Final Report – Law Firm Practice Management Pilot Project 2017

June 23, 2017

The Prairie Law Societies conducted a pilot project in 2017 to test a new resource that would help firms assess the robustness of their practice management systems and firm culture. The Law Firm Practice Management Assessment Tool (the “Assessment Tool”) helps a firm recognize its strengths and provides things to consider where opportunities for improvement are identified.

The expected outcomes of the pilot project were to (1) to test the functionality of the Assessment Tool, and (2) to determine how the Assessment Tool could be used collaboratively between firms and the Law Society to ensure sound practice management systems are in place. Pilot Project participants were identified by randomly selecting firms of various sizes throughout the province so to provide a representative sample of Saskatchewan firms. Those firms were invited to voluntarily participate in the Pilot Project. Ultimately, 22 Saskatchewan firms participated. A similar process was followed in Alberta and Manitoba.

Participating firms were asked to designate a representative who would be the point person for the Pilot Project. The designated representative’s task was to ensure the firm undertook the self-assessment process using the Assessment Tool. The designated representative was asked to do the following:

• Report to the Law Society things that the firm is doing well and identify areas for improvement,
• Complete an evaluation of the Assessment Tool, and
• Conduct an exit interview about their experience.

The Assessment Tool places a focus on the firm as a whole as the systems, norms, and culture of a firm greatly influence conduct and overall practice of its lawyers. By design, the Assessment Tool is intended as a self evaluation mechanism as well as a convenient source of best practice resources. The content of the Assessment Tool is designed to help firms examine ways to best serve their clients, their lawyers, and their employees. This, in effect, fosters public protection through ethical, efficient practice and good business practices.

The ultimate goal of this project was to foster a more collaborative relationship between the Law Society and its members, including firms, and to help lawyers and firms manage risk so that the likelihood of conduct leading to a complaint or negligence is minimized. The feedback received from the Pilot was extremely informative and crucial to the determinations the Benchers have made about the assessment process. Overall, the feedback about the Assessment Tool was positive but there were aspects of the Assessment Tool and the overall assessment process that required some fine-tuning. The Prairie Law Societies worked together to develop a final regulatory framework and to refine the Assessment Tool based on the feedback received from the pilot project participants.