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Most important factor in value by law firms: staffing and distribution of work on a matter

A presentation by a lawyer from TD Bank Financial Group explains that the Group measures the value obtained from outside counsel by their rates, their efficiency, and their “file management,” which “is the single most important factor.”

File (matter) management concerns how a law firm staffs a matter and how work is distributed among those who work on the matter (See my posts of 2005: Aug. 21 on research into the use of paralegals; Nov. 8 on the number of timekeepers on a matter; Aug. 26 on measuring delegation to paralegals; Nov. 15 on timekeepers per firm; and March 28 about a rule of thumb of one lawyer and one paralegal tracking time on a matter.).

While I might mutter about giving “file management” pride of place among the techniques for delivering value, I certainly agree that who works on a matter and what role the person plays makes a huge