General Law Office Administration A Practical Guide to the Transition from Paralegal to Legal Administrator

Gary Weitzel, Limited Partner

Presented By:

Weitzel Management Solutions, LLP

A. General Law Office Administration

Elements of legal administration: Challenging career; Management science and persuasive art; Day-to-day operations manager of firm; May involve budgeting and strategic planning; May serve as an ad hoc member of

management committee; Certified career as Certified Legal Management

designation (CLM)SM; and, Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) is the

foremost educational and networking group.

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General ConceptsLaw Firms are: Closely held businesses; Owners are family or colleagues; Owners share owner-manager bond and

philosophy; Professional family sharing vision, passion, etc.; Owners and administrators watch the hallmarks

of profitability; Owners are the ultimate DECISION MAKERS &

RISK TAKERS; and Administrators must be good stewards of

resources and capital.

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Law Office Management Principles

Law firms are a business; All businesses exist to create wealth for the

owners by providing value to clients; Value = the quality and results of legal services

sustained through sound business practices in an efficient business environment that meets or exceeds client’s expectations; and,

Administrators work closely with owners to develop, facilitate, monitor and sustain business practices.

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Six Business Areas thatAdministrator must Master

General law firm management; Financial management; Client service and marketing; Information and network technology; Human resources management; and, Facilities management.

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Tasks for general management:

Day-to-day operations of firm; Quick inspection of public areas; Address the day’s priorities; Adequate staffing and allotting resources to

business-critical situations;

continued on next slide

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for general management (continued): Expect a productive work environment and business

culture using: Oversight, Recognition, Discipline,

Clear communications, Confidence in yourself and your owners, and Leading by personal example.

Administrator’s stature is enhanced by quality policies and procedures for all non-lawyer staff; and

Address day-to-day needs of firm with a sense of fairness.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for financial management: Rick Rusch will elaborate on tasks of financial

management; Your ability to work with owners to develop budget is

a demonstration of your competence; Day-to-day tasks include:

Payables, Billing and collections, Payroll and benefit oversight, Monitoring internal financial controls, Generating “snapshot” reports at request of owners.

Overseeing the financial condition of firm and preventing losses.

.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for marketing and client relations: Ron Todd, Esq. will elaborate on tasks of marketing

and client relations in his presentation; Marketing is the life blood of the firm (no new

business = certain death); Assessing client satisfaction & designing marketing

initiatives elevate the administrator value; Monthly review of design and relevance of:

Brochures, Web site and blogs, Press releases and articles, General “look and feel” of brands and message,

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for marketing and client relations (continued):

General “look and feel” of brands and message, Review of next three months marketing initiatives,

Review and update marketing and editorial calendar for ads, articles, TV and radio spots, seminar presentations, bar directories & national registries; and

An exceptional job in branding/marketing may result in new business opportunities and strong attorney/staff recruiting.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for information and network technology: More detail will be provided by Gary and Dave

Goodwin this afternoon; Day-to-day responsibility; Long range strategic planning item; Administrator must develop, implement and, over

time, upgrade the firm’s network of IT services; Training is a critical element to leverage productivity

of staff and control of related costs; and Watch for unforeseen and unintended consequences

of your IT policies and procedures.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for human resource management: More detail will be provided by Ron Todd, Esq.. in

coming session; HR is the management of lawyers and non-lawyers

in a professional office environment; Skills include:

Strategic planning, Reasoned appraisal, Supervision and counseling, Clear communications, and Investigation/resolution of grievances.

HR test administrator’s oral and written skills;

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for human resource management (continued): Champion of firm culture and, like the receptionist,

the voice and face of the firm; Many hats:

Custodian to receptionist, Diplomat to mediator, Cheerleader to taskmaster.

The impression you embed is a reflection of firm’s culture and standards; and don’t despair,

Paralegals have years of experience and results to prepare them for a different and more visible role in the firm.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Tasks for facility management: Daily and long-term oversight of firm’s physical plant

and equipment; Oversight of service contracts, capital purchases and

office security/access; Closed file and records management; Internal office moves and major office moves; Leverage relationships with vendors and design

experts to stay on task and on budget; and, Drafting requests for proposals (RFPs) is a test of

analytical, technical writing and persuasive verbal skills.

Roles & Responsibilities withinYour Firm Structure

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Day-to-day operations is most challenging to administrator and most important to owners;

Challenge is balancing contingencies which interfere with your scheduled plan of the day;

Business interruptions are unavoidable and always occur at wrong time,

As you have for years, live with checklists, to-do lists, calendars, task lists, and deadlines;

Your priority is BUSINESS CONTINUITY; and, Most administrators and “first in and last out” of the

office.

Management of Day-to-Day Operations

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Tips on Delegation: Both an art and a skill:

Trust, Reliance, Competence, Training, Willingness to accept responsibility if task is

uncompleted or unacceptable. Key technique for delegation is clear communication

to, and adequate training of, designee; and Get comfortable and competent before delegating

key tasks.

Management of Day-to-Day Operations (continued)

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Paralegals have a “leg up” for this task: Knowledge and experience with typical law office

suite; Familiar with culture, practices and workflow; Enviable position of evaluating existing services; Taking firm to next level or backing off services that

are too robust for the firm; No “silver bullet” for all case, document and practice

management software; and It’s best to keep it simple as possible and outline

requirements and needs clearly in your RFP.

Operational Systems Setup and Management

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Gary Weitzel, Limited Partner

Presented By:

Weitzel Management Solutions, LLP

Thank You!

General Law Office Administration A Practical Guide to the Transition from Paralegal to Legal Administrator