Delegation of legal work is not easy.  To ensure a significant return on investment, it must be planned and managed using supervision and documentation methods specific to each practice area.  It must also incorporate the special needs and characteristics of quality assurance and risk management in legal practice.  Walker Clark will work with practice departments in the firm to delegate substantial amounts of legal work while maintaining and, eventually, improving quality and reducing risk.  The members of the department gain knowledge, skills, and practical experience which they can apply to other significant client service processes with little or no additional investment.

Delegation and Quality Assurance centers around actual work -- what we refer to as a "demonstration project."  A senior Walker Clark consultant, who is also a lawyer, advises, facilitates, and assists a team of partners, associates, and other fee earners to plan and manage a substantial delegation of fee-earning legal work.  As part of the process, we also establish quality assurance procedures and performance measurements to produce an even better impact on profitability.

Delegation and Quality Assurance delivers clear, measurable direct benefits to the firm:

• Partners and other senior lawyers have more time for business development and higher value client work.

• High-volume legal work can be produced by lower-paid lawyers and fee earners, producing greater profitability.

• Professional responsibility costs decrease.

• The participants quickly develop skills, knowledge, and experience necessary to manage the delegation of other legal work, usually without outside consulting assistance.

We also offer a custom-designed version of Delegation and Quality Assurance for corporate legal departments.

Who should participate?

Delegation and Quality Assurance is a group program.  To obtain the best results, all fee-earners in a practice group or team should participate together.  Partner participation and leadership is especially critical to success.  Some firms prefer to have their first experience with Delegation and Quality Assurance in relatively small practice groups, typically with fewer than ten fee earners.

Next steps

To discuss opportunities for improved profitability through better delegation, contact Norman Clark by e-mail or by telephone at 1.239.466.8370.

Click here to learn about other Walker Clark Core Business Skills Development programs.