A Committee Approach to the Bottom Line

As a managing partner, or as a member of a firm's Management Committee, consideration should be given to the benefits that other employees' contribution of time, talent and interest can make in achieving the firm's goals and profitability. Whenever feasible, consider creating several committees to study firm issues, rather than hiring a salaried professional, department manager/director or outsourcing to an expensive, disinterested consultant. It's amazing what research can be brought to the table for discussion by caring, involved parties.

While some firms struggle to make amenable decisions about how firm or departmental mergers can work, much can be accomplished by putting delegates of the affected parties together as a committee to find their own solutions.

An A La Carte Committee Menu

Depending on the size of your firm, some committee ideas for lightening the management load include:

• Personnel. The workplace and firm policy clarification group.
• Technology. Firms with 10 or more lawyers either have or should have a formal technology committee. Include all levels of users. Consider all communication devices and materials, from typewriters to PDAs, and their impact on client satisfaction.
• Events. This group coordinates all firm events to reduce lost productive time. Consider using a public electronic calendar or Web page for announcements.
• Knowledge Base/Library. Reduce overhead by developing more current, efficient ways to share information and reduce storage and duplication costs.
• Ethics and Risk Management. Helps others to understand 'why' acts, conditions, laws and relationships that can jeopardize firm employees and its clients.
• Pro Bono and Scholarship. Enhances the firm's visibility through community involvement, financial support, fundraising and volunteer efforts. Legal and support staff can all be part of this development.
• Committee on Diversity. Enables the firm to bring a broader perspective to the problems its clients face, achieve a higher quality of work, and enrich the work atmosphere itself.
• Client relations. Find ways to ease client concerns, build relationships, generate positive firm publicity, develop a 'whole firm' support mentality and a discernible, 'return on investment' confidence.

Define, Outline and Review

Can some of these committees overlap? If they are well conceived, they can. Nevertheless, provisions for authority, governance (have a Roberts Rules of Order on hand!), personnel inclusion/exclusion policies and efficient objective execution need to be clearly defined and communicated. Consider the following 10 implementation suggestions:

1. For each committee, develop a charter or vision/mission statement and diversity statement, including confidentiality considerations.

2. If the committee is to be long-standing, require an annual review/report of progress or lapses.

3. What is to be the make up of the committee? Does it need a chairperson, a facilitator or simply a chosen communicator? Does the committee require an odd number of 'voters' in case of a tie? Will the committee rule by simple majority or consensus? Does the committee decide these self-governance rules or does the managing partner/executive committee make these distinctions? Is there value in having some of the committees annually elected by firm members?

4. Decide on who is the ultimate decision making authority. Do all committee recommendations need to be submitted to the managing partner or Executive Committee for action?

5. Does a committee's function have budget considerations? Are there limits to annual amounts? Event amounts? Contract amounts?

6. Time frames for many committee activities need to be clearly defined. Not only does this positively impact firm productivity, it can eliminate employee dissatisfaction with the process and lend credibility to management's commitment to resolve issues swiftly.

7. Do committee task assignments get publicized? If yes, are they publicized internally, externally or both? While this activity can achieve great publicity and networking for the firm and the committee, so does it also invite 'schmoozers' and time consuming outside solicitation.

8. What about those 'back row people' or committee members whose meeting attendance or involvement is consistently sub-par? Have rules been established for replacement of members that cannot honor their commitments? If not, what is the escalation process to keep a committee's goals on track?

9. Does there need to be a legal review process prior to committee suggestion implementation? If so, the review time needs to be built (and publicized) into the deployment timeline.

10. It is a good idea to occasionally ga-ther together all committee chairs so that they may engage in activity sharing or roadblock counseling. This scheduled event facilitates progress reporting, eliminates duplication of effort, gives committee responsibility ambiguities a better definition and acts as a springboard for new discussions at subsequent committees meetings.

Expect Good Things

The benefits of a committee management approach are far reaching. Not only do firm employees gain satisfaction from being 'heard' (if ideas are cooperatively developed and presented as a group effort), it also eliminates the single 'bad person' decision maker in the organization.

Above all, avoid the 'secret committee' perception. If a committee must confront sensitive or confidential information, don't try to hide the meetings. Executive sessions are to be expected and respected, if they are outlined in a committee's original charter.

Firms that embrace a committee culture need to include information on committee membership when recruiting new firm employees. New hires should be encouraged to become involved in the process.

The Final Responsibility Factor

Consider also the tasks that are not suited to committee work. Is the decision to invite new firm partners best left in the hands of a (non-executive) committee? Is this a place that firm management can seclude themselves from decision-making responsibilities? Sometimes the responsible person(s) just need to step forward. Committees certainly should not decide the firm's client list. In that same vein, there are times when firm employees need to respect the overriding decisions of firm management. Those overriding decisions, if they are to be taken into account in future committee work, hopefully include explanations.

For those readers who think that a firm committee approach may be a good idea for everyone in the firm except partners, attorneys, associates, paralegals, administrative staff, support staff or maintenance workers ' think again! Client satisfaction and firm profitability is a team effort. Firm members need to be concerned about the matters down the hall as well as the matters on their own desks. Interacting with a diverse group of committee members whose expertise crosses boundaries, benefits everyone, especially the firm's clients. Satisfied clients keep the firm in business.

Managing a small, medium or large law firm can be a daunting task, especially when piled on top of legal practice responsibilities. The combination of time, tasks, politics and personalities can seem overwhelming as firm managers strive to consider: 'What values are most important to clients?' as part of an overall firm management approach.

The key to overcoming these pressures and competing effectively is a strategy of innovation and differentiation. Developing and implementing that strategy requires building a solid foundation first. Moving forward with style, conscience and confidence necessitates a shared commitment to building a firm's reputation and recognizing a common purpose. These actions need not be accomplished alone.

Engage the Talents of Others in the Firm

As a managing partner, or as a member of a firm's Management Committee, consideration should be given to the benefits that other employees' contribution of time, talent and interest can make in achieving the firm's goals and profitability. Whenever feasible, consider creating several committees to study firm issues, rather than hiring a salaried professional, department manager/director or outsourcing to an expensive, disinterested consultant. It's amazing what research can be brought to the table for discussion by caring, involved parties.

While some firms struggle to make amenable decisions about how firm or departmental mergers can work, much can be accomplished by putting delegates of the affected parties together as a committee to find their own solutions.

An A La Carte Committee Menu

Depending on the size of your firm, some committee ideas for lightening the management load include:

• Personnel. The workplace and firm policy clarification group.
• Technology. Firms with 10 or more lawyers either have or should have a formal technology committee. Include all levels of users. Consider all communication devices and materials, from typewriters to PDAs, and their impact on client satisfaction.
• Events. This group coordinates all firm events to reduce lost productive time. Consider using a public electronic calendar or Web page for announcements.
• Knowledge Base/Library. Reduce overhead by developing more current, efficient ways to share information and reduce storage and duplication costs.
• Ethics and Risk Management. Helps others to understand 'why' acts, conditions, laws and relationships that can jeopardize firm employees and its clients.
• Pro Bono and Scholarship. Enhances the firm's visibility through community involvement, financial support, fundraising and volunteer efforts. Legal and support staff can all be part of this development.
• Committee on Diversity. Enables the firm to bring a broader perspective to the problems its clients face, achieve a higher quality of work, and enrich the work atmosphere itself.
• Client relations. Find ways to ease client concerns, build relationships, generate positive firm publicity, develop a 'whole firm' support mentality and a discernible, 'return on investment' confidence.

Define, Outline and Review

Can some of these committees overlap? If they are well conceived, they can. Nevertheless, provisions for authority, governance (have a Roberts Rules of Order on hand!), personnel inclusion/exclusion policies and efficient objective execution need to be clearly defined and communicated. Consider the following 10 implementation suggestions:

1. For each committee, develop a charter or vision/mission statement and diversity statement, including confidentiality considerations.

2. If the committee is to be long-standing, require an annual review/report of progress or lapses.

3. What is to be the make up of the committee? Does it need a chairperson, a facilitator or simply a chosen communicator? Does the committee require an odd number of 'voters' in case of a tie? Will the committee rule by simple majority or consensus? Does the committee decide these self-governance rules or does the managing partner/executive committee make these distinctions? Is there value in having some of the committees annually elected by firm members?

4. Decide on who is the ultimate decision making authority. Do all committee recommendations need to be submitted to the managing partner or Executive Committee for action?

5. Does a committee's function have budget considerations? Are there limits to annual amounts? Event amounts? Contract amounts?

6. Time frames for many committee activities need to be clearly defined. Not only does this positively impact firm productivity, it can eliminate employee dissatisfaction with the process and lend credibility to management's commitment to resolve issues swiftly.

7. Do committee task assignments get publicized? If yes, are they publicized internally, externally or both? While this activity can achieve great publicity and networking for the firm and the committee, so does it also invite 'schmoozers' and time consuming outside solicitation.

8. What about those 'back row people' or committee members whose meeting attendance or involvement is consistently sub-par? Have rules been established for replacement of members that cannot honor their commitments? If not, what is the escalation process to keep a committee's goals on track?

9. Does there need to be a legal review process prior to committee suggestion implementation? If so, the review time needs to be built (and publicized) into the deployment timeline.

10. It is a good idea to occasionally ga-ther together all committee chairs so that they may engage in activity sharing or roadblock counseling. This scheduled event facilitates progress reporting, eliminates duplication of effort, gives committee responsibility ambiguities a better definition and acts as a springboard for new discussions at subsequent committees meetings.

Expect Good Things

The benefits of a committee management approach are far reaching. Not only do firm employees gain satisfaction from being 'heard' (if ideas are cooperatively developed and presented as a group effort), it also eliminates the single 'bad person' decision maker in the organization.

Above all, avoid the 'secret committee' perception. If a committee must confront sensitive or confidential information, don't try to hide the meetings. Executive sessions are to be expected and respected, if they are outlined in a committee's original charter.

Firms that embrace a committee culture need to include information on committee membership when recruiting new firm employees. New hires should be encouraged to become involved in the process.

The Final Responsibility Factor

Consider also the tasks that are not suited to committee work. Is the decision to invite new firm partners best left in the hands of a (non-executive) committee? Is this a place that firm management can seclude themselves from decision-making responsibilities? Sometimes the responsible person(s) just need to step forward. Committees certainly should not decide the firm's client list. In that same vein, there are times when firm employees need to respect the overriding decisions of firm management. Those overriding decisions, if they are to be taken into account in future committee work, hopefully include explanations.

For those readers who think that a firm committee approach may be a good idea for everyone in the firm except partners, attorneys, associates, paralegals, administrative staff, support staff or maintenance workers ' think again! Client satisfaction and firm profitability is a team effort. Firm members need to be concerned about the matters down the hall as well as the matters on their own desks. Interacting with a diverse group of committee members whose expertise crosses boundaries, benefits everyone, especially the firm's clients. Satisfied clients keep the firm in business.