publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/754134
16 WWW.ILTANET.ORG | ILTA WHITE PAPER POTPOURRI Maer Budgets Maer: A Case Study You Can Take to the Bank Develop a budget template and tool that would standardize and estimate fees for a range of maers handled for the client Obtain consensus from aorneys who worked for the client across multiple offices Develop a consistent process for maer evaluation, estimation and communication to the client 1 2 3 Step 1: Develop a Template and Framework In 2012, our firm adopted the UTBMS phase and task codes, which provide high-quality data to assist in benchmarking our budget estimates. However, we had to distill the data into a format that could be used by our lawyers as a starting point. We developed nine maer types that would be used to identify budget standards within the client's new mandate. As we analyzed the underlying data, we focused on the duration of the maer, the mix of timekeepers, the cost per maer and the distribution of time across phase/task codes for all of the covered jurisdictions. What we identified provided the key components of information that enabled us to more deeply understand the reason for the client's mandate. Over a two-year period, the data demonstrated that we had an opportunity to improve the management of the client's cases across jurisdictions. The data showed us the client's per-maer spend was less systematic, less data-driven and more heavily skewed toward the experience of the individual lawyer and the team members who were available to manage the work. Although the firm produced outstanding outcomes for the client, the firm's spend was affected by variations in the mix of timekeepers per maer, the time to complete similar tasks, team makeup (which was based on availability rather than optimization) and efficiency. As we dug deeper into the data, we also discovered that some team leads were not good business managers of their cases; i.e., they had a high number of timekeepers that resulted in multiple associates and junior shareholders appearing on the maer. Our response to the client's budgeting exercise created an opportunity to not only meet the client's goal, but to also improve the consistency in our internal management of the client's maers. The data demonstrated that we had an opportunity to improve the management of the client's cases across jurisdictions.