The Legal Lady

And the other thing I've been working on is...

2006-01-31T15:05:00.000-08:00

My new and improved website!!! Please take a look at it when you get a chance - www.LegallyLarge.com

We've been working very hard on revamping the whole site and it's 90% there. Some of the links aren't live yet, but that should come within the week. I've spent the last six weeks writing the content (when I wasn't taking care of my mom). Our new consulting services products are very exciting and I think will be a real boon to the legal community.

What are we trying to accomplish? We want to make lawyers happy...legally. No lawyers goes to law school to run a small business, manage people, or become a salesman, and yet that's what's happened when you're in a firm. Are we surprised that they're frustrated and unhappy? We take the business hassles and headaches away by putting in processes and systems for the BUSINESS of the firm.

I'll be blogging more about that as time progresses, but for now, see what you think of the website.

It's Been a Long Time...

2006-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

I know it's been quite a while since my last post. Funny how life and business gets in the way of projects.

Just a few weeks before Christmas, my mother got a very serious staph infection and landed in the hospital. I spent the next week talking with her and other familly members and getting constant updates. We all decided that I didn't need to come there since things were looking up, plus I'd be home for the holidays in just a few more weeks.

Well, when it looked like she was finally getting over the infection, she had a heart attack. They always say that if you're going to have a heart attack, the best place to do it is in the hospital - and they were right. After giving her nitro, things settled down. (And I left town to be.) The doctors gave her a heart cath the next day and discovered her arteries were blocked in 4 places at 90%. Definitely not good. She ended up in ICU for the following week, and got out in time for Christmas. I stayed with her a little over a week before I had to go back home.

So, it actually was a good thing she got a staph infection. Even though the stress from the infection caused the heart attack, the doctors said they would never have discovered the heart disease in time to save her from having one down the road. Sometimes you just never know how things that you think are bad actually end up being good in the long run.

At this point in time, the doctors are waiting to do the quadruple bypass until the infection is completely gone. It looks like it will happen within the next 60 days, at which time I'll be spending a lot more time with her and be out of town. One of the nice thing about having a training and consulting business is that I'm able to be mobile when needed. That's coming in very handy right now.

I'll talk about the business project that's also been keeping me away from blogging next time. And I promise it won't be a month away... just give me a day or so.

Performance Appraisals That Work

2005-12-14T17:56:00.000-08:00

Most employees and managers look forward to performance appraisals about as much as going to the dentist. However, performance appraisals done right can be motivational and meaningful experiences that build performance and improve morale. Too often the focus of the appraisal is on the rating and the rating’s justification. In order for the appraisal system to work, managers must remember the performance appraisal is about the future, not the past.

Try shifting the focus from what has happened in the past to what will happen in the future. The rating then simply establishes a starting point relative to achieving performance objectives in the future. During the appraisal interview, keep three percentages in mind:

15% - Spend about 15% of the interview identifying the ratings themselves.
25% - Spend about 25% of the interview establishing performance goals for the future.
60% - Spend about 60% of the time developing a plan of action to achieve the newly established goals.

With this approach, one part of the evaluation is the rating, but the significance of the conversation is shifted to how managers will work with the employee to improve performance. The focus is to the future.

When it comes to the actual rating, many organizations have moved from using a five-point performance rating scale to a simple three-point system. This change makes it more acceptable for an employee to be rated an average performer. The three-point system also makes it easier for managers to identify the people who genuinely deserve to be rated as top performers.

By using a three-point system, the performance discussion can shift to the developmental process. With a five-point performance rating scale, managers often spend much of the appraisal trying to explain the difference between a “4” and a “5” rating. The employee is often upset if they did not get a least a rating of “4.” Plus, what one manager might call a “3” another manager might relate to it as a “4.” The 3-point system can help overcome inconsistent ratings and feelings of unfairness.

The performance appraisal is designed to be a motivational experience building people to higher levels of productivity. If it is going to be what it is supposed to be, make certain managers recognize the performance appraisal as a developmental session - not a disciplinary session. Even in the worst performance cases, the evaluation session is not to be used to discipline the employee for poor performance in the past. The performance appraisal is simply saying, “Here is where the performance is now. Up there is where we want it to be. Now, let’s work together to develop a plan to get performance from where it is to where we want it to be.”

Using these approaches, the performance appraisal system can work as a meaningful and motivational tool to develop employees.

Excerpts written by Dale Mask of Alliance Training & Consulting

7 Steps to Effective Delegation

2005-12-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

For many new supervisors the biggest challenge is “letting go.” To stop being the “doer-of-the-work” and start delegating work effectively. You were promoted because of the great job you did. But your job has changed. You are no longer the “doer” of the work. You are now the “delegator” of the work. Now, your job is to get things done through others.

But what if they don’t do it right? They may not get it done on time. And now you are still responsible when they mess up. You are putting your future into their hands. It can get pretty scary. Sometimes it might seem easier just to do it yourself. And, that’s the trap. It would be safer to do it yourself, but you cannot get it all done by yourself. Delegation is the only answer.

If you do not delegate effectively, you find yourself working longer hours, having no time to coach your people, things getting out of control and you end up with more stress than ever before. You may wonder if you got the job because everyone else turned it down. Don’t despair; you can get it all done on time, and done right by taking steps to effectively delegate.

Delegation is a seven step process. Effective delegation occurs when you answer the questions posed by each step.

1. Define what needs to be delegated.
2. Determine to whom you will delegate the task.
3. Determine if training will be required.
4. Determine the parameters.
5. Determine communication issues.
6. Determine progress measurements.
7. Determine your availability.

Following these seven steps and answering the questions for effective delegation will help you feel more comfortable “letting go” and effectively get things done through others. You will also find your employees will feel more comfortable receiving delegated tasks. Employees will take on more responsibility and ownership in their work. Your department will get more work done more proficiently. You will have less stress and be more successful.

Written by Dale Mask of Alliance Training & Consulting

Kickstart to a More Productive Staff (Part 4 - Final)

2005-11-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

FREEDOM TO FAIL

Many people believe that failure is “not an option” or that only losers fail. I believe very differently.

How can you fail if you never tried something new and a little beyond your reach? From what I understand, trying new ideas and going a little beyond your normal effort (even just 10%) is how great things get accomplished. Is failure possible if everything is done “the way we’ve always done it”? Of course not.

What happens if someone on the staff tries something new and it fails? Is staff punished, looked down upon, marked as a ‘loser’, the subject of gossip, made to feel intimidated? Wow, that’s certainly incentive to have an ownership attitude and to follow the coaching manager’s advice, isn’t it? I think not.

If a firm wants a proactive, forward-thinking, innovative staff, they must allow the staff to fail without long-term negative consequences. Everyone should be given a chance to grow beyond their limit. Other staff will be aware of the trust engendered in that action, and the firm will be respected for that trust. If a pattern emerges that the person is over their head, then certainly they should be reined in and re-evaluated. However, one failure is not a pattern.

But what if it’s a spectacular failure and the firm loses a client or revenue due to the failure? If that happens, the staff person was probably not coached or supervised properly. As Shakespeare wrote, “…The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves…” (Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene II). Proper supervision and knowledge of the proposed innovation should prevent that dreaded result.

How do we give permission to fail? A few ideas:

*Separate staff evaluations from salary review by 6 months.
Staff evaluations are an excellent tool for performance issues and should be used as such. However, many times, staff is not aware of issues until that time and don’t consider it fair that their salary is affected by it. Give them a chance for improvement AND failure without their potential raise being on the line. Keep staff evaluation and salary review times separate.

*Let them know that failure is an option.
Being allowed to fail is paramount on knowing that it’s okay to do so. Let them know that trying to stretch beyond their normal limit is the key to personal and professional growth.

*Explain your thought process.
We all need a guide to try something new – that also applies to innovation. Let staff know the path that true effort, forethought, research, and a focused plan is the correct path.

*Remove negative consequences for failure resulting from proper effort.
If the correct path is followed and failure still results, it should be used as a lesson and not as punishment. Ask that person for their analysis, thought process, and steps taken. Go over it with them at every step and help them realize why the failure happened. Taking a little time on this step results in well-trained staff thinking analytically, and a few steps ahead of the game.

What type of proactive, innovative thinking should be allowed? That’s up to each individual or firm. However, I want to share an email I received after a presentation:

“I wanted to thank you and Ms. Bradley for your efforts to deliver useful information and, more importantly, to inspire us to new heights. It is working! We are currently updating our computer file systems, are about halfway through creating a new client file with an emphasis on getting all of the necessary information up front and I am continuing my efforts to get things
standardized around here with new gusto. Thank you both so much for the kick start.”

Is this the type of productive staff that everyone dreams of for their firm? I’d bet yes on that one. She became a productive staff person because she was kickstarted by the new attitudes and ideas, understood and started practicing the ownership attitude, and took coaching from others in management to make sure her ideas were put into practice. But most of all, she stretched beyond what she had done for years because she was given the freedom to fail.

I encourage everyone to embrace her innovation by empowering their employees using the basic steps we’ve talked about in this series.

Kickstart to a More Productive Staff (Part 3)

2005-11-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

COACHING MANAGEMENT STYLE

What is the coaching management style? This style entails a lot of direction and support. It encourages staff to play a more active role in their work, involves them in taking responsibility for improving processes and culture, and trusting them to do their jobs well.

Many attorneys and administrators may feel that they’re already coaching staff and I’m sure many are. However, the majority of staff I meet in training sessions complain of either micromanagement or never knowing what’s going on.

How to explain this difference of opinion between the two groups? The adage that ‘perception is reality’ is probably at work here. While many administrators believe they use the coaching style (and in fact, may be using it), staff perception is what truly matters. Is everyone in a supervisory/management position on the same page regarding management style or does that only pertain to the firm’s administrator? What I find many times is just that situation – the firm’s administrator does use coaching; however, the attorney(s) that person supports probably does not.

What can be done about this dichotomy? I’ll be honest about it – some people will never change; however, I do believe that most people can and will if given proper incentive and guidance. I’ve actually seen it happen when the right person is placed with an attorney and is given the tools and time to work out the other person’s insecurities in trusting others to do the job well.

Kickstart The Attorney/Assistant Relationship
So how do we kickstart this process? I’m a firm believer in getting the parties together and working out an attorney/assistant agreement. This doesn’t have to be an overly involved or formal signed process. It simply sets out the attorney expectations for their assistant and what the assistant expects from the attorney, and gives them a place to start in building their working relationship.

A partial list I used when starting a new assignment:

1. What are your expectations of me?
2. What is your working style?
3. What behaviors bother you?
4. How do you wish to be told of incoming calls?
5. Are you comfortable transferring nonbillable work to me so you’ll have more time for clients and billable work?
6. What is your description of a capable, effective, and indispensable assistant?

7. This is how I prefer to be corrected if you’re unhappy with my work: Please tell me as soon as possible and not wait until my evaluation (which may be six months away). I do not take criticism personally. My role is to assist you in your practice and free your time for clients.

I would then answer those same questions myself and let them know what worked best for me. Did this work to instill trust in me from my supervisors? With one notable exception, it did. Is this the only tool needed for supervisors to learn to use the coaching style? No, it isn’t. However, it is a good way to kickstart the process.

What’s the last critical part of empowering staff? We’ll discuss that next time.

Kickstart to a More Productive Staff (Part 2)

2005-11-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

ENCOURAGING AN OWNERSHIP ATTITUDE

I train staff in practical working skills for a law firm: ethics, professionalism, attorney/staff communication, hard skills, etc. At the beginning of many seminars, staff come in discouraged: they feel that they have no power over their own work lives, are just ‘worker bees’, and that their talents are underutilized. They feel frustrated, underappreciated, and overworked.

I ask them about their role in the firm. Without fail, the answers are always based on what their position is – paralegal, legal secretary, receptionist, file clerks, etc. In my opinion, they’re wrong. That is their title, NOT their role. I see their role as much more than the title they’re given. I believe in the ownership attitude.

And what is that? To have an ownership attitude, one must think like an owner and take actions to fix problems.

How can legal staff (who will never be owners in a firm) start seeing themselves in this light and how can we encourage that? A few ideas:

*Let them know their true value to the firm.
Staff can make or break a firm. However, most firms rarely let them know their true value. Where would the firm be without them? Appreciation and acknowledgment of their worth goes a long way.

*Encourage innovative thinking.
What do you do when staff complains about a process or procedure? Do you ask them if they have a better idea? Ownership attitude means thinking like an owner and taking actions to fix problems. Encourage that thinking. Maybe even come up with a new rule – no complaining unless a solution is also proposed.

*Tell them the firm’s status, goals, and plans.
Information is not only power, it’s necessary if you’re truly a part of the team – and staff is very aware of that. Does this mean that staff needs to know private information? Certainly not. But staff can be privy to the general financial picture, goals, ideas, and plans for the future. Is one goal to increase revenue 10%? Ask staff their ideas on cost-savings and reward the best ideas.

*Treat staff as career professionals.
Many times, attorneys assume that being a paralegal, legal secretary, or admin assistant isn’t a profession. Aren’t they educated in their field, many with special designations? In many people’s view, professionals always have business cards and the lack of one makes a statement. Not only would this small expense make a big difference in perception, but it’s also a great marketing tool – anyone giving out business cards automatically increases the firm’s exposure in the marketplace.

Next time, we’ll talk about using the management style of coaching to further employee empowerment.

Kickstart to a More Productive Staff (Part 1)

2005-11-17T14:32:00.000-08:00

Creating a high performing organization requires a relentless focus on ensuring a great work environment. When staff are enthusiastic about where they work and engaged in what they do, obstacles seem smaller, difficult problems give way to innovative solutions and exceeding expectations happens.

The 2005 “Best Places to Work” program study showed that, contrary to popular opinion, employee satisfaction didn’t depend on salary. The most given answer as to what makes a company a great place to work is employee empowerment.

And what constitutes employee empowerment? I believe it comes down to three basic principles:

1. Encouraging an Ownership Attitude
2. Coaching Management Style
3. Freedom to Fail

I'll write more thoughts on all three of these issues in the coming days.

What a Testimonial!

2005-11-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

I received the following email today: "I attended your October 18th Legally Large conference in Houston and, pursuant to your advice, have talked to (managing partner) about bringing our office up to the next level... I wanted to thank you and Ms. Bradley for your efforts to deliver useful information and, more importantly, to inspire us to new heights. It is working! We are currently updating our computer file systems, are about halfway through creating a new client file with an emphasis on getting all of the necessary information up front and I am continuing my efforts to get things standardized around here with new gusto. " Ria S.

That email made my day! One of my goals is to make a difference and inspire others to affect changes in their firm to make it a more effective, efficient environment and most importantly, a more fulfilling place to work. One of the most satisfying things in the world is to hear that yes, we DID make a difference.

Analyze the REAL Cost of Inadequate Software

2005-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

"Help! My staff hates our billing system and wants to change it, but the firm just doesn't have the money."

My first question was: Why do they hate the current billing system? After a little research, we discovered that it was a great system for a solo practice. However, the firm has now grown to a dozen attorneys and everyone finds that they're spending a lot of time on system 'workarounds' to get the job done.

My suggestion? Before rejecting the idea because of a new expense outright, first analyze how many hours are wasted on making an old system fit a busier practice. Count up the hours spent on that every month and then multiply by the hourly rate. Take that amount and multiply it by 12 months in the fiscal year and then multiply that by the 12 attorneys in your firm. Numbers don’t lie. That's the actual REAL cost of the current software. Does the calculation surpass the cost of a new billing system?

If it’s cost-effective to keep the old system, keep it. If it’s not, look for something better. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be the newest version of software on the market with all the newest bells and whistles – it’s amazing how much money can be saved by buying the previous software version. It’s probably faster and better than the system you currently use.

If you're going to buy a new billing software to accommodate the current practice size, make sure it will accommodate the complexity of billing arrangements (retainer, hourly, task-based, equity, etc.), streamline the billing and resulting accounting process, and accomplish seamless timekeeping and billing for the best client service.

What Elephant In The Room? Perception IS Reality

2005-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Let’s face it, if the attorneys aren’t acting as a united team, it’s tough for the staff to do so. We all learn by example. Is bad behavior rewarded? Are relatively equal bonuses given out no matter the merit of the attorney or employee? In other words, are bonuses earned or are they given? There’s a huge difference in those two words.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “Well, it doesn’t matter how hard I work anyway. [Insert name] gets away with whatever s/he wants.” Whether that statement is true or not really doesn’t matter. I’ve seen the perception of unfairness destroy employee morale, affect work product, and slowly deteriorate to the point where clients could sense resentment as soon as they walked in the door.

I know that many of us believe in the ‘life isn’t fair and just tough it out’ theory; however, that usually doesn’t work all that well when put into actual practice. After a while, even the most mature adult can start to feel a perception begin to affect their attitude, and then their work.

So how do you know what the perception is of any situation? Many times, attorneys and management know there’s a problem but find it very difficult to get staff to open up and be truly honest about the problems and issues that surround them daily – sometimes people aren’t even aware that the one small issue is causing a larger problem; it’s almost like they can’t see the forest for the trees.

Unless it’s a solo or extremely small practice, the overall health of a firm can be a complicated layering that can fall like a house of cards when one small issue weakens the structure. And when that happens, a firm has a difficult time holding on to the level they’re presently at, much less rising to the next level.

Many of my clients have found it very valuable to bring in an outside party to study and evaluate the firm. It can be as simple as an employee morale evaluation to as encompassing as a firm-wide assessment of policies, procedures, work flow, document management, HR practices, and a myriad of other possibilities. I’ve works with firms of all sizes and helped them in almost every aspect of their practice. Most of the time, targeted training for the staff and attorneys on the small things makes a big difference.

How Do YOU Treat Your Staff?

2005-09-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

I attended Austin’s “Best of the Best Attorneys & Corporate Counsel” awards and cocktail party last week. It was a nice affair. One of the winners was Willem Schuurman, a partner at Vinson & Elkins. As I read his profile in the Austin Business Journal, I was struck by comments made about him by one of his law partners.

“I think much of what makes Bill a good attorney is that which makes him a good person…Bill genuinely cares about people, which would, of course, include his clients and co-workers. Bill is one of the highest-ranking partners in our firm. But he knows all of the staff … by name and talks to them on a regular basis. More importantly, he talks to them and everyone else as an equal. I believe his egalitarian views make him more accessible and likeable to clients and juries”

Adam’s comments are telling in so many ways.
1. Willem Schuurman is a great person and probably great to work with.
2. Why is it unusual that an attorney would ‘know all the staff by name and talk to them on a regular basis’?

A. I believe one of the biggest problems in firms today is the perception of inequality between attorneys and staff. I do staff surveys during my seminars and I ask them what their biggest frustration is. Among the top 3 is ‘attorney attitudes toward staff’. In the eyes of many staff members, the attorneys don’t treat them as valuable members of a team. Instead, they’re thought of as secondary players in the firm.

But let’s be honest about this – staff can make or break a firm. Legally Large’s goal is to train staff to ‘make’ the firm. However, that’s only one part of the equation. For a team to truly work together, the team leader (the attorney) must think of his staff as a team and treat them as such.

B. I find it rather sad that knowing all the staff by name and talking to them on a regular basis is considered unusual enough to comment on. In a perfect world, EVERY attorney (especially partners) would act in the same egalitarian fashion. After all, partners own the business. As a business owner, I firmly believe in talking to my staff on a regular basis. I also find it fundamental that a business owner take the time to find out employees’ talents and skills so that they’re fully utilized in the best manner possible.

It’s well known in the human resources field that employees don’t stay at a firm because of pay; rather, it’s because they feel useful, fulfilled, and valued. It’s a shame that many attorneys don’t understand this fundamental concept. If they did, I believe that Willem Schuuman’s attitude and approach would be the rule rather than the exception.

Small Firm Crisis Manual

2005-09-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

With two recent crises within a month that have interrupted business and practices in Louisiana and Texas, I thought this would be a good article to post.

Small Firm Crisis Manual
Law Technology News
Deborah Foster
September 22, 2005

I live in Florida. Our disasters are hurricanes. If you live in Kansas, disasters are tornadoes. In California, disasters are earthquakes. Fortunately, it is more likely that the disasters we confront are much less severe -- often a result of poor management, planning or follow-through than Mother Nature.

Here are five common crises that small-firm lawyers face, and how to prevent them.

1. Loss of data due to poor data backups. Do not sleep soundly until you know for certain that you have good backups. You must do daily backups, and actually review logs and test restores to be sure there is actually data on the media. Keep copies of valuable data offsite. Make sure that any new applications or folders that contain data are included in the backup. Do a secondary backup (for when the first one fails). Staff compliance is the key -- don't trust this to your lowest-ranking staffer. It should be assigned to you, your office manager or someone you know will do it right every day.

2. Computer failure due to lack of power protection. Without exception, every computer on the network (workstations or servers) should be plugged in to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Be sure your UPS has a battery for power in an outage, as well as surge suppression. Even more important than outage issues is the effect brownouts can have on your computer equipment. A UPS will supply extra voltage to your computer equipment when the voltage from the wall falls below a certain level. Power issues can cause component failure, such as bad hard drives, bad motherboards, bad RAM, etc. Having proper protection from electrical issues is like having insurance. You have to do it. Don't forget to protect all the other things that plug into your network, such as printers, speakers, scanners, hubs, switches, routers, modems, etc. Most laser printers draw too much power to be plugged into the battery backup outlets of a UPS unit, so be sure they are plugged into surge suppression-only outlets.

3. Technology failure due to old equipment/outdated software. As we become more dependent on technology, it becomes even more critical that you keep your computers and software up to date. There is no question that you will spend more money and make more mistakes if you have to manage technology by crisis. Any computer three years or older should be evaluated for possible replacement. Keep software current.

4. Firm comes to a screeching halt when a longtime employee -- the one who knows everything -- leaves. We lovingly refer to this person as "Shirley." She is the one who knows everything about your firm; when she is out of the office, you can't find anything -- not even the paper towels. Typically this person is the only one who bills, the only one who writes checks, the only one who knows how you have always done things. How do you get away from this dangerous situation? Create a firm policy book. Yes, that sounds overwhelming. Think of it as the Firm Cookbook -- create recipes. Broken down into steps, it can be done. Have key employees carefully document every step they take in accomplishing all important tasks. Include everything from how you want your phones answered to how you want prospective client calls handled, to billing processes, to supply ordering and everything in between.

5. The solo practitioner dies unexpectedly without any succession planning. Be sure you have made arrangements for someone to take over your practice. For example, Florida requires that an "inventory attorney" be appointed immediately to wrap up firm business and protect the interests of the clients. You just never know when something could happen that makes you unavailable to your clients. It is important for your family, and for your clients, that you plan for the possibility that you become incapacitated. Check with your state bar and plan ahead so that your family does not have to make these decisions. Remember, death is only one way this could happen -- consider if you were seriously injured for a matter of months.

OTHER TIPS
Here are some additional suggestions to help you survive a crisis:
• Protect your assets (data, computers, technology equipment and employees). Always have a recent backup offsite. Keep copies of essential application CDs, with serial numbers and passwords. Burn copies of your original install CDs and use a marker to write the CD key, serial number or other data on the label.
• Find a friend. Make a reciprocal deal with someone in a similar situation to you (but not in your building), that if something disastrous happens at your office you can work from their office temporarily. Know in advance how to forward your office telephone number to your friend's office or other location.
• Protect against fire and rain. Keep important client records in fireproof and waterproof file cabinets or safes. Keep a special safe for critical documents such as wills and trusts.
• Keep a recent client list at home. If you use case/practice management software, synching your contacts with your PDA will give you a current client list.
• Keep lists. Make an emergency contact list that is kept offsite. Include numbers for your bank, insurance agent, all employee phone numbers and emergency contact numbers, your landlord, your computer people and anyone else you may need to contact in a pinch. Don't wait. Do something now.

These are all excellent ideas to make sure you're not caught in a situation where your business is at peril. If you need help with any of them, contact me at nickie@legallylarge.com.
Nickie Freedman
www.LegallyLarge.com

Should I go to one of Legally Large's seminars?

2005-09-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

I received the following email today (from the networking group I set up for interested legal professionals) and thought it would be good to pass on to everyone:

"I attended a Legally Large/State Bar of Texas support staff training on March 17th in Austin. At that time I signed up to be on the Legally Large email group. I wanted to contact you to ask for your opinion. I'm currently job searching for work in a law firm/office. I'm looking to get back into the legal field work force (as a legal assistant/secretary). I know I will have a difficult time finding a job, since I only want to start off part-time, and the law office must be in my general area of town. But I will be patient and search diligently.

The question I wanted to ask you is about attending the seminar you recently announced. I truly want to be kept abreast on law office procedures, and this seminar seems to cover a lot of beneficial information. I wanted to know your opinion about me attending these seminars even though I don't currently work in a law office. (Although previously have.)"

My answer:
Good questions. Do I believe that going to the seminar will benefit you? Yes, I do (and not just because I’m the one producing it). The seminars have many benefits. The first one, obviously, is the legal knowledge. However, I think that the networking that goes on in the seminars is just as beneficial.

1. Legal Knowledge: Even though you’re not currently in a firm, I think any firm would be impressed that you’re keeping your legal knowledge up to date. That shows initiative on your part, and the idea that you know the legal field is constantly changing and that there’s a need to commit to your profession and keep up with the newest trends. Many people job hunt without realizing that administrators and attorneys want more than someone ‘just looking for a good gig’. Just like most of us, they’re looking for someone who will have an ownership attitude and care about the quality of their work and commitment to the workplace. All of us want those we work with to really care about what’s happening in the workplace, and to commit to doing the best job possible. In other words, attorneys and administrators are looking for staff who will treat their firm the same way they treat it – as a vital, high-quality firm with people committed to its success.

2. I think everyone knows that by now that I’m a huuuuuge proponent of networking. Why? Frankly, none of us live in a vacuum. Knowing what goes on in other firms is just as important as knowing what’s happening in our own. Why? For comparison purposes (salaries, benefits, processes, procedures), to find out better ways of operating and handling issues, and most importantly, just knowing that you’re not alone in your problems or your successes.

One of the biggest benefit of networking is knowledge of current job openings. When I hear of an opening in an area, I immediately email my network in that particular city to let them know. My network usually includes a vast amount of people that I’ve met in my seminars, plus the various legal associations I belong to. I know those people are knowledgeable in the law and keep themselves informed of new developments, as well as take advantage of the education available in their local associations. If given an option, I would rather have that type of person apply for a job in a firm I’m working in instead of someone just ‘looking to get by’. Recommending a well-rounded, educated legal professional makes me look savvy with the legal administrator, plus it’s a huge bonus for everyone I’m working with. And another networking benefit? I’ve met some great people through my networking and been lucky enough to make some great friends.

So by all means, attend the next seminar. You’ll learn some new things and meet some great people!

If you're interested in belonging to the Legally Large networking group, send an email to nickie@legallylarge.com and we'll automatically add you to our list. In the meantime, keep in touch and keep those questions coming!

Legal Expo

2005-08-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Legally Large was a vendor at the Austin ALA Legal Expo on Thursday. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was well worth the time and effort to attend.

The Austin Association of Legal Administrators is an organization for (you guessed it) legal administrators. I met many people at the Expo and was surprised at which of my services resonated with them. It appeared what really caught their attention was the training on ethics that I do.

Now don't get me wrong, I believe ethics is extremely important and have written on it in this blog several times already. However, I guess what surprised me is that the administrators were so keen on it. Not because they're not aware of the importance -- of course they are. But because, in 15 years of working in law firms, I'd never had a single workshop or class on it. The reason for that, I do not know. Is it because there really wasn't training in that area for staff? Is it because the firms didn't want to extend their budget for that type of training? Again, I don't know.

I only know I'm glad that the tide seems to be turning and others are seeing the value of it. Look for more info on my website, www.LegallyLarge.com.

What Happened to Confidentiality?

2005-08-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

I was at an attorney's office today (in another city) for a personal appointment. It was a small office, where the secretary also acted as the receptionist. It appeared she supported one attorney and three legal assistants.

Problem #1? We were 10 minutes early for our appointment. We had to wait 45 minutes past the appointment time before the attorney saw us!

Problem #2? The secretary/receptionist answered quite a few calls while we were waiting (with several other people). During these calls, I learned the names of 5 of their clients and what kinds of problems they were having. How? It was impossible NOT to hear. She talked in a normal voice, but we weren't more than 5 feet from her. As you can see, client confidentiality was breached for those 5 clients. And the matters that I heard about included a hearing, temporary restraining order, appointment for a divorce matter, etc.

Problem #3? There apparently wasn't an intercom system in the office since the secretary shouted out who was calling to the others in the office.

Needless to say, this should never have happened. Even the person I was waiting with (who had nothing to do with the legal profession) was appalled at what she witnessed. She asked me if that was proper in a legal office.

How could these unprofessional and unethical problems have been prevented?

#1 - Don't schedule an appointment every 15 minutes, which is apparently what this office did. It's hot a doctor's office where you can shuffle people around. Appointments should be at least 30 minutes apart, if not more.

#2 - There are several ways to prevent this blatant breach of confidentiality.
A. Don't have the scheduling secretary act as the receptionist.
B. If that can't be prevented, erect a half wall in front of the secretary so that the conversations can be muffled a bit.
C. Educate the secretary on the issues of client confidentiality and ethics.
D. Have one of the legal assistants schedule hearings and talk about confidential information in private if the secretary cannot do it privately.

#3 - This is a simple fix - either use a phone intercom system and quietly page and transfer calls or use email or instant messaging to let people know. Yelling is not an option.

I have to deal with this attorney for a personal matter and will bring these problems to her attention. I know that she hears this happening (there's no way not to) but may not be aware of the impression given to people waiting in the area, plus may have forgotten the client confidentiality mandate.

I hope we can all learn from these fixable errors.

A Lesson from "The Apprentice"

2005-08-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine went to a casting call for "The Apprentice" last week. Both people are successful, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and more than capable of holding their own in any given situation. That got us talking about the whole "Apprentice" phenomenon and what people read into it.

I know many people think it's all about being in a game and winning the job, but I see it differently. To me, it's all about ethics - business and personal.

The Season 1 finalists were Bill Rancic and Kwame Jackson. I'm not going to say they were the most ethical - they may well have been. However, I think that overall, they sure beat out the rest of them. I mean really -- Omarosa? That woman is the poster child for denial.

It actually surprised me that Bill and Kwame were the finalists. I had always been under the impression that successful business people (especially on that level) would be underhanded, unethical, and untrustworthy. And the image of Donald Trump that I had before the show certainly didn't help. I assumed he fit the 'big mogul' stereotype. Boy, was I wrong.

The integrity that he showed throughout the season culminated in his choice of the final 2. Think about it - some were fired for lying, not performing up to their potential, doing a bad job, letting down their team members. To me, those are all ethical issues. There is no shame in failing -- the only failure is not doing your best and in many ways, that is also unethical.

But Bill and Kwame were two of the most ethical people throughout the run of the season. In my opinion, they were never dishonest with anyone or tried to steal their thunder. They were genuinely rooting for each other while at the same time, wanting to win themselves. Their integrity was never at question.

I was rooting for Kwame, but was just as glad that Bill won. Both showed the best of themselves and how ethical they were. Either one would have been a terrific Apprentice.

Updating your will is important -- why?

2005-08-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

It's been quite a week. My grandmother died a few days ago. It was actually a blessing - the last few weeks she was in a lot of pain from the cancer and she wanted to go. The family was able to try and ease her way into the next life as best they could those last few days.

For years, everyone in the family (including me) thought I was her executor. Well, today I took out the will and read it. Boy was I surprised. My mom is executor. And she was really surprised when I called and told her.

Why did we all assume it was me? Because for years, my grandmother had me take care of all her legal issues. I had her power of attorney, had dealt with her real estate sales, helped draw up her living will, was cosigner of her bank account, etc. We moved her to Corpus two years ago, when she go to the point where I could no longer take care of her needs by myself. The rest of my family is all there. She moved into a little apartment in my brother's house and it worked out very well.

When she moved to Corpus, I told everyone that she needed to update her will - the last one was written 15 years ago when she was still a business owner and in good health. I reminded them several times, but it just never got done (like so many things in all our lives). And so that's how my mom ended up being the executor. She's not happy about this at all, but it's out of my hands.

So let this be a reminder to everyone. Updating your will is just as important as having one written in the first place.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

2005-07-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

What's More Valuable - Time or Money? I keep wondering whoever decided that we had to make a choice. Why can't we have both?

Like so many things in life, I think that's something that someone made up. Why? Because so many times, you CAN have both time and money. It's just a question of working smarter, not necessarily harder. A friend of mine is a perfect example. She was working 15-hour days as a partner in her firm and never saw her kids. She was seriously thinking of giving up law and doing something else so she could at least spend time with her kids. She told me about her thoughts. Now, she's a really good attorney and, unlike so many lawyers I know, she actually enjoys practicing law. We talked for a while and I asked her to hold off on her decision for a little while and to work with me and see if we could solve her problem.

I had her make a list of every activity for two weeks. We then looked it over and started questioning why and how she did everything. We found out some very interesting things.

First, we found was that she was actually working unnecessary hours! She's a very capable woman and does most of her own administrative work. While this is something that is doable for associates, it can be a billable hour killer for partners. We went down the list and marked which activities could be delegated to her secretary. She hadn't done that previously because it 'took too much time' to teach someone else what needed to be done. I think that's called 'being penny wise and pound foolish.' Teach someone to do the work for you and you may take up a couple hours; however, it will save you hundreds of billable hours by year end.

Second, a lot of time was being wasted on unnecessary processes. Why print out all your emails to put in a tickler file when one exists on MS Outlook already? Now, it may not seem like a big deal to not print out an email or document, but multiply that by hundreds of times a week and you start seeing hours worth of time savings. Instead of printing out an email, copy it into Outlook Tasks and and put in a reminder date. The entire email will be saved with the Task so you can refer to it when needed.

Third, she was spending too much time on unnecessary phone calls. While billable calls are one matter that we weren't worried about, the nonbillable client development and networking calls were averaging 15-20 minutes each. That's way too much. I convinced her to try a couple of things to save time. The first was buying an egg timer. Every time she got on the phone with a nonbillable item, she set the timer for 10 minutes. Once that time was up, she had to get off the call unless she could think of a critcal reason to keep talking. I also asked her to write down an agenda for every call -- nothing spectacular, just a couple bullet points. This helped her focus on the actual purpose of the call and as a reminder to accomplish what was needed. Within a week, she was convinced of the benefits of this practice. She found that she got just as much work accomplished on the phone in less time.

We came up with a total of 7 items to work on, only 3 of which are above. And the result? Within 3 months, her billable hours remained the same as before but her actual work hours were reduced by at least 15% every week. She accomplished her goal of spending more time with her kids, and her work and billable hours did not suffer.

So who says that you can't have both time AND money? We all can once we learn to work smarter, not harder.

And the winner is ---- Tyler!

2005-07-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I was able to pull together everything to have a seminar in Tyler -- finally! I had to change the date twice to accommodate a few things, so it got to be a hassle. Why Tyler? Hey, why not, right? No, really, if you think about it, it's rare enough to have support staff training in a large town or city, but a smaller town is very rare. I decided to go to East Texas and picked Tyler since they had the largest legal community. I picked the Ramada Tyler Conference Center since it's on the south side of town, which makes it more convenient to Nacogdoches, Jacksonville, Rusk, Cherokee County, and Lufkin. If you'd like to check out the day's schedule or register, go to www.LegallyLarge.com/TimeOrMoney.

I also decided to do things differently this time. I'm offering training for the staff AND for attorneys. The staff training consists of a half-day for Law Firm Professionalism, Time Management, and Client Confidentiality Ethics. The afternoon is devoted to attorneys and will cover Ethics (one hour CLE included), Time Management, and Marketing. I'm trying to make the ethics as entertaining as I can and am doing a Dragnet theme. I even included the narration that Joe Friday did at the beginning of every show. You know, "This is the city..."

Melanie Carstarphen will probably be joining me in the ethics training. She's currently the dean of legal studies at Virginia College in Austin, an attorney (specializing in family law), and a life coach for attorneys. She's a fabulous speaker, very entertaining, and a good friend. (You can read about her at www.CoachAdvocate.com)

It's funny -- I worked in firms over 15 years and not once do I remember a class or even a formal discussion about ethics in any firm. And yet, staff are also subject to ethics rules. That can spell big trouble for attorneys and firms who don't do any kind of ethics training. Why? Because the attorney is responsible for the ethical behavior of the staff. I call it the Tricky Triangle - attorneys, staff, client all integrated into the rules of client confidentiality. Staff could break some of the rules (and confidentiality) and may never ever be aware of it. That's a dangerous position to be in for both attorneys and staff.

I actually enjoyed putting the ethics training together. I've come up with quite a few scenarios for group participation and it's a fun thing to do. It's like writing your own little acting vignettes. Maybe I should get some actors to do a scene for us and show the video to participants. Maybe they'll win an Emmy (ha!). Okay, so I have little flights of fancy every once in a while...

Well, I'm off for tonite. It's been a long (but productive) day. Hope your day is going well.

And your job is what....?

2005-07-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh, the great history we find on the internet - especially by accident. I read a great blog today (by Bruce MacEwen of Adam Smith, Esq. blog) and found what is, perhaps, the worst job EVER in a law firm. Go to "The Tale of the Pencil Sharpener" - www.bmacewen.com/blog/archives/2005/06/the_tale_of_the.html - and believe it or not. One would only hope we've come much farther in today's firms. I know I worked so many different staff positions in firms (especially the last one) that it got a little ridiculous. I felt like the Energizer Bunny, I just kept going and going and going...

The one-duty job is now the way of the dinosaur -- it's EXTREMELY rare to find anyone doing just one job. Like all businesses, firms try to stay 'lean and mean' to keep the profit margins healthy. In the 15 years I worked at firms in Austin and Corpus Christi, I frankly don't remember a single person who had just one job, much less one duty. Rather, most of us were doing multiple jobs at one time or another.

Legal secretaries are never assigned to just one attorney -- they're lucky if they're only assigned to two attorneys! In my assignments, I usually had 3 (with at least one partner, if not two). I have a friend in an Austin firm who covers 5 (five) attorneys! I kid you not. Frankly, the only reason the firm was able to find someone to even attempt it is because it's her first legal job fresh out of college. She didn't know better when she started. It's a good thing that she's very bright, talented, and extremely organized. I hope her firm realizes what a rare jewel they have and compensate her accordingly.

Remember: a good legal secretary is worth her weight in gold. She can make -- or break -- the attorney's practice.

Nickie Freedman, www.LegallyLarge.com

The Future's So Bright...

2005-07-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the San Antonio seminar sold out! We couldn't get a bigger space, so we had to stop at a little over 50 (and bring in extra chairs to do that). We have a waiting list of quite a few, so the State Bar is talking about going back to San Antonio and doing another one. One of our speakers had a death in the family and I had to pinch-hit again. From what I hear from others doing seminars, it's a real rarity that a speaker can't make it, and I've had it happen twice in a row. Good thing I do well at extemporaneous speaking.

I'm also working on a seminar for East Texas, probably Tyler. I've met some great people who want to go with me, so I think this will be a fabulous seminar.

I've also got some great new marketing tools, a web book titled Take Off To The Next Level. It's unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. It's not like an ebook, where it's just a pdf document that you keep scrolling down. It looks exactly like a book, but digitally. When you want to turn the page, you click and it literally turns the page over -- and everything is on the screen, you don't have to scroll down. I loved it when I saw it -- it gave me the same type of comfort as a book. It's available on my website (http://www.legallylarge.com/)

I also have a new complimentary firm assessment available on my website. A firm of any size can take it and receive suggestions for optimizing their people and processes. My hope is that it will give firms a quantitative level to see where they're currently at. After all, how can you step up to the next level if you're not sure where you're at now?

Shaye Stevens of RedBee Productions has done all the work on both of the above, plus a weblinks book and electronic brochure. He's really got some advanced programs and has ideas for even more really cool stuff.

I'm also working with Asha Prasad on developing clients. The 3 areas she's helping me with are: introducing me and my company to prospects, getting me speaking engagements, and an entree' into publishing articles. She's a really fabulous person -- very positive, a go-getter, and a proven marketer.

I'm really looking forward to Legally Large being a huge success. With these two people in my corner, I don't see how I can lose!

Until next time...

So many changes...

2005-06-07T13:28:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I last blogged. It's been a whirlwind. I've been lucky enough to meet some fabulous people, including some that I've made business alliances with. Plus, I've been working on the solid foundation of my business and have revamped the concept.

The concept I had before was on target; however, I didn't realize how encompassing the training would really turn out to be. Increasing billable hours was only a small part of it. Once I realized that I was really working to help firms rise to the next level by optimizing what they already have, I understood where everything fit into the big picture.

I want to help attorneys and staff rise to the own next level, not mine. It could be increasing billable hours, decreasing actual hours, better work/life balance, higher employee morale, increase in clients, more diverse clientele.... Basically, I help firms see what's stopping them from going where they want to go. Once we figure that out, I can help them by performing an assessment, review, consultation, training, and workshops to lead them to their next level. And of course, follow-up with clients is crucial. Training does no good if it's not reinforced. One of my goals is to help the firms reinforce the training so that it sticks, and it's not just a passing thing.

I help firms rise to the next level by optimizing the resources they already have -- their people and their processes. My optimization formula? P3 -> E3. (It's supposed to say P(cubed) leads to E(cubed), but I couldn't get the superscript to work on the blogger.) What does it mean?

optimizing People + Processes = increased Productivity

Once the optimization takes places, it naturally leads to E3.

Efficient, Effective, and Engaging firm!

I've written a book that we'll be making into a web book in the next couple days. It explains the whole concept of optimizing people and processes, and how to go about it. If you'd like a copy, please email me at nickie@legallylarge.com. It will be on my website soon at www.legallylarge.com.

The Texas State Bar has also asked me to do three more seminars -- San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas. The San Antonio seminar is next Wednesday, on June 15. And it's already sold out! I knew support staff training was needed, but I didn't realize how popular it would be.

I also have a new speaker at the San Antonio seminar, Belva McKann. She's the Grammar Goddess and a wonderful speaker. You can find her at www.TheGrammarGoddess.com. She's able to make grammar interesting, interactive, and easy to understand (okay, I'm not going as far as fun). I think every firm could benefit from her teaching.

My career is so fulfilling to me! The best thing I ever did was take the leap and do what I love to do -- help others feel empowered, valued, and happy in their work.

I promise it won't be very long until you hear from me again.

So Why Did I Leave My Secure Gig?

2005-03-29T14:26:00.000-08:00

I was asked by someone yesterday why I left such a well-paying, secure job as a legal secretary in a top firm. When I explained, she totally got it. I realized I needed to be honest and get real about what it's like working in law firms and with attorneys.

For one thing -- contrary to popular belief, almost every one of the attorneys I worked for was an honorable person trying to do their best and get the best result for their clients. I know that people outside the business want to believe the "Myth of the Shark", but that's exactly what it is -- a myth. I'm not going to deny that there are jerks out there, but in all my 15 years, I never had to work for one (that was too awful, anyway) and met very, very few.

Another thing that most people outside the business wouldn't believe -- attorneys will fight like lions for their clients, but then come back to the office and cower in front of their 98-pound secretary! I had the hardest time understanding this, but I think I have discovered a couple things:

1) Attorneys are ultimately actors. They play a part for their clients, and it's not threatening to them because they're not emotionally invested (okay, not usually). But on the opposite side of the spectrum....

2) Attorneys are usually lousy managers. Why can that be a surprise to anyone? Most spent years in law school, then working hard on their way up the chain to partnership. Law school teaches them to be lawyers, not to be what they spend half their work lives being: salespeople, managers, employers, small business people.

3) Attorneys in private practice have one ultimate god -- the billable hour. That's what they're worrying about, struggling to reach the annual benchmark of, and hoping to exceed for a larger bonus and a bigger share of the 'attaboys' and 'attagirls'. Law firms are nothing but politics, and everyone has to make their political (read billable hour) contributions.

4) And the last thing any attorney wants to deal with is strife inside their own practice. Many attorneys I know are passive-aggressive when it comes to dealing with problems in their own office. They keep thinking that 'someone else' will take care of it. And guess what? 'Someone else' usually does, but it's not the person that should be doing it -- either the attorney or the office manager. Nature abhors a vaccuum, and so do legal staff. The problem is, the solutions most staff come up with don't work because they don't have the power to actually enforce or solve any problems.

And therein lies the rub.... staff is the one that has to deal with the problems, but then they're not given the authority to solve the problem. Or, if they are given that authority, they're not usually backed up by those in charge.

And that's just the beginning.....

I don't want this blog to become a diatribe against attorneys and it won't. Believe me, there are many problems in the work place and I've just touched on a few. In future blogs, I'll talk about what to do about some of these issues.

Stay tuned...

Ode to "Propeller Head"

2005-03-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

We were finally able to get all the handout content from the State Bar program on the website. Go to www.legallylarge.com/sbot to access. All the Powerpoint presentations and handouts have been pdf'd for easy access.

The only presentation that was edited was the Dress For Success portion given by Janet Trent Morehead (http://www.mojo-maker.com/). I know everyone looooooved the "What's My Line" game with the before and after pictures; however, those were copyrighted pictures. And since we're all in the legal field, I thought, hmmmm, maybe we shouldn't violate the copyright. (Okay, so that's what happens when you work for intellectual property firms. Isn't that annoying?)

One more thing, our own favorite "Propeller Head" (Steven List) told me to use him as the excuse for not getting the pdf's on the webpage sooner. While I was veeery tempted, I decided to tell the truth about why it happened later than I planned.

As I told everyone, I'm technologically challenged. I now find that I'm also 'consultant challenged'. What is that? Basically, that's what happens when you're used to working for a large firm (or corporation) and having access to the latest and greatest technology -- including a muti-page pdf scanner. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that something that seemed so common when I didn't have to find an outside source was actually hard to find!

Many thanks to Kevin Holder at National Legal (one of the sponsors of the State Bar seminar on 3/17/05 - www.nationallegal.com) for coming to my rescue and scanning the documents for me.

Lessons for today:
1. Be grateful to your employers for spending the moola for good technology and allowing you to access it.
2. Bless those IT people! (including our own beloved Propeller Head)
3. Establish solid business relationships and treat your vendors well (because they get you out of lots o'jams - especially when you're past deadline).

A great time was had by all...

2005-03-21T16:01:00.000-08:00

The legal support staff training seminar I organized for the State Bar of Texas on March 17 was a huuuuuuge success.

We had over 60 registrants from all over the state. We had a full day of seminars, great speakers, and even ended with a style show by Chicos. It was very informative, and I've had nothing but positive comments, with many asking for more seminars and information.

I'm thrilled it worked so well. I learned a lot of things -- mostly what worked and what didn't, and what not to do. It's also a good idea to have a back-up speaker. DiAnne got food poisoning and Steven List and Belva McKann filled in with internet research and grammar for writing, respectively.

The State Bar has already contacted me for a meeting to talk about doing this in other cities, and planning future seminars.

For anyone interested, all handouts can be found at www.legallylarge.com/sbot.

State Bar of Texas Seminar

2005-03-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

My first big seminar for support staff is Thursday, March 17 (hope it brings me the luck o' the Irish). I'm very excited about it and think it will be a huge success. I've got 5 great speakers participating - Steven List (www.pathandpresence.com) is doing a full hour on Word templates, styles, and macros; DiAnne Olson (www.austinnetworker.com) is doing internet research for the staff; Cara Polk (www.spicyspaces.com) is doing a big part of the creating & maintaining file systems; Gisela Bradley from the State Bar is participating in a couple of the talks; and the highlight of the day will be Janet Trent Morehead (www.mojo-maker.com) - she's doing the last hour on law firm professionalism, ending with a style show by Chicos! I've got 10 female and 2 male models for the style show.

Even though marketing of the seminar only began a few weeks ago, we've already got quite a few attending. Strangely enough, the majority seem to be outside of Austin! It's probably because most Austin schools have spring break that week and quite a few people are gone, and others have to stay in the office to take up the slack. However many come is not important -- it's only important that everyone who DOES come gets a lot of great information and feel like it was a day well spent.

Another first -- my website is now complete! It's www.legallylarge.com.

My First Time Out...

2005-02-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

I've never blogged before, but thought I wanted to document the beginning of my new business, Legally Large. I'd like to see the progress of its evolution (and my growth) as a consultant and trainer specializing in helping firms train their legal support staff.

What makes me different than anyone else doing training? Well, for one, I teach PRACTICAL training solutions - the things that school never teaches you. I teach legal staff the practical, daily tasks they need to know to do their job well. Examples - how to write a procedures manual; creating and maintaining a paper and efile system; communications between staff, attorney, and clients; law firm professionalism, including how to understand dress codes (i.e., just what IS business casual or casual Friday?) and how to dress for success; how staff can help increase the firm's billable hours; and creating document templates and macros.

Large law firms have the means and budget to hire their own trainers and HR people; but small firms don't. I can consult with firms to find the best organizational solutions to help the firm run smoother, assist in creating and maintaining procedures manuals, even how to organize the desks to make more sense and for better workflow.

I'm in the middle of creating and drafting my website. It's www.legallylarge.com. It's quite an experience to try and tell what you're planning to do in a concise, marketable way. I'm lucky and have help. Steven List from Path & Presence (http://www.pathandpresence.com/) is doing the actual site, and editing the text.

My official first day in business is March 14, 2005 in Austin, Texas. Keep checking back for progress reports.