Three Skills That Bridge The Professional Gap

Blog Barista: Dana Graham | Aug 8, 2018 | Project Management | Brew time: 5 min

I am a Project Manager (PM) with a law degree.  Being a PM who graduated law school is a relatively unusual background. I’m asked two questions when people learn about my work history, “Why did you leave being a lawyer to be a PM?” and “Are you a lawyer, or a project manager?” The first question is a topic for another blog post. For now, let’s talk a little about how I am a lawyer and a project manager.

I graduated from law school in September 2010, then passed the bar in February of 2011. Afterwards, I spent several years working in court administration and court programs. But I found myself ready for something new, so I casted a wide net of opportunity.

Even though my background was being a lawyer/analyst, it turns out I had been working on a variety of “projects”, albeit with different terminology. Thanks to an exciting opportunity with KL&A, I became a Project Manager on a Medicaid project.

When I first started, it felt like a huge career change. I will admit I was terrified. And while plenty of things are different, my “lawyer skills” translated more than I ever imagined.  

Certainly, there are many skills that we all use in our jobs every day: time management, communication, or being the first to the breakroom for leftover pizza. But, some of the things that I’ve actually learned as a lawyer has come in handy as a PM:

Client-Focused Work

The ethics rules require that an attorney “zealously” assert the client’s position and seek an advantageous result when negotiating for their client. If you’ve watched Law & Order, you’ve seen this a million times. The lawyer represents the client while doing everything in their power to serve the client.

While project management is not an adversarial system (at least, it shouldn’t be), PMs must also pay attention to the client’s needs as well. As PMs, focusing on the client means actively building the same kind of relationship as an attorney.  Both need to build trust and comfort with the client in order to achieve the best outcome. All the networking, consulting, and advising that I did as an attorney is comparable to what I do as a PM.

Project management and working in the law both require careful attention to schedules, risk management, communication, and negotiation. Ultimately, all of these skills are really people skills that help us serve our clients.

Whether you’re a project manager, a lawyer, an accountant, or a barber… a happy client is one who hires you again and refers you to their friends. Focusing on solutions that satisfy the clients helps us build our brand in project management.

Analytical Reasoning

This is a fancy term for “understanding and interpreting stuff.” It’s a skill that’s needed when working with contracts.

A project management plan (PMP) is a lot like a contract. Lawyers execute contracts, interpret contracts, negotiate contracts, and spend a lot of time reading contracts. The PMP guides operations and represents the way the parties want to do their work.  When in doubt, PMs refer to their PMP.

In the project management world, you’re probably not going to get sued for breach if you don’t follow a PMP, but it sure does provide a road map the way a contract does.

Being able to interpret and understand a PMP is a vital skill for any PM. That skill is often necessary as a PM to help clients understand other documents. It is the skill I would use to help someone understand a contract, lease, or legal form in my previous law practicing career.

Vague vs. Specific Writing

I know everyone assumes lawyers must get lessons in “legalese.”  That someone must be teaching us to use self-important words like heretofore, sua sponte, therewith, res ipsa loquitur, and other Latin phrases (Cue the Legally Blonde scene 

schools are trying to teach lawyers to stop using those words and writing in plain language instead. The federal government even has an entire organization dedicated to plain language.

However, one of the things they do actually teach you in law school is knowing when to be specific and when to be purposefully vague.  It can work to the client’s advantage in a contract, or make for a better statute.

A simple example: if you tell people you saw a cement truck, 99.9% of them know you’re talking about those big trucks with the rotating tanks that carry cement (or concrete).  The other .1% will argue that you meant a truck made out of cement.

I promise you that 9 times out of 10 those people are lawyers. That .1% wants you to call it a “concrete-mixing transport truck.”

In my PM life, I don’t write nearly as much as I did as a lawyer.  But when I do, I find myself thinking carefully about intentional vagueness vs. crystal-clear specificity. Does this process need to be extremely specific so that it is always executed the exact same way? Or, do I need to make sure the client has some wiggle room here?

Thinking and writing like a lawyer has helped immensely in many project situations.  Writing with that .1% in mind can help make life easier for everyone.

Transitioning from the legal world to the consultancy side of business has definitely been a big (and welcoming) change.  I’ve been pleased to discover how interchangeable some of the work has been. If nothing else, it’s a relief to know that the time and expense of law school is still being put to good use!

My time with KL&A has been the best in my career.  I am hopeful I can spend many more years answering the question “so, are you a project manager or a lawyer?”

Vague vs. Specific Writing

I know everyone assumes lawyers must get lessons in “legalese.”  That someone must be teaching us to use self-important words like heretofore, sua sponte, therewith, res ipsa loquitur, and other Latin phrases (Cue the Legally Blonde scene where Elle Woods tells us she’s comfortable using legal jargon in everyday life).

Despite assuming Obnoxious Lawyer Writing 101 is a staple of any legal education, this is actually not the case. Many law schools are trying to teach lawyers to stop using those words and writing in plain language instead. The federal government even has an entire organization dedicated to plain language.

However, one of the things they do actually teach you in law school is knowing when to be specific and when to be purposefully vague.  It can work to the client’s advantage in a contract, or make for a better statute.

A simple example: if you tell people you saw a cement truck, 99.9% of them know you’re talking about those big trucks with the rotating tanks that carry cement (or concrete).  The other .1% will argue that you meant a truck made out of cement.

I promise you that 9 times out of 10 those people are lawyers. That .1% wants you to call it a “concrete-mixing transport truck.”

In my PM life, I don’t write nearly as much as I did as a lawyer.  But when I do, I find myself thinking carefully about intentional vagueness vs. crystal-clear specificity. Does this process need to be extremely specific so that it is always executed the exact same way? Or, do I need to make sure the client has some wiggle room here?

Thinking and writing like a lawyer has helped immensely in many project situations.  Writing with that .1% in mind can help make life easier for everyone.

Transitioning from the legal world to the consultancy side of business has definitely been a big (and welcoming) change.  I’ve been pleased to discover how interchangeable some of the work has been. If nothing else, it’s a relief to know that the time and expense of law school is still being put to good use!

My time with KL&A has been the best in my career.  I am hopeful I can spend many more years answering the question “so, are you a project manager or a lawyer?”

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