Tag Archives: training

Training Staff in Small Bites

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Getting someone’s attention is tough. Keeping it is even tougher. So why not adapt?

When setting up a training program for staff, offer content that is easily digestible:

  • Choose a theme
  • Set a training period
  • Collect content
  • Divide the content into segments
  • Keep each segment short and limited to one topic

For example, you could designate July as “security” month and distribute brief training segments every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Choosing a strong password, avoiding phishing scams, and working remotely could be your first three topics.

Why This Approach?

I’ve been training lawyers and staff for decades. We belong to a profession that values continuing education, but we’re also busy and under pressure. When you distill information it is easier to absorb. Keeping it short means the listener or reader can get what they need and move on with their day.

Where Can I Find Content?

Look to your favorite law blogs. Besides yours truly, Attorney at Work, Lawyerist, and others listed by the ABA Journal are a good start.

Law Practice Today is another great resource. They do themed issues, which makes finding relevant content easier. Access the archives here.

Also see Law Technology Today. Specifically their videos and “quick tips.”

Depending on the topics you wish to address, bar and other professional publications can be helpful too.

Get Staff Involved

While you undoubtedly have some topics in mind, be sure to illicit ideas from staff. What would they like to see covered? Know more about? Ask for their tips or delegate content research to spread the load. Training doesn’t have to be a one-person act.

All rights reserved 2020 Beverly Michaelis.

Seamless Client Intake Webinar

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  • Ever wish you could streamline your solo or small firm practice to easily track contacts, client leads, tasks, and reminders?
  • Or send out client intake forms with a few clicks of your mouse, set a due date for clients to complete forms, and automate client reminders?
  • Maybe you’ve been longing to implement eSigning of fee agreement and engagement letters, but you’re not quite certain how to get started.

On January 12, 2016 we offered a free Webinar with Lexicata – the all-in-one client relationship management and client intake solution exclusively for lawyers.

Did You Miss the Program?

No worries!  We recorded it.  It will be available in the next few weeks on the Past CLE page of our Website, free of charge.

We are pleased to make this CLE available to all Oregon lawyers, as Lexicata is really the only product on the market that can offer true client intake online – a feature many lawyers want to incorporate into their practice, but find cost-prohibitive to develop on their own.

 

Seamless Client Intake Online – Free Webinar!

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  • Ever wish you could streamline your solo or small firm practice to easily track contacts, client leads, tasks, and reminders?
  • Or send out client intake forms with a few clicks of your mouse, set a due date for clients to complete forms, and automate client reminders?
  • Maybe you’ve been longing to implement eSigning of fee agreement and engagement letters, but you’re not quite certain how to get started.

Free Webinar – January 12, 2016

Learn how to do all the above at our free webinar on January 12, 2016 with Lexicata – the all-in-one client relationship management and client intake solution exclusively for lawyers.

If Lexicata is new to you, check out their website and blog.  Bob Ambrogi of the popular LawSites blog posted this review in May.

We are excited to offer this webinar in the new year, as Lexicata is really the only product on the market that can offer true client intake online – a feature many lawyers want to incorporate into their practice, but find cost-prohibitive to develop on their own.

Register Now!

Register now for this free program. This will be an accredited CLE touching on client intake and engagement practices folded into a Lexicata demonstration.  Even if you aren’t ready to make the move to online client intake and engagement, this is an event worth attending.  Topics include:

  • The Current Client Intake Landscape
  • Pitfalls of Client Intake
  • Overview of the Intake Process – Identifying what is needed from the client, getting organized, reviewing ethical considerations, assigning roles
  • Breaking Down Intake – Responding to the initial inquiry, consulting by phone or in-person, following up post-consultation
  • Social Media and Client Intake
  • Managing Initial Contact – Identifying referral sources, setting the tone, applying the Rule of 7, managing expectations, client tracking
  • The Role of Technology – streamlining intake, collecting information, balancing the need to screen v. wasting client time or damaging rapport
  • Client Engagement – signing clients, managing workflow, removing barriers to engagement, using eSigning as a tool, communicating next steps
  • Evaluating Your Intake Process – Asking for feedback to improve procedures

 

 

Ethical Issues and Responsibilities in Billing for Paralegals

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On Tuesday, April 10 I will be presenting the NBI program: Ethical Issues and Responsibilities in Billing for Paralegals.  If you are a lawyer utilizing paralegals in your practice, I hope you support continuing legal education for staff and will register your paralegal for this program.  Here are the details:

Webinar Times (April 10)

  • Eastern  4:00 pm-5:00 pm
  • Central  3:00 pm-4:00 pm
  • Mountain  2:00 pm-3:00 pm
  • Pacific  1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Program Description

The requirement of paralegals to maintain a certain number of billable hours can sometimes lead to a slippery slope of what qualifies as billable. As you enter your time, you need to be conscious of the fact that every bill tells a story. What do your entries convey? Is your time frequently written off? Do clients fail to appreciate the value of your services? Examine hands-on, practical tips any one can implement so you can avoid ethical missteps and see immediate improvement in your overall productivity and billing practices.

Who Should Attend

This practical course will enlighten attendees on using ethical billing practices while still satisfying billable hour requirements. Those who should attend include:

  • Paralegals
  • Legal Assistants
  • Legal Support Staff

Course Content

  • Ethical Billing Practices
  • The Relationship Between Professionalism and Billing
  • How to Avoid Crossing the Line (Unlawful Practice of Law)

Register here.  (Cost $99.)

Six Mistakes Lawyers Make with Staff, Part I

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In my career as a legal recruiter and law practice management advisor, I have witnessed some regrettable decisions involving staff.  I’m not referring to hiring, evaluating, or terminating employees.  I’m talking about day-to-day choices made by lawyers – those decisions that seem reasonable at the time, but have a way of coming back to bite you.  Here are four of the top six:

Lawyer as Controller

The lawyer who hires staff, but refuses to delegate any real responsibility always mystifies me.  You and your staff are a team.  Clients expect you to spend their money well.  This includes proper utilization of legal staff.  If you’re not sure where to start, please visit the blog of Vicki Voisin, The Paralegal Mentor, where you will find marvelous posts, including:

Vicki is one of my favorite paralegal bloggers.  You can follow her on Twitter @VickiVoisin.

Another source of spot-on advice is Lynne DeVenny who blogs at Practical Paralegalism.  Check out these posts:

Lynne’s blog is worth viewing for her excellent content, terrific sense of humor, and helpful links.  You can follow Lynne on Twitter @ExpertParalegal.

“I Don’t Have Time to Train”

Is it me, or is it just a bit ironic that busy lawyers who need help are “too busy” to train?  Training is time consuming – at first.  The payoff comes after the training when your secretary or paralegal takes over a task and runs with it. 

You can make the process of training much easier by creating and maintaining an office procedures manual.  Sound daunting?  It would be if you attempted to write the manual from beginning to end in one sitting.  Use the “step at a time” approach instead.  If you anticipate hiring staff soon, start your manual now.  Include copies of your client intake form, file closing checklist, fee agreements, and other common office forms.  Document procedures as you perform them.  If you learn how to restore a file from backup or change the ink in the postage meter, write down the steps.  (Even if you never hire staff, having an office manual will help you remember how to do tasks that you don’t perform often.)  If you already have staff, ask them to gather office forms and take a stab at documenting procedures.  Review their submissions and make any necessary corrections.  (Be sure to explain why you corrected the procedure – this is another opportunity to train!)  A sample Procedure Manual is available at no charge on the PLF Web site.  Select Practice Aids and Forms, then Office Manuals.

Staff Don’t Need CLEs (Do They?)

Absolutely!  Many a legal secretary or paralegal has trained a law firm associate.  If you truly want to build a crack legal team, support continuing legal education for staff.  CLEs are just one of the ways staff can improve their knowledge and help you get the job done.  In many cases, bar associations and legal organizations allow staff to attend CLEs at a reduced cost. 

Networking Isn’t Just for Lawyers

Encourage staff to belong to professional organizations like NALS: The Association for Legal Professionals, the National Association of Legal Assistants, and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations.  These organizations and their chapters offer annual conferences, monthly CLEs, webinars, legal publications, professional certifications, vendor directories, membership discounts, and networking opportunities galore.  NALS: The Association for Legal Professionals is particularly active on social networking sites.  The official NALS group on LinkedIn has over 1,900 members.

Professional organizations and CLE boost your staff’s competence, expertise, and effectiveness.  When you support professional certification, membership in a professional organization, or CLE, you enhance your staff member’s curriculum vitae.  Enhanced credentials greatly improve the client’s odds of recovering paralegal fees in actions where attorney fee awards are available.  It’s a winning proposition for everyone.

Copyright 2011 Beverly Michaelis