by Blake Lively with Comments From Chere Estrin Blake Lively nailed this concept about the value of your team in her article, "Your Law Firm’s Employees Cost Too Much to Lose. If you are in law firm management, you simply MUST read this article
Chere Estrin What does it cost to replace an attorney in your law firm? In the end, more time than you realize. Let’s look at...
By Lawrence Pascoe Compared to other businesses, lawyers have not evolved in how they serve their clients Let's be honest; the way lawyers serve their clients has not changed much, not just from the late 1970s when I started practicing law but probably since the 1200s when England passed laws regulating the conduct of the legal profession. Lawyers have harnessed technology to do tasks...
Jathan Janove As a former labor and employment law attorney, I’ve taken issue with the popular employee disciplinary tool commonly referred to as “progressive discipline.” In my view, it’s a pernicious contradiction in terms. Here’s what I published on this topic with SHRM. I advocate replacing conventional employee disciplinary policy with the following three communication...
I came across this interesting article that, once again, brings up the overtime issue for paralegals. This issue is so old and so ongoing, I am sure we'll be telling our great-grandchildren about it.
Whether you want to be paid overtime or not, the Labor Department ruled several times over the years, actually, and again in 2006 that paralegals are non-exempt, meaning...
Pretty poor reaction to need for increased training given that documents produced by law firms are so important!"When talking to law firms about training, I often hear the following statements: 'It's so easy, you don't need training'; 'If you can't learn it in an hour, it's not worth knowing'; and my favorite, 'We're getting documents out the door.' "Law firms often use arguments like...
This Legal Technology article describes the HR challenges in law firms & how various software options makes them manageable. :"Managing human resources is one of the most labor-intensive processes at a law firm. Keeping track of payroll, benefits, leave time and lots of other information is time-consuming and costly. Fortunately, there is plenty of software -- both commercial and...
Kudos to Morrison & Foerster for adopting a strong 'green' culture! Find four good ideas in this Legal Technology article: "With 1,070 lawyers in 18 offices throughout the world, Morrison & Foerster has a culture that promotes excellence, diversity, teamwork and social responsibility. Last year, we were selected as one of Fortune magazine's '2006 Best Companies to Work For,' and the...
Author Tony DeLoera, the chief technology officer at Ice Miller, describes how to manage document imaging the right way: "Simplicity. This was the guiding principle in our selection of a document-imaging system. In early 2005, Indianapolis-based Ice Miller was overrun with paper. With 225 attorneys, and three branch offices in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Naperville, Ill., we decided to...
Isn't it fun to shop for office supplies? Well, here's what Web Worker Daily found : "Stella Commute does:Now, I can go to Staples any time I want and because I have a reasonable amount of disposable income, I can select the office supplies that make my heart sing. Color coded folders and matching labels? Done! Post-Its in various configurations? Check! Sharpies, Sharpies, Sharpies! And my...
The legal administrator profiled in this article says his "job is to bridge communications between employees": "... s legal administrator for the Fort Lauderdale bankruptcy law firm of Rice Pugatch Robinson & Schiller PA, Jimmy Allen also 'wears a lot of hats in this job,' he said. He is responsible for overseeing payroll, benefits, scheduling, vendors and other day-to-day...
