Mapping the relentlessly efficient law firm

During the past few decades, tens of thousands of companies have turned to the business process discipline of Six Sigma to streamline how they provide products and services, gaining efficiencies and saving money and time.

Led by BigLaw pioneers like Chicago-based SeyfarthShaw LLP, lawyers began exploring this territory about a decade ago and have ramped up their efforts since the Great Recession prompted their cost-cutting corporate clients to demand that they do so.

Lacking the same breadth and depth of staff infrastructure, smaller and midsized firms have not moved toward Six Sigma and business process improvement with the same alacrity. But if they can get past their initial hesitation and take on the guts of such initiatives, the step-by-step breakdowns of their business processes known as "process mapping," they stand to benefit at least as much, advocates say.

"Process mapping can work in all contexts, including a small firm, because what you're really trying to do is reduce inefficiency from a repetitive process," says Kim Fox of Seyfarth. "A small firm has plenty of processes that they do all the time - intake, conflicts checking, billing - all of those are things they do day in and day out that could definitely benefit from process mapping." Find out how to make it work for your firm in the August Illinois Bar Journal.