For Immediate Release
Lancaster, Pa. –While some law firms have only recently started to pay attention to process improvement, Barley Snyder started its Practice Excellence® program in 2008 and celebrated the 10th anniversary of its efficiency program in the spring.
Led by firm management, Practice Excellence® is a firm-wide and pervasive program of continuous improvement in the quality, service and knowledge it delivers to clients. The team members at Barley Snyder have studied and evaluated techniques utilized in other industries and Practice Excellence® represents their commitment to assure that the work they provide to their clients is distinguished by quality control and performance improvement processes. Carrying the slogan, “Accessible, Efficient Solutions,” Practice Excellence® can be compared to a combination of Lean and Six Sigma paired with various project management techniques. Lean Six Sigma is a recognized business strategy for increasing law firm efficiency, identifying and eliminating obstacles, lowering costs and improving the quality legal services.
Continuing its dedication to Practice Excellence®, the firm recently participated in an off-site Legal Project Management Workshop. With over 60 attorneys, paralegals and legal administrative professionals, this workshop was led by industry expert Carla Landry, a senior consultant with LawVision and a 20-year legal industry professional. She now advises law firms on a variety of financial, strategic, and operational issues. She is a certified “Yellow Belt” in “Lean Sigma/Process Improvement for Law Firms” and has worked with firms to identify cost savings opportunities through streamlining the delivery of legal services and improving existing processes.
“More than 60 of our professionals devoted a day to furthering our Lean Sigma processes, proving our commitment to continuous improvement,” Barley Snyder’s managing partner Jeff Lobach said. “This was time well spent and our teams came away with a number of innovative steps which can make our operations more efficient and client-centered.”
Partner Tim Dietrich, who was managing partner when the firm started Practice Excellence®, said the improvement process continues at the firm.
“We listen to our clients. In 2008 – before the recession – clients encouraged us to use the same process improvement and project management techniques that they were using in their businesses every day,” Barley Snyder partner Tim Dietrich said. “So, Practice Excellence® began in 2008, not as a catchphrase or marketing slogan, but first as an ongoing cultural transformation at the firm focused on process improvement and project management. The last 10 years have shown how much these improvements were and are still needed in legal services. Barley Snyder clients benefit every day from what we have learned and put into practice through our ongoing Practice Excellence® efforts.”
About Barley Snyder
Barley Snyder is a law firm based in central Pennsylvania with more than 90 attorneys practicing from offices located in Lancaster, York, Reading, Harrisburg, Malvern, Hanover and Gettysburg, Pa., and Hunt Valley, Md. The firm serves businesses, individuals and organizations in all major areas of civil law including: business, employment, immigration, employee benefits, finance & creditors’ rights, intellectual property, litigation, estate planning and administration, real estate, tax, construction, environment and energy, health care, education, municipal authority, and food and agribusiness. www.barley.com | @BarleySnyder
