To remain competitive and profitable in today's legal services market, law firms need to continuously improve how they work.

This is the sixth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

iStock image licensed to Walker Clark LLC

Quality and long-term value are usually more important than low price.

Don't forget to share this message with your clients.

This is the fifth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

iStock image licensed to Walker Clark LLC

Quality should not be an afterthought.

This is the fourth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

Oarsmen on the Schuykill by Thomas Eakins (1844-1916)

The second challenge in W. Edward Deming's Fourteen Points is Adopt the New Philosophy.  It is particularly relevant in today's legal services industry, especially as many traditional law firms try to build and sustain a collaborative and productive workplace culture.

This is the third of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

How can law firms succeed long-term without being distracted the squalls and storms of a fast-changing market for legal services?

This is the second of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

Quality service, not price, rankings, or size, is what will differentiate successful law from from those that merely survive the 2020s.

Delivering the best quality legal services is a sincere aspiration of almost every law firm. For most fof them, however, the word quality is little more than a slogan on their websites.

This is the first of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

...then apply the techology.

If you apply technology -- even artificial intelligence -- to a flawed work process, you will only make mistakes and lose money faster.

In today's highly competitive markets for legal service, it is service quality, not technical expertise, that will differentiate your law firm from your equally well-qualified competitors.

Artificial intelligence will never be a substitute for quality management, but it can provide powerful diagnostic tools and methods to build sustainable quality into every aspect of your practice. 

In an increasingly competitive legal market, law firms must constantly adapt and evolve to stay ahead. While many firms focus on expanding their client base, increasing billable hours, or adopting the latest technology, a crucial factor in determining long-term success lies in effective quality management of internal work processes. 

Everyone knows that good leaders are also great communicators,  but what specific communications skills are critical to effective leadership in a law firm environment?

As part of our ongoing research and experimentation with ChatGPT-4, we asked our chatbot. Here is a transcript of the conversation.

In a quality-driven professional culture, leadership takes on a unique and important role. Quality-driven law firms focus on delivering high-quality products and services to their clients, "the first time and every time," and effective leadership is essential in achieving this goal.