Roses are red
Violets are blue
The war on piracy
Will never be through

Legal project management is one of the more recent trends to affect the practice of law. Whether it is a passing fad, as its detractors dismiss, or here to stay, as its advocates would like, its implementation in law firms will ultimately depend on their clients’ will to have files managed according to project management principles. Clients, however, are unlikely to request this unless they perceive a direct link between LPM and the bottom line. Until LPM addresses pricing, budgets, and fees, the merits of Gantt charts, work breakdown structures, and communication plans will largely remain ignored.

A few months ago, I bought myself an iPad2. At first, I thought I would be using it primarily as my e-reader. However, as I started to become more familiar with the device, I realized it also had serious potential of being an effective and powerful tool in my law practice.

In keeping with this column’s intent of delivering practical sensible commentary/solutions to issues currently facing law firm management, I shared last month that I had invited a few folks to write on topics they were both passionate and knowledgeable about and this month’s column is the first one.

My January column was all about how to work. This month, I’ve been thinking a lot about how not to work (well, at scheduled intervals throughout the year). I’m taking my first official vacation as an associate this month, and I imagine many other first years have some winter holiday time booked, too. I took a few days off at Christmas, but was in town and worked as necessary. This time I’m headed out of the country for some fun in the sun. This column is all about how I’m learning to take vacation and make it count.