Legal Project Management and Traditional Legal Advice

As we have mentioned previously, legal project management (LPM) adapts project management strategies to the legal context. The most precise definition of a project is the one expressed by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

The difference between legal project management and traditional legal advice is framed by the way legal services are understood. In the traditional approach, law firms conceptualize work under a day-to-day strategy. In other words, activities and tasks are organized toward the repeated production of services, under the same compliance structure and institutionalized standards for carrying out those activities and tasks. Project management is the opposite, because it approaches the service through a project methodology. This means that the work is unique in itself, with a finite and determinable duration, specific assigned resources, and a set of specialized activities and tasks for achieving the initially established objectives. In summary, and based on PMI’s definition, legal services share two characteristics: 1) they are temporary, meaning they have a beginning and an end, and 2) each case is unique, and therefore something new.

The LPM approach described above views legal professionals as project managers who bring leadership and direction to their services. Understanding legal project management does not mean that the traditional process is wrong and LPM is right; they are simply different work approaches. The key is to become informed and expand knowledge in order to evaluate which work strategy is more convenient and effective, including the combination of both, with https://bit.ly/LPM2023Espanol, in order to obtain the best results. At Legal Project Management Partners, we train professionals in legal project management, contributing to the development and evolution of the profession through this methodology. Our next training will be offered in October 2023. You can find all the information at the following link: https://bit.ly/LPM2023Espanol. If you have any additional questions, you may contact us at 787-631-0212 or by email at manager@legalpmpartners.com.