Do you remember the end of the iconic movie, Revenge of the Nerds, when Lewis takes the mic from Gilbert and suggests that more of us are nerds than jocks? The pretty cheerleader exclaims she’s a nerd too; most of the crowd joins Lewis, Gilbert and his nerd fraternity brothers in an effort to end nerd persecution, and the familiar strains of “We are the Champions” begin to play. Well, that cinematic moment was one of the formative experiences of my youth (I didn’t get out much) and it came to mind when I was thinking about ACC’s new Value Champions program, our new initiative to identify and celebrate law department and law firm leaders who incorporate value practices into their legal projects.
I’ve paid my dues/Time after time
I’ve done my sentence/But committed no crime
And bad mistakes/I’ve made a few/I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I’ve come through
Three years ago, ACC challenged the legal community to embrace value practices that are commonplace in every service industry, save one. While we heard some folks sing their hosannas, there were, and still are, folks who believe that the legal services industry can remain the same and still meet client expectations. Like the dinosaurs that were unaware of the meteor, the firms and law departments that continue with the old business model will not find the future climate hospitable. Wait a sec. Wrong analogy. Like the jocks who thought that they would continue to rule the campus on their terms. Sorry about that.
But, like Lewis and his new self-proclaimed nerd supporters, those of us implementing change are in a growing group. In fact, outside and inside counsel who focus on value practices, such as effective project management, value-driven fee arrangements and continuous improvement, are fast becoming the norm, not the exception. And, that’s what the Value Champions program is all about. We’d like to shine a spotlight on them, so that the world can see their accomplishments and learn from them.
I’ve taken my bows/And my curtain calls/You brought me fame and fortune and everything that goes with it/I thank you all
But it’s been no bed of roses/No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole human race/And I ain’t gonna lose
Of course, some value practices are easier than others. Some of them require the simple application of business principles from other industries. And, we want to identify and celebrate individuals who have employed those practices, because we believe their accomplishments can be replicated by our members and the rest of the legal community. But, of course, some projects are harder, more complex and more frustrating at times, because the ideas animating them are so novel. Think of the nerds’ effort to beat the jocks in the fraternity competition. So, we’d like to celebrate innovative strategies as well. If you’ve tried something novel or something more garden-variety, please let us know about it. Our only requirement is that the submitted project has reduced legal spend, increased predictability and/or reduced the unwelcome types of legal issues confronted by the company over time.
We are the champions – my friends/And we’ll keep on fighting – ‘til the end
We are the champions/We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions – of the world
Our deadline for submission is March 15, 2012. If you’re in the legal community and you’ve ever cared about value enough to incorporate it into your day-to-day practice, turn up the volume on Freddie Mercury’s classic and join us and submit a nomination form. The legal services industry just won’t meet client expectations until value persecution ends. We look forward to hearing from you.