An Interview With Deborah Gordon, Law Firm Efficiency Expert

Today we are interviewing Deborah Gordon, a health law expert and partner at the full service law firm, Seyfarth Shaw. Deborah is one of the most innovative law firm attorneys I have met, and is on the cutting edge in using advanced management techniques taken from the non-legal corporate world to spur efficiency in the legal arena.

Please tell me a bit about your firm and your practice area.

Seyfarth Shaw (“Seyfarth”) has approximately 750 lawyers practicing in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Brussels, Belgium.  As a full-service law firm, Seyfarth provides a broad range of legal services, including Labor & Employment, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Corporate & Finance, Tax, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, and Litigation.  I am the Vice-Chair of the Corporate Department and I Co-Chair the firm’s Health Care Practice Group.  My practice is focused on general business transactions, such as finance transactions and acquisitions, as well as regulatory and compliance matters.

Your firm is the only one I am aware of in the legal field that boasts substantial experience in Six Sigma, Lean and process improvement. Why is this the case?

About five years ago, Seyfarth invested in learning about and integrating Six Sigma and Lean principles at the encouragement of a few clients.  We invested in training and were impressed with what we learned.  We decided that Lean Six Sigma was the best approach for our firm and realized it could have significant impact for our firm and our clients if we applied it to our service delivery model.

We also understood that the traditional application of these principles was not something that easily applied to the legal services delivery model.  We spent several years tailoring the approach to fit legal services, an approach we now call SeyfarthLean.  Today, we have 75 in-house certified Green Belts and we have applied SeyfarthLean in every practice throughout the firm to deliver quality and efficiency that also delivered client cost savings ranging from 15–50%.  I received my Green Belt in 2006 and have utilized Lean Six Sigma principles in both internal and client projects.

What are some examples of how you’ve assisted clients in their processes that one does not normally find in the typical legal representation?

One is process mapping.  Process mapping is a critical exercise in our SeyfarthLean approach that lays the foundation for increased efficiencies, reduced costs, and other desired outcomes.  A process map lays out, step by step, the process followed in handling certain types of matters.  Each stage is broken down into individual tasks.  Using historical matter data, we take a look at the typical timekeepers and estimated time taken to perform tasks.  We then critique that process, and identify ways we can be more efficient and cost-effective.  Areas that are driving the wrong results—inefficiencies, higher costs—are re-engineered and a new process is created.   We have applied process mapping throughout our practice areas to develop best practices for the benefit of our clients.  Most typical legal engagements are not as data and process driven.

The second is project management.  We worked closely with a client to develop an extensive and detailed plan for organizing, structuring and approaching the project.  Leveraging the skills of one of Seyfarth’s client-facing project managers, our team partnered with the client to review organizational structure, critical path and resource accountabilities while establishing effective reporting protocols.  We then participated with the client in presenting the project plan, goals and the implementation strategy to multiple team leads across many different workstreams.

What initiatives are going on at your firm in the area of knowledge management and associate training and development?

As we apply SeyfarthLean, we continually seek ways to improve our ability to collaborate with and enhance communication internally and with our clients, as well as more efficiently provide services.  One outcome of that is advanced knowledge management tools, including SeyfarthConnect, our internet-based client services information system.  Through SeyfarthConnect, clients gain real time access to information that is pertinent to our work, including documents, budget, correspondence, calendars, schedules, discussions and almost anything related to specific clients or matters.  Furthermore, our team relies on it as a robust knowledge management tool that helps them access information more quickly and effectively to more efficiently work on client matters.  We have employed similar, internal databases of documents and resources to aid in knowledge management.

With respect to training, we are in the process of training all of our attorneys and staff on SeyfarthLean in 2010.  Many of our attorneys have already been trained.  The training includes an overview of Lean Six Sigma and the DMAIC process (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control) that we use to drive efficient, high-quality solutions for our clients.  We also regularly engage in practice development training and CLE programs for associates.  In the Corporate Department, for example, we are concluding a year-long program of the anatomy of a deal, providing a detailed focused of an M&A deal.  We are planning a continuation of that program into 2011 with the focus on financing transactions.

Do you find that your unique approach better positions your firm in the new alternative fees environment?

SeyfarthLean provides us a unique platform on which to provide alternative fees.  It allows us to base alternative fees on a true understanding of the costs involved in providing services in the most efficient manner, through extensive data analysis and our historical experience providing those services.  Additionally, it provides clients the assurance that when we offer them a flat fee, we are not simply pushing the work down to the most junior staff available.  Our flat fee offerings, for example, are based on right-sized staffing models that drive the greatest result and value for our clients.  Because of this, we have had success with predictable alternative fees.

Thank you, Deborah.