For years, disputes lawyers resisted Legal Project Management (LPM) – the idea being that “every dispute is different” and, by extension, hard to manage consistently. In their mind, while LPM suited transactional practices, it was ill-fitted to the inherently uncertain world of contentious work.
That position is becoming increasingly hard to sustain. Today, the market is sending a clear message: Unpredictability is no longer an excuse for opacity. The imperative for disciplined delivery, driven by sophisticated litigation funders, increasingly budget-conscious clients, and judicial expectations, has
elevated LPM, alongside data analytics and purpose-built legal technology, from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a foundational capability for the next decade of disputes practice. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about strategic advantage and client retention.
There are no sacred cows:
That caution is now giving way. Leading dispute practices are increasingly using legal project management approaches to manage large, complex litigation and arbitration matters, particularly where cost, duration and risk are under intense scrutiny.
What changed? In short: money and demands for efficiency. Litigation funders and repeat-purchaser clients are no longer prepared to underwrite inefficiency or accept limited visibility over spend and progress.
Despite long-held perceptions, dispute work has many characteristics that make it highly suited to LPM:
Cost estimates are unavoidable. Whether for court-mandated budgets, damages-based agreements or funder investment committees, disputes increasingly require upfront cost estimates and, critically, active management against them. In England & Wales, for example, a proportion of recoverable costs can be allocated specifically to ongoing costs management (the 2% rule).
The work is highly process-driven. Courts, tribunals, mediations and arbitrations all impose procedural steps, timetables and dependencies. These are, in effect, high-level project plans.
Disputes involve large, multi disciplinary teams. External counsel, barristers, experts, e-disclosure providers, witnesses and courts or tribunals all need coordination. Without clear coordination, inefficiency quickly follows.
Stakeholders require regular reporting. Clients and funders expect clear, concise updates on progress, spend and merits, not just legal analysis, but actionable management information.
Cost recovery is limited. In jurisdictions such as the US, costs are generally not recoverable. Even in England & Wales, successful parties typically recover only a proportion of their spend. This creates strong incentives to manage costs closely, particularly for lower-value or mid complexity disputes.
There is rich learning to be captured. Completed disputes generate valuable data on pricing, duration, resourcing and outcomes, which can materially improve future budgeting and strategy if systematically captured and reused.
View through the Telescope
- Cost estimates are unavoidable. Proactive financial management is paramount. Beyond initial estimates, best practices dictate continuous, dynamic tracking against budgets and forecasts. Modern LPM platforms offer real-time visibility into spend and progress, providing transparent dashboards and early warning systems for deviations. This enables firms to proactively adjust strategies, manage client expectations, and communicate effectively.
- The work is highly process-driven. The procedural nature of dispute resolution, often overlooked by the ‘uncertainty’ argument, is precisely where LPM frameworks and technology can deliver significant value. Implementing workflows and templates ensures consistency, reduces manual errors, and liberates lawyers to focus on higher-value tasks.
- Disputes involve large, multi disciplinary teams. Effective coordination across dispersed teams is critical. A centralised LPM process and platform becomes indispensable here, serving as a single source of truth. Facilitating clear task accountability, assignment, and integrated document sharing, ensuring all stakeholders are aligned on scope, resources, and budgets.
- Stakeholders require regular reporting. Demand has shifted from simple status updates to actionable MI. Advanced LPM tools leverage data analytics to generate comprehensive, insightful reports on progress, spend, and potential risks. This technology capability empowers clients and funders with the data-driven insights necessary to make informed strategic decisions, fostering greater trust and transparency.
- Cost recovery is limited. Cost recovery is always a challenge, and firms need to ensure they have the right checks and balances in place to maintain profitability. For example, the delivery of legal advice should align with the scope of work, and robust processes should be in place to proactively alert clients and funders when the scope of work begins to deviate.
- There is rich learning to be captured. Completed matters contain rich data on pricing, duration, resourcing, and outcomes. Systematically capturing and analysing this data is the bedrock of continuous improvement. Firms that build a robust knowledge base can transform past experiences into future competitive advantages through refined budgeting, optimised resourcing, and enhanced strategic planning.
Don’t forget the funders:
Litigation funders, whether they know it or not, have been among the strongest advocates of LPM adoption. They now expect law firms to articulate not just what the legal strategy is, but how it will be delivered efficiently and monitored throughout the life of the case. Disciplined budgeting, active cost management and regular reporting are no longer optional. Matters that demonstrate robust LPM are more likely to secure funding and to retain it as a dispute evolves.
Horses for courses:
LPM adoption by firms varies: there is no one-size-fits-all model:
Dedicated LPMs. Some firms deploy professional LPMs (often not qualified lawyers) on their largest disputes. This can be highly effective, but even the best-resourced teams typically cover only around 5% of matters by volume. The remaining 95% still need to be managed.
Upskilling lawyers. Many firms are equipping dispute lawyers with project management tools and techniques. This approach scales more effectively but requires a mindset shift, from words to numbers and from reactive problem-solving to planned delivery.
Tech-enabled LPM. A growing number of firms are turning to technology to embed LPM into day-to-day dispute practice. However, dispute-specific tools remain relatively scarce, providing practical, lawyer-friendly ways to plan, track and report on disputes without turning lawyers into project managers overnight.
Hybrid models. The most advanced firms combine all of the above, adopting a pragmatic, cherry-picking approach.
Doing nothing. Always an option, but an increasingly risky one. Over time, firms that rely solely on tradition, “this is the way we’ve always done it”, are likely to lose work to peers who can demonstrate tighter control over cost, risk and delivery.
View through the Telescope
- Dedicated LPMs. While effective for the largest disputes, dedicated LPMs face scalability challenges. Technology is essential to amplify the benefits of LPM across the entire portfolio. This is where a comprehensive LPM platform becomes crucial, enabling firms to apply disciplined LPM principles consistently (even for the 95% of matters not managed by dedicated LPMs).
- Upskilling lawyers. Equipping dispute lawyers with LPM tools and techniques represents a scalable approach, fostering a mindset shift from reactive problem solving to planned delivery. Providing intuitive guidance and resources that integrate seamlessly into their workflows, without requiring them to become full-time project managers.
- Tech-enabled LPM. LPM is no different; we should constantly challenge these roles to be as efficient as possible and adopt technology to deliver more scalable benefits. Dispute-specific tools provide practical, LPM and lawyer-friendly solutions for planning, tracking, and reporting.
- Hybrid models. The most advanced firms adopt pragmatic hybrid models that combine dedicated LPM expertise, upskilled lawyers, and tech-enabled solutions. This integrated approach allows for tailored LPM strategies across different matter types and complexities, maximising efficiency and client value.
- Doing nothing. With the threat and opportunity of AI automation, the ‘do nothing’ option is a risky one.
From craft to control:
Disputes will always involve uncertainty. Facts evolve, evidence emerges, opponents behave unpredictably, and courts and tribunals retain wide discretion. But uncertainty is not the same as disorder. LPM does not seek to eliminate judgment, creativity or tactical flexibility. It provides a framework within which those skills can be deployed more deliberately, efficiently and transparently. What has changed is the economic context in which disputes are run. Litigation funders, sophisticated clients and decision-makers are no longer willing to accept opaque delivery models, loosely monitored budgets or avoidable inefficiency. In that environment, the question for dispute practices is no longer whether LPM is appropriate, but whether they can afford not to adopt it.
For the modern disputes lawyer, this creates a clear dividing line. Being the only person in the room without a plan is no longer a mark of flexibility; it is a competitive weakness. Those who continue to shelter behind the supposed unpredictability of their craft will increasingly find that the market has moved on without them.
Disputes practices that embrace LPM intelligently are better placed to manage risk, protect margin and demonstrate value in an increasingly competitive market. They are stronger partners for litigation funders, who are under growing pressure to justify capital deployment and maximise returns. Clients benefit from greater certainty, clearer decision-making and confidence that their dispute is being actively managed, not simply reacted to.
The implications extend beyond individual matters. By making disputes more predictable, transparent and cost-effective, LPM helps lower barriers to litigation and arbitration, supporting access to justice and the efficient operation of courts and tribunals.
LPM will not turn disputes into a production line, but it is fast becoming a defining capability of modern dispute practice. Firms that invest in it, embed it and support it with the right people and technology will shape how disputes are run in the next decade. Those who do not risk being shaped by the decisions of others.
The call to action is clear. It is time to stop treating disputes as something to be endured and start managing them as the complex projects they are. The lawyers and firms who are already leading this shift will not only protect their margins but also set the standard for the future delivery of dispute work.
About the authors:
Matt Peacock is a qualified lawyer with over 25 years’ experience in the legal sector, latterly as managing partner of OMC Partners, the UK’s leading independent legal management consultancy. Prior to that, he practised as a litigator with an international law firm and completed an MBA – focusing on professional services strategy – with distinction.
Matt is a recognised leader in designing and implementing high-impact operating models and has worked with a wide range of leading law firms, General Counsels, New Law entrants and private equity investors. His insight into both the buy and sell sides of the legal sector is unique.
Matt specialises in helping lawyers articulate and deliver their visions through a mix of alternative resourcing, AI and technology enablement, best-practice adoption, end-to-end legal process redesign and legal project management.
Aaran Scott, a global legal operations strategist and founder of Telescope, draws on 10+ years of partnering with leading law firms to transform matter management and deliver exceptional client value.
About Telescope
Telescope is redefining how legal matters are managed, bringing visibility, control, and confidence to every stage of a case or transaction. Built for modern legal teams, our platform connects scope, delivery, and value through an intelligent matter management system that goes far beyond task tracking.
We enable firms and in-house teams to scope complex projects accurately, monitor progress in real time, and manage costs with precision.
Next-generation matter management starts here — contact us at Telescope.
