NoVa Newsletter DECEMBER 2013 Northern Virginia Chapter Business Sponsors 3 Security: Copiers are Also 7 a Compliance Issue Legal E Reports: Today’s Staffing 9 Trends The Future of Law: Tomorrow’s 11 Lawyers by Richard Susskind Staffing Partners through Thick 13 and Thin Supporting the Lamb Center 17 Memphis Conference 18 a Fun and Educational Event Succeeding at Law Firm 15 Leadership Some days feel like a marathon. From the moment you stepped out of your bed, you are caught in a whirlwind of obligations, at home as well as at work; racing from one internal meeting to another has left most Administrators no time left to attend external ones, despite the fact that we all know we need to connect with our peers as each of us can offer so many suggestions and updates on the latest trends, technologies and solutions to our day-to-day challenges. As the effects of The Great Recession and economic meltdown were heavily felt by all law firms, Administrators are scrambling to find solutions to contain spending, but also learning new ways of managing their Firms as there is a strong demand for more efficiency and effective- ness, at the same time dealing with Alter- native Fee Arrangements, E-Discovery, Affordable Care Act, Social Media, Bring- Your-Own Mobiles, hiring Millenials and their immersion in and ease of interacting with technology, just to name a few. With a lot of projects crammed into a limited amount of time, you may not feel you have time to breathe, let alone to attend more meetings. Yet, we need to set aside some time to reflect on our prior- ities, commitments and project list and this exercise is becoming more and more important to keep us from feeling over- whelmed by the details. Meeting your colleagues will permit you to reassess the situation from a more elevated viewpoint as it will permit you to stay current by collecting information that may be helpful to some of your projects and give you high-level thinking about how various goals and objectives fit into your life. Attending ALA meetings seems more and more like going to the Gym; we know we will benefit from them as we learn so much from each other, but mak- ing a conscious effort to be there seems to be the most difficult part to overcome. So I am encouraging everyone to attend our upcoming meetings in 2014. I would like to learn from you about challenges you are encountering, solutions you have discovered, and issues for which you would like for us to find a speaker who can enlighten us or give us ideas. Lyne Lollichon President’s Message INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Transcript
NoVa Newsletter DECEMBER 2013
Northern Virginia Chapter
Business Sponsors 3
Security: Copiers are Also 7 a Compliance Issue
Legal E Reports: Today’s Staffing 9 Trends
The Future of Law: Tomorrow’s 11 Lawyers by Richard Susskind
Staffing Partners through Thick 13 and Thin
Supporting the Lamb Center 17
Memphis Conference 18 a Fun and Educational Event
Succeeding at Law Firm 15 Leadership
Some days feel like a marathon. From the moment you stepped out of your bed, you are caught in a whirlwind of obligations, at home as well as at work; racing from one internal meeting to another has left most Administrators no time left to attend external ones, despite the fact that we all know we need to connect with our peers as each of us can offer so many suggestions and updates on the latest trends, technologies and solutions to our day-to-day challenges.
As the effects of The Great Recession and economic meltdown were heavily felt by all law firms, Administrators are scrambling to find solutions to contain spending, but also learning new ways of managing their Firms as there is a strong demand for more efficiency and effective-ness, at the same time dealing with Alter-native Fee Arrangements, E-Discovery, Affordable Care Act, Social Media, Bring-Your-Own Mobiles, hiring Millenials and their immersion in and ease of interacting with technology, just to name a few.
With a lot of projects crammed into a limited amount of time, you may not feel you have time to breathe, let alone to attend more meetings. Yet, we need to set aside some time to reflect on our prior-ities, commitments and project list and this exercise is becoming more and more
important to keep us from feeling over-whelmed by the details.
Meeting your colleagues will permit you to reassess the situation from a more elevated viewpoint as it will permit you to stay current by collecting information that may be helpful to some of your projects and give you high-level thinking about how various goals and objectives fit into your life.
Attending ALA meetings seems more and more like going to the Gym; we know we will benefit from them as we learn so much from each other, but mak-ing a conscious effort to be there seems to be the most difficult part to overcome. So I am encouraging everyone to attend our upcoming meetings in 2014. I would like to learn from you about challenges you are encountering, solutions you have discovered, and issues for which you would like for us to find a speaker who can enlighten us or give us ideas.
Lyne Lollichon
President’s Message
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
2 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
The chapter welcomes Ida AbbottIda Abbott Consulting
Law FirmMentoring Programs
December 11Ms Abbott is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Legal Mentoring Consortium, author of The Lawyer’s Guide to Mentoring and Founder of Ida Abbott Consulting.
She will present an interactive program with a checklist on how to start a program that will work in your firm.
Keynote sponsor: HITT
Lunch courtesy of Platinum Sponsors:
Iron Mountain Miller’s Office Products
Price Modern OutsourceIT
rand* SunTrust Bank
Location: Mayer Brown 1999 K St NW Washington, DC 20006
Planet Depos 405 East Gude Drive, Suite 209 Rockville, MD 20850 Contact: JJ Rochefort ([email protected]) Phone: 888-433-3767 or 703-307-7372 Web: www.planetdepos.com Industry: Court Reporting/Videography/ Video Conferencing
2013 SILVER SPONSOR
SunTrust BankSunTrust Investment Services, Inc. Mail Code: VA ACW-5102 8330 Boone Boulevard, 8th Floor Vienna, VA 22182 Contact: Marilyn Daniel ([email protected]) Phone: 703-442-1501 Web: www.suntrust.com Industry: Banking
THANKINGOUR BUSINESS PARTNERS ALA Northern Virginia members celebrate Thanks-giving to show our gratitude to our very supportive business partners with a cocktail hour and dinner at Harth on November 21, 2013.
Jamison Insurance Group888 17th Street, N.W., Suite 212Washington, DC 20006Contact: Dennis M. Duff ([email protected])Phone: 202-775-0077Web: www.jamisongroup.comIndustry: Insurance
Sensei Enterprises, Inc.3975 University Drive, Suite 225Fairfax, VA 22030Contact: Sharon Nelson ([email protected])Phone: 703-359-0700Web: www.senseient.comIndustry: IT Support for Law Firms
Legal Placements, Inc.7700 Leesburg Pike, Suite 210Falls Church, VA 22043Contact: Lori DiCesare ([email protected])Phone: 703-917-1829Web: www.legalplacements.comIndustry: Staffing Agency
EBC Carpet Services, Inc4385 Nicole DriveLanham, MD 20706Contact: Elizabeth West ([email protected])Web: www.ebcusa.comPhone: 301-552-1800 or 301-252-5273Industry: Specialized Flooring & Textile Cleaning
CSC Leasing Company6806 Paragon Place, Suite 170Richmond, VA 23230Contact: Rawleigh Taylor ([email protected])Web: www.cscleasing.comPhone: 703-632-8412Industry: Leasing
Konica Minolta Business Solutions7901 Jones Branch Drive, 8th FloorMcLean, VA 22102Contact: Michael Shavatt ([email protected])Web: www.kmbs.konicaminolta.usPhone: 703-637-1514Industry: Business Solutions/Copier
Royal Cup Coffee845 F Hampton Park Blvd.Capital Heights, MD 20743Contact: Michelle Scott ([email protected])Phone: 443-514-7946Web: www.royalcupofficecoffee.comIndustry: Coffee and Beverage Service
Legal E-Employment Partners1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 270Vienna, VA 22182Contacts: Jeanette Derby, President ([email protected])Amber Goettlich, Office Manager ([email protected])Phone: 202-316-1500Web: www.mylegale.comIndustry: Legal Staffing
JK Moving Services44077 Mercure CircleSterling, VA 20166Contacts: Stephen Dezelak ([email protected])Jon Theiss ([email protected])Phone: 571-213-2452Web: www.jkmoving.comIndustry: Records Management/Document & Media Destruction/Commercial Moving/Residential Moving
Cornerstone Records Management45675 Terminal DriveSterling, VA 20166Contacts: Mark Moore ([email protected])Mobile: 571-220-2797Web: www.cornerstone-rm.comIndustry: Records Management
2013 FRIENDSHIP SPONSORS
Total Document Solutions, Inc. 19440 Golf Vista Plaza, Suite 220 Leesburg, VA 20176 Contact: Jennifer J. Graham ([email protected])Phone: 703-771-6307 X302Web: www.totaldocuments.com Industry: Records Management(ALSO A MEET A MEMBER SPONSOR)
TRAK Legal 8200 Greensboro Drive, Suite 275McLean, VA 22102Contact; Kelly Falconi ([email protected])Phone: 703-917-8770Website: www.trakcompanies.comIndustry: Legal Support and Records/Library Staffing Solutions
Washington Express, LLC12240 Indian Creek Court, #100Beltsville, MD 20705Contact: Courtney Leonard ([email protected])Phone: 301-210-0899 ex. 265Web: www.washingtonexpress.comIndustry: Courier Service, Visa/Passport Service
Davis, Carter, Scott Ltd.1676 International Drive, #500McLean, VA 22102Contact: Marcia Calhoun ([email protected])Phone: 703-556-9275Web: www.dcsdesign.comIndustry: Interior Architecture
Elite Document Solutions10301 Democracy Lane, Suite 120Fairfax, VA 22030Contact: Keith Burke ([email protected])Web: www.elitedocsllc.comPhone: 703-273-1334Industry: Litigation Support
M & T Bank7799 Leesburg Pike, North Tower 9th FloorFalls Church, Virginia 22043Contact: E. Gaye Boyette ([email protected])Web: www.mtb.comPhone: 703-748-3724Industry: Banking
UBT - United Business Technologies8260 Greensboro Drive, Suite 435McLean, Virginia 22102Contact: Jesse Goldstein ([email protected])Web: www.ubti.comPhone: 703-917-5676, Mobile: 571-289-5355Industry: Imaging Solutions
By Chris BilelloKonica, Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. cbilellookmbs.konicaminolta.us
Just 10 years ago, copiers used analog systems and were stand-alone devices that did one thing — made copies on paper. The “new generation of copiers,”
including all those manufactured today, uses digital tech-nology, similar to that found in laser printers.
The older analog copiers produced a copy by scanning an image to an electrostatically charged photoconductive drum that transferred the toner to paper to make a print. Each time a new copy was made, the drum was cleaned and the previous image was erased.
However, in a digital copier, the scanned document is con-verted to a digital file and is temporarily stored in the copier until a copy is made. The image of the document may reside in the copier until it is overwritten or deleted from the copier memory or hard drive. Most digital copiers use a hard disk drive to store these scanned document images, the same kind of data storage device found in a PC.
Multi-Function Printers (MFPs), hard drives and the data they potentially contained, were never perceived as risk by consumers and businesses alike. Although the federal government and specifically the Department of Defense (DoD) have long established policies regarding MFPs containing hard drives and the end contract life.
With millions of documents being printed, copied, scanned and faxed on MFPs, it is natural to wonder just how secure is the data captured on the device’s embedded hard drive. Added to that possible security risk is the con-cern that machines connected to an internet-accessible network are even more vulnerable to an outside attack.
With the dramatic increase in electronic transfer of sensitive and confidential information, various govern-
ment-sponsored security regulations have called into question the link between security and the integrity of technological systems. Security technology has become critically important as various organizations and busi-nesses use their electronic systems to comply with gov-ernment regulations. Recent laws and initiatives on this front include:n HIPAAn Sarbanes-Oxley Actn Gramm-Leach-Bliley Actn Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002
(FISMA) and FDA 21n CFR Part iin PCI DSS — Payment Card Industry Data Security
Standard
In recent years most law firms have started to protect all data that might reside in the practice, and of course protection of data on hard drives is a focal point of con-cern and attention. In fact, most practices have instituted policy that prohibits users from saving documents or data on a personal hard drive. More recently attention has been brought to portable storage devices: USB flash drives, portable hard drives, tablets, smart phones, etc. Most firms have addressed or are addressing the potential exposure of these devices.
MFP Hard Drive Security ExposedWith the release of the CBS news story on April 20, 2010, the public became aware that the MFP could contain “hidden secrets” and that sensitive and private in-formation could be compromised and fall into the wrong hands.
What most firms have not addressed is the hard drive in an MFP. Imagine if your firm was named in the CBS investigative report how would you respond? What would be your liability? In reality, what would be the risk even if your practice took no action at all to secure any possible image data that might reside on the MFP’s hard drive prior to leaving your office? Probably not much, however, there would be a risk and it can be minimized by taking some simple steps to secure the MFP, and the hard drive con-tained inside it.
After this story became public, several state legislators have started to introduce bills that impose financial penalties and give victims the right to sue MFP owners or les-sees that dispose of MFP’s without taking steps to sanitize the internal hard disk drive CHDD”). In New Jersey a draft bill 0238) was introduced to the State Assembly on March 5, 2012. With the potential passage of this legislation, firms will be legally liable if the attorney-client privilege is broken because an unprotected hard drive with sensitive data fell into the wrong hands.
How to Secure the MFP’s Hard DriveThe biggest concern in MFP security is that data is acces-sible and can be stolen from the MFP’s HDD, either by accessing the MFP remotely or removing the HDD and extracting the data.
Add the fact that the MFP’s are located in public areas of the firm and the potential liability increases.
Most manufacturers now offer some form of hard drive overwrite security function that erases data stored on the device’s HDD or memory by overwriting it with a series of numbers or characters. These kits are available as options or in some cases, come as a standard feature with many MFP models. Hard drive overwrite is per-formed immediately upon completion of all copy, print, scan and fax jobs. Some vendors offer an extra level of security by providing hard drive encryption using 128-bit
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Another layer of security that can be added involves the ability to lock the host MFP to HDDs using a passcode of alphanumeric characters; this means that the data is protected, even if the drive is removed from the machine.
At the time of decommissioning, reloca-tion or replacement of an MFP, the entire HDD can be overwritten so that all of the data is completely removed. Any leftover image data can be overwritten up to seven times to military specifications ‘such as U,S. Navy (NAVSO P-5239-26), Department of Defense (DoD 5220.22M), and Army Regu-lations (AR38o-19).
Questions You Should Ask Your MFP Service ProviderWithout a doubt, security of information flowing through MFPs is a serious and growing issue and the potential for identity theft is real. MFP manufacturers continue to invest a tremendous amount of engineer-ing resources in developing security-related features and use independent security con-sultants to evaluate the technology. Wheth-er the issue is network intrusion, data theft or compliance, manufacturers are offering security technology demanded by internal clients, and state and federal legislation.Ask your MFP service provider if your device has data overwrite or hard drive en-
cryption capabilities? If so, is it turned on? If not, where is the documentation that explains how to? Some vendors offer a program that provides a security service which enables and configures the MFP’s security options — Konica Minolta calls this service “bizhub SECURE.”You should review your entire MFP fleet to evaluate po-tential security holes. Ask your manufacturer to provide a comprehensive list of security features on each ma-chine. Older models should provide some basic security measures, i.e., password protection, secure printing. At a minimum, newer models should have some kind of hard drive overwrite capability. If you plan to purchase a new MFP ask for a list of security features. n
Chris Bilello is the Director, Business Solutions & Market Development at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. and can be reached at cbilelloa kmbs.konicaminolta.us.
Without a doubt, security of information
flowing through MFPs is a serious and growing issue and the potential for
As we navigate through a post-recession landscape, legal hiring has resumed its once active pace. That pace, however, represents a “new normal,” which
is no longer as frantic or compromising as in times past. The pre-recession staffing playbook no longer applies in today’s post-recession legal market.
In order to understand current trends in staffing, it is useful to recognize that law firms became quite squea-mish about rebuilding after experiencing devastating cuts during the economic downturn. As the market showed incremental improvements, law firms continued to re-main cautious and contracted temporary employees to fill voids until sustained work restored enough confidence to pursue direct hires. To further ensure opportunities and fiscal stability, firms adopted and aggressively marketed new business models offering clients alternative fee ar-rangements, enhanced technology, and more sophisticat-ed client service standards, all in an attempt to keep work coming in the door. As this departure from the traditional structure took shape, budget overhauls, ratio adjustments, teaming initiatives, personnel development, and carefully calculated hiring decisions have become emblematic of the legal industry’s new financial reality.
Today’s market shows that contract and direct hire activity has increased, yet we see a shift in the skill-sets that law firms now desire. Like numerous other trends, the industry is pursuing many of the same or “popular” candidate choices, thereby making the short-lived “it’s an employer’s market” philosophy during recessionary periods no longer applicable. Most hiring professionals realize that when they have an urgent need, it is likely that their competition does as well. Consequently, the criterion
used to judge candidates is broadening as employers con-sider two key indicators: a candidate’s established skill-set as well as his/her development potential.
With regard to current hiring trends, here is what we are seeing in the legal market:
1Paralegals at all levels are in huge demand espe-cially those with litigation experience and skills in cite checking, blue booking, shepardizing and new
litigation technologies. Paralegals offer excellent value because their time is billable. In addition, paralegals who posses strong administrative and technical skills in tan-dem with legal acumen are even more attractive for firms that will utilize these professionals as hybrids.
2Hiring junior and entry-level candidates. New college graduates and candidates with less than two years of experience offer a great value to law
firms. They can be hired at a lower salary, are eager to prove themselves and are savvy with all of today’s technology. Firms are using this opportunity to hire top students from highly accredited schools and groom them in key roles, such as paralegals, junior secretaries, dock-eting specialists, administrative assistants, office services clerks, receptionists, etc.
10 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
3Tech savvy candidates. The increased demand for candidates with expert computer skills is the new reality, not just a trend. PowerPoint, Excel and
e-Filing are no longer just a preference. These applica-tions are now a requirement for most secretarial and administrative staff positions. Candidates who are not proficient in these programs are rarely considered.
4Taking advantage of “hybrids.” Firms are looking for candidates who can provide them with more than one skill set and can possess the aptitude and
willingness to cross train into other areas. Secretaries with advanced technical skills or paralegal experience are extremely valuable. Information Technology is another area in which firms request hybrid candidates to fill a combination of needs. For these searches, it is imperative to seek candidates with a proven track record of wearing many hats.
As law firms embark on a newly adopted approach of do-ing more with less, adaptable skills are in great demand. Whether a firm has a traditional or non-traditional need, the Legal E Team can rely on its “power searching” data-base which houses over 22,000 candidates and is extraor-dinarily efficient in processing vast criteria searches.
Much of Legal E’s success hinges on its “ear to the ground” knowledge of this region’s unique legal land-scape. Our intelligence gathering and monitoring helps to keep us ahead of the curve and allows us to anticipate the needs of our clients. Always having our client’s best inter-est in mind, Legal E strives to be the “insight leader” of industry developments and employment trends. Knowing the market and remaining steadfast in our commitment to the integrity of the process has been and will always be Legal E’s mission and top priority. n
Jeanette Derby, President and Founder of Legal E Employment Partners, is a distinguished business leader in the Greater Washington, DC Area and has specialized in legal staffing for more than 30 years. Throughout her career, Jeanette has been responsible for five successful start-up ventures
in the legal staffing industry and is a sought after thought-leader and presenter on a variety of human resources topics and legal staffing trends. Under Jeanette’s leadership, Legal E is a proud Business Partner of ALA’s Northern Virginia Chapter and Capital Chapter as well as several other local and national legal professional associations.
Most American lawyers became aware of British Pro-fessor Richard Susskind after he wrote The End of Lawyers? in 2008. The book generated a lot of con-
troversy among lawyers with some proclaiming that he had indeed “seen” the future of law and others protesting that the practice of law would certainly not undergo the kind of radical changes that Susskind foretold.
Susskind is back generating controversy once again in his latest book, Tomorrow’s Lawyers. We are unabashed fans of Susskind’s prophesies, even those we may not wholly agree with, because he forces the legal profession out of its natural complacency.
He refers to that complacency in the very beginning of his book, quoting Alexander Graham Bell: “When one door closes, another door opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones that open for us.”
We know a large percentage of lawyers who believe that the economic downtown is at the root of all their troubles – they continue ardently to believe that when the econ-omy rights itself, the practice of law will return to the world they knew before 2008.
Professor Susskind does not believe that, and neither do we. Susskind paints with a broad stroke, showing us the prevailing winds from 10,000 feet. In details, he may be wrong, but in general, we find his arguments compelling. He states that, in the next two decades, the practice of law is very likely to change more than it has in the last
200 years. Susskind is worried that we are not preparing our law students and young lawyers for this new world. The greatest driver for change is unwelcome to lawyers, but Susskind calls it the “more for less” challenge of de-livering more legal services at less cost. That is something that all clients, especially corporate clients, are asking for. The hard reality is that, to do so, law firms must become more efficient or their bottom line will suffer.
Susskind identifies the second driver for change as liberalization, meaning that non-lawyers will be permit-ted to deliver services that currently are provided only by lawyers. The U.K. is far ahead of us in pursuing this course, but we have seen glimmerings of the path to come. A host of “legal” services is now being provided online. LegalZoom may be the big kahuna, but it has lots of company and more each day.
To no one’s surprise, the third great driver is technology. Not only is it “disruptive technology” but it refuses to sit companionably beside the traditional working world of lawyers. The fact that computers allow us to work so much faster, repurpose previous work and cause hun-dreds of other legal functions to speed up has driven legal costs down and increased the client clamor for val-ue-based billing. There is a nice list of disruptive technol-
THE Richard
Susskind
12 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
ogies provided in the book which will cause some lawyers to reach for the Advil because so many of these technologies did not exist when they graduated from law school and they have little or idea how to adapt to them. Online dispute resolution services? Litigators may wince, but they are upon us.
Susskind cautions that the Golden Age of Law may be over – that we will never return to our old ways of work. To survive, we must make efficiency and collaboration our watchwords. Law firms must strive to become more efficient (which has not previously seemed in their best monetary interest) and clients must band together to share the costs of some legal services. As an example, Susskind references banks. Much of their com-pliance work is administrative and non-competitive – if they “clubbed” together and had one law firm doing that sort of work, the savings could be substantial. Of course, the other law firms whose banking departments would be impacted would be most unhappy.
There is a great deal in this book about commoditiza-tion, which most lawyers now agree is here to stay. But
by decomposing legal tasks, letting some be performed by non-lawyers and some by different levels of lawyers, some in-house and some outsourced, we may save clients money – and thereby retain old clients and attract new clients.
For law firms which have built their prof-itability around hordes of junior lawyers furiously billing, retooling their firms means plotting the obsolescence of what now pro-vides their sizeable incomes. Many will rage against the inevitable, but they cannot stop
the future from coming. To twist Susskind’s words to the American side of the pond, “turkeys rarely step forward to vote for an early Thanksgiving.”
Are our law school adequately training young lawyers? Susskind clearly believes that they are not. There has been some progress with legal clinics and classes in law practice management and technology, but the progress is scant compared to growth of the problems that law school graduates face. By in large, Susskind believes we are training young lawyers to become 20th century law-yers rather than 21st century lawyers.
For those who are young lawyers, we were particularly impressed by Susskind’s suggestions of questions that they might ask in an interview to make sure they are entering a law firm that has a viable future. We were even more taken with Susskind’s list of supplemental education possibilities that young lawyers could undertake to make themselves more valuable to a potential employer (law firms and other entities), from understanding legal technology, mastering legal project management, performing systems analysis, etc. Sadly, a law degree alone will not suffice for most. Even at that, the high incomes once promised to young lawyers are no longer guaranteed. Only a few will reach the exorbi-tant incomes of the past.
Susskind hones in on the essence of his advice when he quotes the famous ice hockey player Wayne Gretz-ky, who counseled, “Skate where the puck’s going, not where it’s been.” Indeed, if “tomorrow’s lawyers” wish to succeed, they will have to project where the puck will be and make sure that they are there. There is no better guide to doing so than Professor Susskind’s book. n
The authors are the President and Vice President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc., a legal technology, information security and digital forensics firm based in Fairfax, VA. 703-359-0700 (phone) www.senseient.com
NOVA NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013 | 13
THROUGH THICK AND THIN
STAFFING PARTNERS
By Kelly FalconiExecutive Director, TRAK
Doesn’t everyone want the balance of a partner through thick and thin – whether it’s a life partner, a tennis partner, or a personal trainer? When two
partners work alongside one another and lend support to each other during lean or stressful times, it makes the better times even smoother. It generates a mutually bene-ficial relationship with rewards for both parties. The same can be said of your staffing partners….
As the job marketplace fluctuates, headcount and budgets shrink, and the forecast becomes a little cloudier, it can be difficult to want to keep up relationships with vendors; BUT, this is the most important time to stay in touch with them! The lean times can provide an opportunity to discuss how hiring needs have evolved, the quality of the available candidate pool, and how to make the best decisions regarding your firm’s current and future hiring needs. It probably goes without saying, but firms tend to be a little pickier with hiring when the market turns downward; it can be an excellent time to test the waters with a new staffing partner or revisit a staffing partner with whom you have not worked with in a while. Remember, many traditional staffing partners work on a contingency basis – this means you only pay a find-ers fee if you interview someone you like, want to hire them, and they accept! The staffing partner absorbs all the upfront risk and associated cost – don’t worry, we are prepared for this! It is what we do!
Hiring in uncertain times may be one of the most chal-lenging tasks an administrator runs into in perhaps an
entire career; but, it doesn’t need to be! There is comfort in knowing professional guidance is available through your staffing partners; we can help lift the fog and take the necessary steps to gain the hiring traction your firm needs. The next significant issue to tackle, naturally, is how to keep good employees once the market improves! Employee retention needs to be top of mind during eco-nomic recoveries! n
Kelly Falconi has worked almost 15 years in the search and placement industry. TRAK Companies provide temporary and direct-hire professional support staff to some of the most high-powered, influential organizations in the metropolitan Washington, DC area.
14 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
ENHANCE YOUR ROLE
6th Virginia Statewide Educational Conference & Expo
This is a tremendous opportunity to market your services and products to Virginia’s legal administrators and connect with the decision makers from the Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Western Virginia areas. We look forward to meeting you and developing a mutually beneficial partnership.
Hampton RoadsChapter
Information for Exhibitors and Sponsors
March 21-22, 2014Kingsmill Resort
Williamsburg, Virginia
We Have the Knowledge…
NOVA NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013 | 15
Seven Strategies to Implement Now
SUCCEEDING AT LAW FIRM LEADERSHIP:
By John Remsen, Jr.
The title “Managing Partner” falls short of the mark in describing the work of the law firm leader. “Chief Executive Officer,” in my opinion, is more accurate.
Terminology evolves so that some titles no longer reflect their original meaning. Managing partner has become such a term. When a managing partner is named, is the law firm really appointing a “manager” in the corporate sense? A manager, after all, is a caretaker responsible for oversight of a unit or department.
A recent survey on the topic of law firm management and leadership asked those polled to distinguish between a “manager” and a “leader.” Insights that the survey respon-dents offered included “management is mechanical, while leadership is inspirational” and “the leader sets the direc-tion and the plan, while the manager implements the plan.”
Another survey respondent was more pointed – “Manag-ers implement what leaders want them to do. Most law firm managers want to be loved and not to lead.” Saying that managers want most to be loved may overstate the case. But it does sum up the problem. If a law firm needs vision, inspiration, motivation, cohesion, consensus, direction setting and the establishing of firm-wide goals, it needs strong leadership committed to that work.
The Hard Realities of Leading LawyersThe hard realities of law firm leadership are apparent. Among them:n The authority of lawyer management (or leadership) is
derived from the willingness of the firm’s partners to be managed (or led);
n Partners perceive themselves as being owners of the firm, having certain prerogatives and independence, not as employees to be managed; and
n Each firm has its own personality and culture, and the management techniques effective in one firm may or may not be successful in another.
In the face of these hard realities, many managing part-ners retreat into the noncontroversial confines of day-to-day management, putting aside attempts to exercise true leadership. See the attached exhibit for data reinforcing this point.
The Seven Steps to Successful Law Firm Leadership
1Create Job Descriptions for Yourself, Your Successor, and Other Firm Leaders. Remember, you’re drafting a job description for a CEO, not
a manager. Think of your job description as a contract with your partners. At minimum it should delineate the amount of time you will devote to management respon-sibilities. Your primary responsibilities should include strategic planning, setting the future direction of the firm, cultivating relationships with major clients, and identify-ing and grooming future firm leaders. To compensate for time lost from your personal practice, the job description should define your pay structure.
16 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
2Re-define the Role of Practice Group Chair.Practice group chairs are too often treated as lions among their prides. Often they are appointed
because they are the senior member of the group, or the most effective rainmaker; not the most effective manager, or the best mentor, or the most committed to the success of the firm. Practice group chairs should be elevated to the level of senior management. They should be given the full authority to manage their groups. Practice group leaders need to be chosen based on the ability and the commitment to lead.
3Get to Know the Firm’s Client Base Personally.No partner should “own” a key, in-
stitutional client. Managing partners should reach out to client contacts and underscore the message that the firm – the firm, not only their chosen counsel – are pleased to be of service. Ask the client for feedback; learn the client’s business and the industry; strategize to help the client reach its goals. Do more for the firm’s clients than simply put out fires.
4Identify and Hire a Strong Chief Operating Officer. If you are going to be an effective leader, or Chief
Executive Officer, you have to get the minu-tiae off of your desk. Delegate day-to-day administrative responsibility to a strong, competent executive director or Chief Operating Officer. This person should head up a team of business professionals and serve as your trusted “second hand” on the leadership team.
5Offer Reforms to “Time & Money” Matters.You will be asking senior management to take on a more extensive and defined role in the operations
of the firm. Adjust the time demands on the executive committee and the practice group leaders to allow for suf-ficient non-billable time for them to fulfill their manage-ment responsibilities. Likewise, adjust the compensation criteria for senior managers to acknowledge the time they must devote to management matters and for the firm-ben-efitting results that they achieve.
6Start (or Re-energize) the Strategic Planning Process. A strategic plan is a living document that requires modification and fine-tuning from
the first day it is implemented. If you have been selected as the firm’s managing partner, presumably you have a vision of what you want the firm to become, what you want it to achieve. Sell this vision and muster a support-ing coalition among the equity partners. You don’t need
to win them all over, but you will need an effective critical mass and working majority. With this group at your back, start small and keep the initial goals simple. We at the Managing Partner Forum suggest three or four one-year priority items with sufficient low-hanging fruit to show short- term wins. Consolidate your gains and move forward.
7Maintain Your Firm’s Investment in its Future. The challenges of launching new initiatives, creating
consensus, and moving your firm forward can sometime cause a firm leader to forget about the “little things” that, in the end, may prove to be just as important as greater goals. Don’t forget to implement a first-rate training and associate development program. Here lies the future of your firm. Don’t forget about marketing and business development initiatives. These provide the growth that will finance your firm’s future. Don’t forget about technology upgrades. These are the essential tools that keep your firm on the cutting edge and ahead of the pack. And don’t ignore your successor. Heirs apparent need the opportunity to learn the principles of law firm manage-ment.
The old Chinese proverb says that a journey of a thou-sand miles begins with a single step. Becoming a leader of a law firm is similar. A managing partner must, step-by-step, patiently bring along the uninterested and the doubters and the curmudgeons to join the advocates and the reformers. Bold vision and small steps are the stuff of leadership. n
John Remsen, Jr. is President and CEO of The Managing Partner Forum, the country’s premiere resource for managing partners and law firm leaders. He is also President of The Remsen Group, one of the country’s leading consulting firms for mid-size law firms. He can be reached at 404.885.9100 or
non-billable time for them to fulfill their management
responsibilities.
NOVA NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2013 | 17
ITEMS DONATED: n Styrofoam Bowls n Styrofoam Plates n Styrofoam Cups n Paper Towels n Bottled Water n Salad Dressing n Instant Oatmeal n Poptarts n Cereal n Canned Fruit n Cups of Soup n Sugar n Sweet ‘n Low
n Energy Bars n Coffee n Trash Bags n Handiwipes n Shampoo n Toothbrushes n Deodorant n Disposable Razors n Shaving Cream n Liquid Hand Soap n Underwear n Socks
FINAL MEETING 2013ALA Northern Virginia members listen to Janet Ioli, motivational speaker, discuss ‘Managing Your Energy’ at the final chapter meet-ing of the year on November 19. Par-ticipants found this topic especially useful with the approaching holiday season.
SUPPORTING THE LAMB CENTER
Donations we collected from members and busi-ness partners at our Annual CrabFeast in August for the Lamb Center, an organization in Fairfax
that serves those who are poor and/or homeless. For more information on the Lamb Center visit their webite at www.thelambcenter.org.
18 | DECEMBER 2013 NOVA NEWSLETTER
MEMPHIS CONFERENCEA FUN AND EDUCATIONAL EVENT
By Jaime Rowley
As a new member to the ALA NOVA Chapter this year, I have had many memorable first time expe-riences, making this year an enjoyable and success-
ful one for me. My most significant moment came by surprise while attending the NOVA ALA Annual Crab Feast. After many attempts during our raffle drawing, I became the lucky winner who won the trip to the Region 2 Conference in Memphis, TN.
During my visit in Memphis I was given the opportunity to spend time with many remarkable individuals from various different ALA chapters. We spent time sharing experiences and gaining new insight from the many different sessions available throughout the 3 day event. Many of the sessions I attended quickly impacted my professional life and helped me improve my profession-al understanding in Digital Security, Business Writing, and Leadership Communication. I was also fortunate to attend Dr. Dale Henry’s highly entertaining presentation on “The Only Four Letter Word Everybody Should Use”; which quickly became my favorite session. During the evenings I spent time enjoying the local scene with other members, as well as the ALA sponsored event “Blues at the Ballpark”. I also walked away with 2 prizes after
attending the Exhibit Hall and meeting many of our business partners. A remarkable and enjoyable trip from beginning to end!
Thank you to the NOVA ALA Business Partners for all their support and allowing us to make opportunities like mine possible. I look forward to the coming year and hope to attend many more ALA events. I encourage all members to attend as many events and meetings as pos-sible. They truly impact your professional experience in many positive ways. n
