Charlotte, NC— Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, a business law firm known for its corporate, litigation, environmental, tax, real estate, lending and public policy practices, held its second session of their internal “Mini-MBA” program, a yearlong initiative for its more than 200 attorneys and senior administration. This month’s program featured Catherine Alman MacDonagh, CEO and founder of the Legal Lean Sigma Institute.
A former corporate counsel and law firm marketing and business development professional, MacDonagh created the concept of applying the Lean and Six Sigma methodology to law firms. This process serves to improve their efficiency, processes and project management. In addition to providing consulting services and education for lawyers and legal departments, MacDonagh teaches at Suffolk Law School in Boston and the George Washington University Masters in Law Firm Management program in Washington, D.C.
According to MacDonagh, “Process improvement and project management is a powerful combination.” She goes on to explain, “Process improvement is the way we create and deliver our work to our clients. Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and best practices for an engagement. The language that resonates with clients today is process improvement and project management.”
MacDonagh provided more than 125 participants of the Parker Poe internal business education program with an introduction to project management and how it can be specifically applied in the legal profession. She spoke on process improvement and how to become more efficient, and in turn, mutually beneficial for attorneys and clients alike.
The “Mini-MBA” program at Parker Poe kicked off in April with an interactive session led by Timothy B. Corcoran on the economics of law and business development. The curriculum will include guest lectures and group dialogue which will be streamed live across Parker Poe’s seven offices throughout the Southeast to educate attorneys and senior administration on best practices for business. The program will continue next month with a session led by Will Hornsby, staff counsel of the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services, on “How to Have a Client Centric Practice: Ethics and Obligations in Today’s Current Legal Climate.”
“Our goal through this program is for our attorneys and business administration to become well-versed in the language of business, in addition to the skills and capabilities they already have in their legal practices,” said Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer Kristen Leis.
About Parker Poe
Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP has approximately 200 lawyers in seven offices located in major markets across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. The firm provides legal counsel to large commercial and public organizations on litigation, corporate and regulatory matters.