Law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP has embedded a resource allocation approach alongside a software platform, in its corporate and finance practices in London, following a successful six month pilot.

The new system will enable the firm to assign matters to lawyers based on their expertise and experience, as well as their work capacity, improving the balance of utilisation of lawyers across the practices. The system is central to the firm's Diversity and Inclusion strategy, as it supports equality of opportunity in the distribution of work. It also enables lawyers to be identified by their interests so that work can be aligned with the individuals who most want to get involved.

“Fair, effective work allocation is not only fundamental to the firm being able to provide its clients with a comprehensive service, it is an essential facet of having engaged and motivated people,” said Eifion Morris, chief executive, Stephenson Harwood. “This platform will not only help us align the experience and interests of our lawyers’ to new matters, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible support from individuals with the relevant background or sector expertise, it will also enable us to expose our lawyers to a broader range of work and help develop their skills and experience.”

The firm worked alongside legal resource management consultancy Mason & Cook, now part of BigHand, to help devise and implement the new approach, which includes the use of the Resource Management software platform. The technology underpins the approach and informs the decision making, allowing the firm to allocate matters to lawyers with capacity, ensuring better and more balanced utilisation across the practices.