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In Search of Perfect Client Service Why lawyers don't seem to get it

Pop Quiz on Profitability

By Patrick Lamb on Posted in Commentary

Pop Quiz. You have completed an engagement and been paid. How do measure if the engagement was profitable and, if so, how profitable? Discuss. You cannot refer to hours worked in any part of your answer. Good Luck.

If this exam determined your final grade, would you pass the course?

  • http://edkless.com Ed Kless

    Your use of the second person pronoun is a set up, so that you can reject any posited answer.
    In short, you are asking the wrong question. The right question is “What criteria will I use to judge the success of the engagement both before the engagement begins and after it ends?”
    Despite this setup, I will pose an answer to your question. The correct answer is, “So what and who cares?” – P. F. Drucker
    On the individual engagement, profitability does NOT matter. The only thing that matters is the profitability of the entire system.