LAW DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE
To ensure that a law department is working at peak efficiency, it must be aligned internally within the department on a number of key factors and externally with the strategic needs of the executives and business units it serves, as well as with the company as a whole.
Altman Weil’s experts will work with you to align these key elements in your law department:
Organizational Structure
We will help you configure your department to coincide closely with the unique needs of your corporation, its executives, and the strategic business units of the company.
Staffing Levels
Altman Weil consultants will assist in determining the right mix of professional, support and paralegal personnel to get work done at the appropriate levels in the department and to ensure optimal service delivery.
Inside/Outside Mix
Determining how much legal work outside counsel should handle and how much should be kept in-house is a key ingredient to success. We’ll give you the tools, knowledge and assistance to work through the decision process.
Client Service
We will help you enhance your client relationships by improving internal communications, articulating service level agreements, developing preventive law programs, gathering client input and conducting client surveys.
Leadership
Leadership can be exhibited at every level of the law department, in formal positions, on projects and with clients. We’ll assist you in clarifying formal leadership roles, creating training and development opportunities, providing leadership coaching and identifying potential future leaders.
Management Tools
We’ll help you develop tools for appropriate workload allocation, delegation structure and reporting relationships, as well as effective performance management systems.
Our methodology includes:
Performance Reviews
Our consultants will work with you on a comprehensive assessment of your department’s management structures, processes and systems.
Benchmarking
We will help you evaluate your performance metrics against comparable law departments using quantitative and qualitative benchmarking data. We also can conduct customized, industry-specific, issue-specific or peer-company benchmarking studies to further focus and refine your performance assessment.
Best Practices
Our experts will work with you to identify best practices for your department, guided by industry standards and incorporating the particular realities of your organization.
How You Benefit
Your department will dramatically improve its efficiency, effectiveness, and ability to provide the highest quality of service to the corporation. You will reduce unnecessary expense, improve the morale of your lawyers, and increase the confidence and support of your clients.