Legal project management (LPM) is a method based on decades of commercial experience designed to plan, budget, execute, monitor and control a legal engagement (litigation or transactional). LPM methodologies provide a client with a predictable cost while maintaining profitability for the law firm. This course will review the evolution and ethical implications of legal billing practices and will evaluate common complaints by clients at the various stages of the engagement which have led to the “new normal” in legal billing. These concepts will form the baseline for a study of legal project management, alternative fee arrangements and innovative legal pricing models. Students will develop the skills and techniques to develop the scope of the engagement, define the tasks to be completed, identify time and cost constraints, develop pricing arrangements and budgets, select appropriate resources and manage a team in the successful completion of legal engagements. Students will utilize current web based technology which can monitor performance, execute the project plan, manage financial objectives and improve processes of legal service delivery. Enrollment limited. [2]
