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The Researching Paralegal

~ Articles and Research for Legal Professionals

The Researching Paralegal

Category Archives: Management

Ways to Improve Your Performance.

16 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Billing, Diligence, Job Performance, Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on Ways to Improve Your Performance.

Tags

Cordell Parvin, Cordell Parvin Blog, Job Performance, William Statsky

Associates: Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Supervising Attorney, by Cordell Parvin, Cordell Parvin Blog (with hat tip to William Statsky)

https://bit.ly/2oPQqmf

Let’s go with the premise that, whenever a supervisor gives you an assignment, you are familiar with office procedures, court rules, or whatever basics you need to perform the work. This post has two sections: (1) questions to ask before starting an assignment, and (2) questions to ask after completion.

Even if you already know some or all of the answers to the first, asking the second set of questions will help you get valuable feedback to improve your performance. – CCE

“[A]t the Beginning of a Project:

  1. When would you like me to complete this project?
  2. Describe what you have been told to do and then ask: Have I missed anything?
  3. How many hours are you expecting me to take on the project?
  4. Are there any materials I should review?
  5. Would it be helpful if I gave you my initial findings/conclusions?

At the end of the project:

  1. Have I covered all the areas you wanted?
  2. Is there anything more I can do to help you with this?
  3. Can you give me some feedback on my work?
  4. Are there any areas where you think I could improve?
  5. Can I help you with any other projects now?”

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Is A Non-Lawyer A Professional?

23 Friday Sep 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management, Paralegals/Legal Assistants

≈ Comments Off on Is A Non-Lawyer A Professional?

Tags

Matt Hoffman, Non-Lawyers, Paralegals, the [non]billable hour blog

It’s Time to Kill the “Non-Lawyers” by Matt Hoffman, the [non]billable hour blog

http://bit.ly/2cpZOJk

[L]aw firms are professional services businesses and it’s time to acknowledge the large group of diversely talented people who make them run — people who don’t deserve to be labeled ‘non’-anything.

Instead, let’s call them what they really are: Professionals.

Continue reading →

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What’s the Top Complaint Against Lawyers?

11 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Professional Civility, Rules of Professional Responsibility

≈ Comments Off on What’s the Top Complaint Against Lawyers?

Tags

Bencher’s Bulletin, Carolyn Anderson, Legal Ethics, The Law Society of British Columbia

Top Complaint Against Lawyers Is Rude or Uncivil Behaviour, by Carolyn Anderson, Bencher’s Bulletin, The Law Society of British Columbia

https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/page.cfm?cid=2219

Before you read the article, just for fun guess what rude or uncivil behavior comes to mind? Profanity? Naw! Profanity in a law office is almost an unwritten law in the office manual. Failing to return calls or respond to letters or emails from clients? That’s always been a favorite. You’re getting warmer! -CCE

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Yep – Just A Paralegal.

10 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management, Paralegals/Legal Assistants

≈ Comments Off on Yep – Just A Paralegal.

Tags

California Bar Journal, Christopher Beck, Law Office Management, Paralegal

“Just” a Paralegal? by Christopher Beck, California Bar Journal (May 2016)(with hat tip to William P. Statsky)

http://calbarjournal.com/May2016/Opinion/ChristopherBeckCYLA.aspx

[I] remember something very intelligent and profound that my professor said during this first day: ‘One day you’ll be out in the world working at a law office, big or small, government or private. And on that first day you will have absolutely no idea what you are doing. To make it worse, no other associate will help you. The best advice I can give you is this: Be nice to the paralegals. They know more than you think, often as much as the lawyers, and they have been at the firm longer. If you want to survive, befriend them.’

Continue reading →

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App Honey Pot for Lawyers and Other Legal Professionals.

13 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Apps, Clouds, Document Retention, Dropbox, Evernote, Google, Law Office Management, Legal Technology, Management, Marketing, Office Procedures, Technology, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on App Honey Pot for Lawyers and Other Legal Professionals.

Tags

Apps, Document Storage, Dropbox, E-Discovery, Law Office Management, Legal Productivity Blog, Marketing, Note Taking, Tim Baran

50+ Apps and Services to Manage and Grow Your Law Practice, by Tim Baran, Legal Productivity Blog

http://bit.ly/1O8iPGC

[H]ere’s a list culled from feedback from solos and small firm lawyers and administrators, my own experience, and lots of research, that will help to optimize the day-to-day management and growth of your practice. . . .

Continue reading →

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Less Stress and More Clients? What’s Not To Like?

17 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management, Marketing

≈ Comments Off on Less Stress and More Clients? What’s Not To Like?

Tags

Jim Calloway, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog, Law Office Management, Law Office Marketing

Toward a Less Stressful Workplace (and More Clients), by Jim Calloway, Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog

http://www.lawpracticetipsblog.com/2016/01/a-less-stressful-workplace.html

Toward a Less Stressful Workplace is my column in the January/February 2015 issue of Law Practice Magazine. Law offices often deal with very high stakes matters under strict time deadlines. It is not news to those in the legal profession that there is a lot of stress associated with being a lawyer. So there may be nothing earth-shattering for you in these tips. But it is the beginning of a new year and aiming for less stress in your life and the lives of your coworkers has to be a good thing. So read and feel free to share. . . .

Continue reading →

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Retooling and Law Office Management Tips From Jim Calloway.

15 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Economics, Law Office Management, Management, Marketing, Office Procedures, Technology, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on Retooling and Law Office Management Tips From Jim Calloway.

Tags

3 Geeks and a Law Blog, Client Intake, Greg Lambert, Hourly Billing, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog, Law Office Management, Law Practice Magazine

Effective Client Intake and the Rise of Firm Pricers, by Jim Calloway, Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog

http://tinyurl.com/pfxnpk5


Effective client intake and law firm pricing may not seem like closely connected topics, but they are connected and will be even more connected in the future. My column in the September Law Practice Magazine is Effective Client Intake and the Rise of Firm Pricers.

Law firms are retooling and reevaluating many of their operations and procedures. How long has it been since you have taken at look at your new client (or new matter for an existing client) intake procedures? . . .

Continue reading →

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Big Brother Pilot Program Comes To Watchell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

22 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Legal Technology, Management, Office Procedures, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on Big Brother Pilot Program Comes To Watchell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

Tags

Big Brother, BNA Bloomberg Blog, Casey Sullivan, Law Office Management, Legal Technology, Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz

Wachtell Lipton To Start Tracking Employee Work Status, by Casey Sullivan, BNA Bloomberg Blog

https://bol.bna.com/wachtell-lipton-to-start-tracking-employee-work-status/

This firm has a philosophy – treat its lawyers like grown ups with no billable hour requirement and other perks. Now they appear to have a problem finding their attorneys.

Who gets the job of tracking the attorneys? Their assistants, of course. Will this encourage a great working relationship between the assistants and their supervising attorneys? Probably not.

How long do you think this pilot program will last, and will other firms follow their example? -CCE

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz will start a pilot program next week, requiring its assistants to report the status and location of the firm’s attorneys each morning, according to an internal memo leaked to the legal blog Above the Law.

Still unknown: how Wachtell plans to use the information it gathers?

From the memo: ‘The lack of awareness of the status and/or location of our colleagues results in staffing and work-related complications and other concerns.’

It also explained the process. The assistants would have an icon on their computers that would include a variety of options, such as ‘working from home,’ ‘traveling on business,’ and ‘leave of absence,’ and they will be required to input the status and location of their assigned attorneys. . . .

Continue reading →

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No Question About It – Bad Legal Writing Squanders Your Money.

01 Sunday Mar 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Bad Legal Writing, Economics, Law Office Management, Legal Writing, Legalese, Management, Plain Language, Readability, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on No Question About It – Bad Legal Writing Squanders Your Money.

Tags

Bad Legal Writing, Findlaw, Law Firm Economics, Matthew Salzwedel, Plain English, The Lawyerist Blog

Face It — Bad Legal Writing Wastes Money, by Matthew Salzwedel, The Lawyerist Blog

https://lawyerist.com/60599/face-it-bad-legal-writing-wastes-money/

A recent article on FindLaw.com called Five Ways Attorneys Waste Money claimed that attorneys can cut clients’ costs by avoiding needless motions, staffing cases leanly, focusing on the important issues, avoiding petty spats with the opposition, and being smart about when to settle.

But the article ignored the most important way attorneys can save money for their firms and clients: by learning how to write in plain English.

Most attorneys don’t believe that writing style matters. They might concede that writing in plain English can be aesthetically pleasing to the reader; but they also say that it’s not worth the time to learn how to do it because there’s no evidence that writing in plain English saves time or money.

But these attorneys ignore what legal-writing experts have taught — and what the empirical evidence has shown — for more than 50 years: that plain English saves time and money by increasing the ability of readers to understand and retain what they have read. . . .

Continue reading →

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I Have A Little List . . . .

23 Monday Feb 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management, Marketing, Office Procedures, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on I Have A Little List . . . .

Tags

Bad Language Blog, Law Office Management, Matthew Stibbe

40 Essential Rules Of Client Management (Collected Over 10 Years), by Matthew Stibbe, Bad Language Blog

http://tinyurl.com/kuovcje

For the last decade, I’ve been compiling a list of ‘rules’ for client management based on very personal, subjective reactions to things that happened to me, mainly in the business world. I was partly inspired by NASA’s 100 rules for project managers.

I always meant it to be very personal and some of the rules relate to very specific things that happened to me. But I realised that with proper scrubbing it might be interesting for you too. . . .

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The New and The Best Lawyer Apps for 2015.

07 Saturday Feb 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Android Phones, Apps, Cell Phones, iPad, iPhones, Law Office Management, Legal Technology, Management, Marketing, Trial Tips and Techniques

≈ Comments Off on The New and The Best Lawyer Apps for 2015.

Tags

Android Phone Apps, Brian Focht, Cell Phones, iPhone Apps, Lawyer Apps, Legal Technology, Management, Marketing, Styles Byrum & Horne LLP, thecyberadvocate.com, Windows Phone

Best New Apps for Lawyers from January 2015, by Brian Focht, Civil Litigation Attorney at Styles Byrum & Horne LLP

http://tinyurl.com/mdhprmo

Whether you’re looking to market your firm, increase your practice’s productivity, prepare and present information at trial, or increase your practice management capacity, there’s an app for you! Check out the best new apps for lawyers, for iOS, Android and Windows Phone, from January 2015!

And,

The Best New Apps for Lawyers – January 2015, thecyberadvocate.com

Whether you’re looking for marketing, practice management, or litigation strategy, here are the best new apps for lawyers from January 2015.

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Abusive Bosses Learn by Playing Follow The Leader. Is It That Simple?

17 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Bullying, Employment Law, Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, Law Office Management, Management

≈ Comments Off on Abusive Bosses Learn by Playing Follow The Leader. Is It That Simple?

Tags

Bullying, Child Abuse Syndrome, Employment Law, HBR Blog, Hostile Work Environment, Law Office Management, the careerist blog, Vivia Chen

My Boss / My Self, by Vivia Chen, the careerist blog

http://thecareerist.typepad.com/thecareerist/2013/01/are-you-mean-and-nasty-at-work-.html

I’ve heard bosses give this reason before. “I used to be a nice person.” At least they see it. Some don’t or won’t. So what happened? -CCE

Do you ever feel like wringing the necks of underlings who seem incapable of following your directives? Okay, so who hasn’t? But do you go one step further—like berating or humiliating them?

If you are becoming short-tempered, mean, or just nasty at work, don’t blame it on your crushing workload. According to a study described in the Harvard Business Review Blog, you might be modeling your behavior after your own boss.

It’s the child abuse syndrome: Those who were abused end up as abusers themselves.

The study, which was conducted by Christine Porath of Georgetown University and Christine Pearson of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, finds that 60 percent of employees ‘blame their bad behavior on being overloaded at work.’ But the research indicates other dyanamics in play, writes the authors in HBR Blog:

In one of our surveys, 25 percent of managers who admitted to having behaved badly said they were uncivil because their leaders—their own role models—were rude. If employees see that those who have climbed the corporate ladder tolerate or embrace uncivil behavior, they’re likely to follow suit.

Of course, it doesn’t take a management genius to figure out that having an office full of bullies and victims doesn’t make for a productive workplace. The report finds:

– 48 percent of employees intentionally decreased their work effort.

– 47 percent intentionally decreased their work time.

– 80 percent lost work time worrying about their treatment.

– 66 percent said that their performance declined.

So what can businesses do to eradicate workplace incivility? . . .

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It’s Almost The First Of The Year – Time For Strategic Planning Meeting!

25 Thursday Dec 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Disaster Preparedness, Law Office Management, Management, Marketing, Office Procedures, Technology, Time Management

≈ Comments Off on It’s Almost The First Of The Year – Time For Strategic Planning Meeting!

Tags

Billing, Disaster Preparedness, Law Office Management

Leadership for Lawyers: How to Conduct a Strategic Planning Meeting, by Larry Port, Legal Productivity

http://tinyurl.com/o8txfh9

Your office may run perfectly – or so you think. We all have room for improvement. The same goes for the workplace. You may feel that, if there are any changes needed, you’ll make that decision. Fair enough. But is it possible that someone else at your office may have an idea you haven’t considered? You won’t know unless you ask. -CCE

What I’m about to ask you to do may initially seem like madness for an hourly lawyer, but I argue that it’s madness NOT to do it.

For the love of all that’s holy, PLEASE spend a day or two (even three) a year, locked in a room away from your office with the most important people in your law firm.

You need a yearly planning meeting like the one I describe below, and without it you’re spinning in circles without a navigation system. You won’t know where you’re going or when you’ve arrived.

Your annual planning meeting is the most critical conversation you will have all year for your law firm. When well-executed, you will emerge with a blueprint for the future direction of your firm. You’ll lay out concrete initiatives and goals that will, in turn, drive quarterly plans, which trickle down to your everyday to-do list.

Thought of in reverse, every activity you engage in on a daily basis should support a quarterly objective which is derived from the road map you draw in your annual offsite meeting. . . .

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Valuable Life Lessons in 12 Speeches.

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management

≈ Comments Off on Valuable Life Lessons in 12 Speeches.

Tags

@Lifehack, JK Rowling, Jospeh Hindy, Kurt Vonnegut, Life Lessons, Steve Jobs

12 Greatest Speeches That Will Teach You The Most Valuable Life Lessons, by Jospeh Hindy, @Lifehack

http://tinyurl.com/nfpdb6d

The most valuable thing an experience person has is their experience. People make mistakes, learn from them, and adapt their life around them to become better people. Those people would then tell tales to others to help teach those lessons so that others would not have to make the same mistakes. People still tell these stories today but in a slightly different format. These days people use speeches to express their experiences. Here are some valuable life lessons you can learn from some of the greatest speeches. . . .

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How To Recognize A Bad Client The Easy Way.

20 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management, Marketing

≈ Comments Off on How To Recognize A Bad Client The Easy Way.

Tags

Bad Clients, Law Office Management, Lawyerist Blog, Marketing, Randall Ryder

The Bad Clients You Don’t Take Will Be the Best Money You Never Made, by Randall Ryder, Lawyerist Blog

http://lawyerist.com/75147/bad-clients/

Wouldn’t it be nice if every client who called to retain a lawyer were completely honest and forthright during that first meeting or telephone call? Have you ever been burned by believing your client and finding out the hard way that the facts are not what you’ve been told? You ask all the right questions. They seem to give all the right answers. Perhaps you do not see had bad it was until you have spent time and money on the case. Here are some warning signs that will help you avoid bad clients. -CCE

Not all clients are created equal. Great clients will enhance your legal skills, your reputation, and your bottom line. Bad clients can make you question your skills, destroy your reputation, and result in the worst money you have ever made.

Once you have a better understanding of how bad clients can wreck your practice, you will get better at spotting them and avoiding them. And it will be the best money you never made. . . .

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10 Top Law-Related TED Videos.

20 Sunday Jul 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Bad Legal Writing, Computer Forensics, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Computer Virus, Copyright, Criminal Law, Cybersecurity, Digital Millenium Copyright Act, Discovery, Encryption, Evidence, Finance and Banking Law, Fraud, Google, Government, Identity Theft, Intellectual Property, Law Office Management, Legal Technology, Legal Writing, Legalese, Malware, Management, Patent Law, PC Computers, Plain Language, Presentations, Search Engines, Trial Tips and Techniques, Trojans, Video

≈ Comments Off on 10 Top Law-Related TED Videos.

Tags

Copyright, Crime, Eyewitness, Fashion Industry, Government, Internet, Legal Productivity Blog, Legalese, Patent Troll, Plain Language, TED, Tim Baran

Top 10 Legal TED Talks, by Tim Baran, Legal Productivity Blog

http://www.legalproductivity.com/op-ed/top-10-legal-ted-talks/

Have you heard of TED? It began in 1984 as a conference and now covers a wide range of topics in more than 100 languages.  Think of it as a massive brain trust that shares great ideas and information.

Each of the law-related TED talks listed in this article are worthwhile on their own: (1) four ways to fix a broken legal system; (2) eliminate legalese by using plain English; (3) how to beat a patent troll; (4) how the Internet will change government; (5) laws that choke creativity; (6) copyright law; (7) why eyewitnesses get it wrong; (8) how technology could make crime worse; (9) the Internet and anonymity online; and (10) how great leaders inspire. -CCE

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Is It Time For A “Bring Your Own Device” Policy for Your Law Office?

01 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Android Phones, Apple, Blackberry Phones, Cell Phones, Clouds, Computer Forensics, Confidentiality, Cybersecurity, Disaster Preparedness, Emails, Encryption, Google, Intellectual Property, iPad, iPhones, Law Office Management, Legal Blogs, Legal Ethics, Legal Technology, Mac, Management, Marketing, Passwords, PC Computers, Social Media, Supervising Support Staff, Tablets, Technology, Using Social Media

≈ Comments Off on Is It Time For A “Bring Your Own Device” Policy for Your Law Office?

Tags

Apple, Blackberry Phone, Cell Phones, Confidentiality, Curo Legal Blog, Cybersecurity, iPads, iPhones, Legal Ethics, Mobile Device Policy, Passwords, Tablets, Will Harrelson

Mobile Device Security for Lawyers: How Solos and Small Firms can Ethically Allow Bring Your Own Device, by Will Harrelson, Curo Legal Blog (with hat tip to Jeff Richardson, iPhone J.D. Blog!)

http://tinyurl.com/lrrnp7g

The Start of Bring Your Own Device Policies

It really is the iPhone’s fault. Yes, Apple is to blame for designing the most desirable piece of technology of the last decade. So desirable, in fact, that employees of all stripes requested (and, often, begged) their IT departments to toss the increasingly-‘corporate’ Blackberry out the window and allow the use of their personal iPhones for corporate emails and calls. As a result, we have been living in the age of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ where employees use a single personal mobile phone (or tablet) for both their personal email, texting, and social media while also using it for work email, word processing, and other enterprise applications.

Before the Bring Your Own Device era, a company’s greatest out-of-office security concern was an employee who left a briefcase in a taxi. Today, the worry is an employee misplacing a device the size of wallet containing almost limitless amounts of data that criminals or hackers would easily and quickly exploit if given the chance. Clearly, there is an obvious financial motivation for all businesses to protect their own or customer’s sensitive data.

However, lawyers face particular ethical consequences if they fail to take reasonable efforts to either investigate the technologies that they implement or protect their client’s confidential information. . . .

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Habits of Exceptionally Happy People.

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Management

≈ Comments Off on Habits of Exceptionally Happy People.

Tags

Habits, Happy People, Inc.com

Ten Habits from Exceptionally Happy People, Inc.com

http://tinyurl.com/qyqp4u2

Good advice, regardless of who you are or what you do. -CCE

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What Makes Attorney Fee’s “Unconscionable”?

19 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Advertising, Law Office Management, Management, Marketing

≈ Comments Off on What Makes Attorney Fee’s “Unconscionable”?

Tags

Attorney Fees, Ball In Your Court Blog, Collection, Contingency Fees, Cost Projection, Craig Ball

Unconscionable, by Craig Ball, Ball In Your Court Blog

http://ballinyourcourt.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/unconscionable/

 Before I limited my law practice to work for courts and counsel, I was a trial lawyer working for contingent fees.  For 20+ years, I never charged for an hour of my time.  I funded the cases, did the work and was paid only if I recovered damages for my clients.  I charged 40% plus expenses; so, for the most part my clients and I shared roughly equally in the outcome.  At the time, I thought my fees proper, and they were certainly ‘industry standard.’  Everyone charged about the same, not from collusion but from plagiarism: lawyers didn’t draft fee agreements; we copied them.

But as I look back, I see that I could have charged less—even much less—and still have made a good living.  The only limits on what I could charge were the marketplace, where I saw no competition on price, and ethical precepts dictating a lawyer may not charge an illegal or unconscionable fee. . . .

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Your Management Style – Do You Fix It Or Improve It? It’s Hard To Do Both.

15 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Supervising Support Staff

≈ Comments Off on Your Management Style – Do You Fix It Or Improve It? It’s Hard To Do Both.

Tags

Jill Geisler, Law Office Management, Leadership, Managers, Poynter

5 Reasons Managers Are Addicted To “Fixing” – And How To Recover, by Jill Geisler, Poynter.com

http://tinyurl.com/pn83wov

I admit it. I’m a recovering fixer. Show me a piece of copy and my fingers get itchy. I crave contact with a keyboard, with a gnawing urge to tweak someone’s writing a little — or maybe a lot.

Then I remind myself of the pledge I took years ago:

‘Remember, Jill. Sit on your hands. Coach, don’t fix.’

I adopted that mantra so I’d have to learn how to help my newsroom staff improve their work without taking away their ownership, responsibility, and too often, their pride in performance. I’d have to learn to teach, not just do. Moreover, I’d need to teach in a way that would help people discover ideas and approaches for themselves, instead of just following instructions from the boss.

Now, in my leadership workshops, when I identify myself as a recovering fixer, I ask if there are any others like me in the room.

I’m never alone.

Many of the aspiring great bosses my workshops say they, too, are hooked on fixing. They’re also the ones who play catch-up on all their other daily duties as they hand-polish the work of others. But it’s become their way of life. Maybe it’s your reality, too.

Why are managers so addicted to fixing? I’ve identified top five reasons: . . . .

 

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An Unique Response to Texas Center for Legal Ethics’ Opinion 642.

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Marketing

≈ Comments Off on An Unique Response to Texas Center for Legal Ethics’ Opinion 642.

Tags

Greg Lambert, Law Firm Management, Law Firm Marketing, Legal Ethics, Texas Center for Legal Ethics, Three Geeks And A Blog

The Depths T’Which Ethics Reaches: or, The Origin of Opinion 642, by Greg Lambert, Three Geeks And A Blog

http://tinyurl.com/oz7hb6v

 Inspired by recent events.

Dewey said to Cheatum, ‘What ever shall we do?
Our book is getting slimmer and I haven’t got a clue
How to run a proper business, you know, one that still makes money?
We can’t just raise our rates… stop your laughing. It’s not funny!’

‘Silly Dewey, how you worry!’ chortled Cheatum through his drink.
‘There’s no problem we can’t tackle with a good and proper think.
We’re the brightest and the smartest and by far the best paid too,
We’ll just put our heads together and we’ll figure what to do.’ . . .

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Jim Calloway And The ABA TECHSHOW.

05 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Blogs, Legal Technology, Management, Marketing, Technology, Time Management, Using Social Media

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

60 Sites In 60 Minutes, ABA Journal, American Bar Association, Jim Calloway, Jim Calloway's Law Practice Tips Blog, Natalie R. Kelly, Oklahoma Bar Association, Sharon Nelson, The Digital Edge: Lawyers and Technology

ABA TECHSHOW 2014 – Interview with The TECHSHOW Chair, by Jim Calloway, Jim Calloway’s Law Practice Tips Blog

http://tinyurl.com/khy3wwj

If you are interested in legal technology and law office management and you don’t know about Jim, it’s time to get acquainted. Jim Calloway is the Director of the Management Assistance Program of the Oklahoma Bar Association.  He is a nationally recognized expert, and the recognition is well deserved. Among other things, he produces, with Sharon Nelson, The Digital Edge: Lawyers and Technology, a monthly podcast. You will also find his articles on the ABA’s and Oklahoma Bar Association’s websites.

In this post, he shares an interview with Techshow Chair, Natalie R. Kelly, 60 Sites in 60 Minutes lineup, the ABA Journal article on the program, and 60 sites list. Really good stuff. -CCE

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Negative Emotions At Work – You Don’t Have To Say A Word.

21 Friday Mar 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Bullying, Employment Law, Harassment, Hostile Work Environment, Law Office Management, Management

≈ Comments Off on Negative Emotions At Work – You Don’t Have To Say A Word.

Tags

Crystal Spraggins, Employment, Negativity, TLNT The Business of HR, Work Environment

Managing Emotions on the Job: The Best Reaction is Usually No Reaction, by Crystal Spraggins, TLNT, The Business of HR

http://tinyurl.com/p744kn9

My Mom used to say that you can be part of the answer or part of the problem. Here is some good advice on how to part of the answer, regardless of whether you are at work or in any other group environment. -CCE

Back in the days when I made my living as an editor, I used to go to a good number of conventions.

One afternoon, while on the phone with an author (let’s call her Jane), the conversation veered to one of these upcoming meetings.

Without warning, Jane said, “I guess Pierre [my boss at the time—not his real name], will be dragging out that ratty black jacket he always wears. God that thing is awful. I wonder where he got it? He’s the worst dresser I’ve ever met.” Then she was silent.

And I was dumbstruck.

An important work lesson

I didn’t know what to say. Should I disagree and defend my boss? (“I don’t think the jacket’s that bad, Jane. Plus, it’s not nice to gossip.”)

Or should I agree with her? (“Oh boy, you hit the nail on the head with that one, Jane! And he’s French, too? I thought good taste in clothing was de rigueur.” Tee hee.)

Either way, this was an important client relationship, I liked my boss and I didn’t want to get into it.

And then it hit me: I didn’t have to say a word. . . .

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Beautiful Young, Dead Paralegal Found in Bathtub of Attorney Boss Who Has Possible Mob Connections.

17 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Criminal Law, Employment Law, Ethics, Grand Jury, Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Paralegals/Legal Assistants, Social Media, Supervising Support Staff, Using Social Media

≈ Comments Off on Beautiful Young, Dead Paralegal Found in Bathtub of Attorney Boss Who Has Possible Mob Connections.

Tags

A. Charles Peruto Jr., Above the Law (blog), Accidental Death, Alcohol, David Lat, District Attorney Seth Williams, Grand Jury, Julia Papazian Law, Paralegal, Philadelphia, Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office

Paralegal’s Death In Boss/Boyfriend’s Bathtub Declared Accidental, by David Lat, Above the Law Blog

http://tinyurl.com/k6fafzo

 Last May, a 26-year-old paralegal by the name of Julia Papazian Law was found dead in the bathtub of her boss and boyfriend, prominent Philadelphia defense attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr. The news set tongues wagging in Philly. It had all the elements of a tabloid tale: a beautiful young woman, a wealthy and successful lawyer, and possible organized-crime connections. (Peruto has represented such prominent alleged Mob figures as Joey Merlino and Nicodemo Scarfo.) . . .

A grand jury was convened, conducted an investigation, and concluded there was no evidence that the paralegal’s death was anything but accidental. I saw no discussion or evidence of an investigation of any ethical or employment violations concerning the employer/employee relationship.

After the grand jury’s investigation, the paralegal’s boss used Facebook to reply to the District Attorney in a direct and explicit statement. -CCE  

http://tinyurl.com/lnbb9gh

 

 

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Spread The Love.

16 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Celia C. Elwell, RP in Law Office Management, Legal Ethics, Management, Supervising Support Staff

≈ Comments Off on Spread The Love.

Tags

Daniel E. Cummins, Law Office Management, Management, Professionalism, Supervising Support Staff, TORT TALK

Spread A Little Love: Being Pleasant And Considerate Is Part Of Being A Professional, by Daniel E. Cummins, TORT TALK

http://www.torttalk.com/2014/02/spread-little-love-article-for.html

Excellent relationship advice for all professionals. -CCE

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