Stephen Poor and Lisa Damon Quoted in Corporate Counsel Article on United Technologies Corp. and SeyfarthLean
"Seven Sigma: United Technologies Is Taking Outside Counsel Management to the Next Level"

Stephen Poor and Lisa Damon were quoted and SeyfarthLean was featured in the December 2009 Corporate Counsel article, "Seven Sigma: United Technologies Is Taking Outside Counsel Management to the Next Level." The article discussed how Seyfarth Shaw works with United Technologies Corporation (UTC) by employing Lean Six Sigma methodologies to deliver legal services more efficiently and more transparently. The article noted that about a year and a half ago, "United Technologies' lawyers found a firm as dedicated to tracking and eliminating internal inefficiencies as they are: Seyfarth Shaw. The firm is wedded to the principles of Six Sigma."  According to associate general counsel of UTC, Chester Paul Beach, "That's what distinguishes them [Seyfarth] from everybody who comes in and tries to sell us legal services." The article also explained that in a presentation by Seyfarth, the firm laid out in detail how they determined the fixed fee to handle employment litigation, and importantly to the client, they showed that they were dedicated to tracking and slashing inefficiencies in their own firm. The article noted that Seyfarth now handles almost all of UTC's single-plaintiff employment litigation under a three-tiered flat fee arrangement. Paul Beach added, "They were the first firm to come in and demonstrate to us that they were attempting to manage their internal production and efficiencies the way we continuously try to manage ours."

According to the article, Lisa noted that she and Paul Beach hit it off immediately when she explained how the firm analyzes its internal operations. Lisa explained, "I can remember him saying over and over again, 'I can't believe you're doing this. This is exactly what we need.'" For example, the article pointed out that Seyfarth uses a technique called process mapping to find out whether the right lawyers are handling matters at the right time or to find ways to reduce the costs of seeking summary judgments. The article noted that Seyfarth lawyers sit down with UTC's in-house lawyers and map out all the processes they will use to handle their legal matters, and the company gets regular data to review.

The article concluded with a quote from Steve, which noted that the legal industry as a whole is in a hybrid world of alternative fees and billable hours, and Seyfarth is seeking ways to ensure that efficiency and quality are incentivized. Steve explained, "We are not at our destination. But we are further down the road than most firms."