales sont engagées une firme spécialisée dans cette pratique. comme le gourou de la gestion de projet. dans cette voie. McCarthyTétrault en trace Mais les cabinets de juristes ont une Il est le directeur de Lexican, une firme les repères sur des feuillets Excel. Osler, autre explication : la motivation derrière de consultants dans le domaine, et est 22 CCCA Canadian Corporate Counsel Association SUMMER 2010