Profiles: Phil Cutler 2005

Alumni PROFILES

PHIL CUTLER 2005: Getting a HEADSTART on a busy career

By Richard Wills, publications editor

productivity by thinking outside the box, with an emphasis on reducing waste and increasing the throughput of value-adding services. It was developed by Toyota as a refinement of concepts first established by Henry Ford and Frederick Winslow Taylor in the early part of the 20th century, and is currently used by companies such as Bombardier.

Lean Six Sigma combines the two, as described by author Michael George in 2002. David and Karen took courses in Lean Six Sigma from Villanova University, convinced this approach could be applied to drive efficiencies in the legal profession and create “the lean law firm.”

“The result is lower overhead, using untapped resources, doing more for less, and having more time for developing new accounts,” says Karen. “It includes process mapping, valuestream management and budget predictability.” Transparency is key, she stresses. “Clients don’t want a surprise.”

Hourly billing is “anathema to efficiency,” David points out. Clients are willing to pay for value-adding services, not waste. The law firm of the future will offer superlative client service based on this notion of value rather than time.

“All professionals are under pressure to do more with less,” David says, but lawyers, particularly, are “driven by the demands of their clients to do things differently.”

“In 2008 the landscape changed,” David says. In the global economic crisis, clients were suddenly unwilling to pay, and looked for other ways of meeting their needs. Over six months in 2009, David says, Rio Tinto saved $14M by outsourcing certain legal services to lawyers in India.

“At the end of the day, Lean Six Sigma provides tools for optimizing client satisfaction,” says David. “Clients don’t want to pay for non-value-added service, and it’s the clients and their pocketbooks that will shape the future. Firms will have to adapt to maintain their competitive edge.”

Gimbal Canada also offers seminars on other essential tools for the lean law firm, including social media and communication skills. Twitter and LinkedIn are essential for today’s practice, they say, offering opportunities for information gathering and reputation building.

“We understand the lawyer-client dynamic from different aspects,” says David. “We want to help lawyers work more intelligently for the benefit of themselves and their clients.”

In spite of all the changes afoot—or because of them—”It’s an exciting time to be in the practice of law,” says David. ■

Before having graduated from university, Phil Cutler 2005 has already run for mayor, headed up a star-studded benefit, and started his own business.

In 2009, Phil mobilized young voters and came within 49 votes of being elected mayor of Westmount. He is Director of Membership for the Westmount Municipal Association, and ran a year-long project with the Westmount Independent called “When the Bell Rings,” designed to get students involved in their community.

Also in 2009 he helped organize Champagne Memories, a Toronto gala to raise funds for the Canadian Alzheimer’s Society, with hockey legend Bob Gainey as co-chair and CBC’s George Stroumboulopoulos as MC.

An education major at McGill University, two years ago Phil decided to put his skills to work and launched his own tutoring business, Laurus Educational Services.

Like many Selwyn House graduates, when he needed help getting his business going he called on his fellow Old Boys.

Olivier Saleh 2005 was head tutor at Laurus before leaving to study medicine in Geneva. Aaron Esterson 2005, Sebastien Beard 2007 and Simon Leblanc 2005 have also taught for Laurus. Phil explains what gives Laurus an edge: “There are a lot of tutors out there, but they are mostly limited to strictly academic guidance. We add a mentoring component.” The Laurus website is full of testimonials from satisfied clients. “Laurus Educational Services provides incredible qualified individuals Phil Cutler 2005 that come to your home and specifically cater to your child’s academic needs,” says one Baie D’Urfe parent. “The business has grown enormously,” Phil says. He is now running his tutoring programs in Ottawa and hopes to expand into Toronto. “If Laurus continues as it is, it can grow beyond tutoring.” “My ambition is to stay involved in teaching,” he says, “partly because of what it teaches the teacher.” ■

David and Karen SKINNER

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