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innovation

Legal Project Management

SmartPaTH Plus redefines how legal work gets done. Built on a sophisticated legal project management framework, it transforms complex matters into strategically designed, tightly managed engagements that deliver clarity, control and results. From the outset, we align on objectives, risks, milestones and success metrics.

We then architect a tailored work plan, staffing model and transparent budget, powered by data and proven processes. Throughout the engagement, we actively track performance, manage costs and adapt. Afterward, we evaluate outcomes and capture insights to drive continuous improvement.

The result is smarter execution, greater predictability and consistently stronger client outcomes.

Thompson Hine uses a formal, disciplined LPM process — a distinguishing factor, as many law firms have been slow to adopt the project management principles embraced by other professional services firms years ago.  A typical LPM-managed engagement includes four steps, each undertaken in partnership with the client:

  • Scope Definition — Defining the scope of the matter or engagement, including key dates, decision points, deliverables, risks and uncertainties, appropriate staffing, and accountabilities.
  • Detailed Work Plan and Budget Creation — Creating a comprehensive work plan and budget tied to the defined scope.
  • Progress Monitoring — Monitoring progress against the work plan and budget during the full course of the engagement.
  • Post-Engagement Review — Conducting a meaningful post-engagement review to capture lessons learned and efficiencies for subsequent engagements.

Thompson Hine has a dedicated Chief Practice Innovation Officer who oversees the development, implementation, and execution of the processes and tools that empower legal teams.  He works directly with clients upon request to foster LPM best practices within their own organizations.

  • Budget & Work Planning Tool — Thompson Hine’s proprietary Budget & Work Planning tool uses custom matter-type work plans to establish a breakdown of the work, estimate hours, assign resources to tasks, and formulate a budget.  Use of this tool typically reduces the time necessary to develop a realistic, detailed budget and work plan from days to, in some cases, hours.  The tool was built by the firm’s own application development team and monetizes work plans to help the firm negotiate fee arrangements.  It also models different staffing scenarios with various combinations of resources and costs, which are presented to clients in early planning discussions to jointly decide on the best approach.
  • Matter & Portfolio Management (MPM) Tool — The firm’s exclusive Matter & Portfolio Management tool ensures seamless communication and makes it easy to generate a wide variety of reports for monitoring the progress of a matter or an entire portfolio of matters. According to the Chief Practice Innovation Officer, the MPM tool provides reports showing metrics for an entire portfolio as well as for each acquisition, piece of litigation, or contract within the portfolio.
  • AI- and Machine Learning–Driven Budgeting Algorithm — Thompson Hine’s approach is powered by more than a decade of budgeting experience and proprietary technology, including a new AI- and machine learning–driven algorithm that analyzes over 12 years of client matter data housed in a robust data warehouse.  These tools refine cost projections and improve planning, budgeting, monitoring, and matter management, delivering increased predictability in legal spend and better alignment with client objectives.   The firm has mandated that its lawyers put together budgets for major matters including every business litigation and M&A matter undertaken, applying past data to predict the cost of new matters.
  • Centralized Financial Data Repository — The firm maintains a centralized, firmwide repository of financial data that uses uniform task codes across all firm matters, providing consistent data for financial analysis.  This enables comparison of expected effort for a particular engagement with prior similar matters at the phase and task level.
  • Historical Budgets and Budget Templates Library — Thompson Hine has built an extensive and growing library of historical budgets and budget templates customized for specific practice areas (e.g., Litigation, Business Restructuring, Corporate Transactions, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Real Estate) and matter types (e.g., commercial loan workouts, M&A transactions, product liability litigation, single-plaintiff employment litigation).
  • Workflow Process Mapping — The firm maps workflow processes to identify redundant steps, gaps, and opportunities to streamline, and establishes monitoring systems that correspond to mapped processes to ensure teams follow designated procedures.
  • Template Documents, Forms, and Toolkits — Thompson Hine creates template documents and forms that reflect best practices for each type of service and has developed an extensive library of toolkits and data-driven budgets customized for specific practice areas.  The SmartPaTH Plus advantage increases exponentially as lawyers’ collective experience and best practices are institutionalized to the benefit of all clients.
  • Client-Facing LPM Consulting — Thompson Hine’s Chief Practice Innovation Officer and the Practice Innovation Team work directly with clients upon request to foster LPM best practices within their own organizations.  This goes beyond simply applying LPM to the firm’s own engagements and positions Thompson Hine as a resource clients can draw on to improve their internal legal operations as well.
  • Innovation Survey Data Supporting LPM — Thompson Hine has commissioned four serial innovation surveys of in-house counsel to monitor developments in the corporate legal market and ensure its ongoing investments in innovation — including LPM — are relevant to client needs.  The survey data, combined with informal client feedback, guides the firm’s development of matter execution and matter management tools.