Adopting Best Practices Doing Away with Castes

COLPM Annual Meeting (2003) Now Thats Provocative

Ron Friedmann Prism Legal Consulting, Inc.
September 13, 2003

You Are about to Take Off

You Are in an ICU

ICU Checklist Cuts Stay in Half

Simple checklist for doctors and nurses can cut ICU stay in half + save lives. Prior to checklist, there was no systematic way to ensure all steps were taken before moving a patient out of ICU. Things sometimes fell through the cracks." The checklist forces staff to remember to ask and answer all necessary questions.

Source: Wall Street Journal, 4 Aug 03

Take Away
Its hard to remember and coordinate tasks in complex settings Other professionals pilots and now doctors see value in checklists Checklists are based on studying the best process for accomplishing tasks

Law Practice Why the Mystique?

Why dont lawyers use checklists?

Formal or informal standards exist for written work product

Standards should be developed for the process of practicing

Empirically analyze the practice Identify best practices Codify Apply consistently

Whats Caste Got to Do With It?

Process > Routinization > Delegation

Checklists will likely identify tasks more economically performed by non-lawyers Lawyers need to take non-lawyers seriously

Create career paths Recognition Delegation to improve economics

Summary
Strip away the mystique of practice Identify best practices Routinize where possible Delegate to non-lawyers where possible

Better Value for Clients Better Lives for Lawyers