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Introducing a successful quality assurance system usually requires profound changes in how people think about their work, how they interact with each other and clients, and how they prioritize and deliver legal services. It can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for sustainable success in a competitve environment that has very little tolerance for poor service quality.

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Slogans and strategic plans do not build a quality culture in a law firm.

Actions do.

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The most productive investment a law firm can make is in the continuing professional education of its people.

W. Edwards Deming’s Thirteenth Point of quality management, "Encourage Education and Self-Improvement for Everyone," holds profound relevance for law firms. In a profession defined by its adherence to precedent and its response to evolving legal landscapes, the emphasis on continuous learning becomes not just an asset, but a necessity.

This is the fourteenth of a series of articles on the importance to law firms of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points of quality management.

Thomas Eakins, Oarsmen on the Schuylkill (1874)(

Most law firms talk a lot about their "professional quality."

Most of them also unwittingly obstruct it.

W. Edwards Deming's Twelfth Point of quality management, "Remove Barriers to Pride of Workmanship," is essential for law firms that honestly want to excel in an increasingly competitive and demanding legal landscape. By identifying and dismantling the barriers that prevent legal professionals from taking pride in their work, law firms can unlock a higher level of employee satisfaction and commitment, leading to superior service, client satisfaction, and overall firm success.

This is the thirteenth in a series of sixteen articles that explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Old paradigms about how to measure performance might be preventing, rather than motivating, your law firm's success. 

This is the twelfth in a series of sixteen articles that explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Empty slogans, exhortations to work harder, and irrelevant "best practices" are not only ineffective; they often are counterproductive. 

They do not promote clarity. Instead, most people are left to wander in the fog, from data point to data point, without understanding where they are going or why.

This is the eleventh in a series of sixteen articles that explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Is your law firm an integrated professional business or a collection of fiefdoms?

This is the tenth in a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Law firm leaders must foster environments in which everyone feels secure and valued. 

This is the ninth in a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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The legal services industry is awash in advice about leadership. How can Deming's Seventh Point build better leadership in law firms?

This is the eighth in a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Training is not just a nice fringe benefit in law firms. It is an essential investment.

This is the seventh of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

To remain competitive and profitable in today's legal services market, law firms need to continuously improve how they work.

This is the sixth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Quality and long-term value are usually more important than low price.

Don't forget to share this message with your clients.

This is the fifth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

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Quality should not be an afterthought.

This is the fourth of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

Oarsmen on the Schuykill by Thomas Eakins (1844-1916)

The second challenge in W. Edward Deming's Fourteen Points is Adopt the New Philosophy.  It is particularly relevant in today's legal services industry, especially as many traditional law firms try to build and sustain a collaborative and productive workplace culture.

This is the third of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

How can law firms succeed long-term without being distracted the squalls and storms of a fast-changing market for legal services?

This is the second of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

Quality service, not price, rankings, or size, is what will differentiate successful law from from those that merely survive the 2020s.

Delivering the best quality legal services is a sincere aspiration of almost every law firm. For most fof them, however, the word quality is little more than a slogan on their websites.

This is the first of a series of sixteen articles that will explore the relevance and, for some law firms the existential importance, of W. Edwards Deming's Fourteen Points, especially for small and midsize law firms.

...then apply the techology.

If you apply technology -- even artificial intelligence -- to a flawed work process, you will only make mistakes and lose money faster.

In today's highly competitive markets for legal service, it is service quality, not technical expertise, that will differentiate your law firm from your equally well-qualified competitors.

Artificial intelligence will never be a substitute for quality management, but it can provide powerful diagnostic tools and methods to build sustainable quality into every aspect of your practice. 

In an increasingly competitive legal market, law firms must constantly adapt and evolve to stay ahead. While many firms focus on expanding their client base, increasing billable hours, or adopting the latest technology, a crucial factor in determining long-term success lies in effective quality management of internal work processes. 

Everyone knows that good leaders are also great communicators,  but what specific communications skills are critical to effective leadership in a law firm environment?

As part of our ongoing research and experimentation with ChatGPT-4, we asked our chatbot. Here is a transcript of the conversation.