Lawyers USA Your Business Partner

How your staff can help – or hurt – your marketing efforts 

By: Tom Kane
Published: August 23, 2011

Tags: marketing, office staff, support staff

Large law firms usually have a dedicated marketing staff, but many smaller firms don’t often have that luxury. Yet a law firm’s non-lawyer staff can be a great marketing asset, particularly in a solo or small firm practice.

Don’t get hit with an overtime claim 

By: Allison McAndrew
Published: November 15, 2010

Tags: 20 Things Lawyers Need to Know in 2011, employee misclassification, fair labor standards act, FLSA, overtime, paralegals, support staff

As overtime violations surge, even lawyers are falling into the trap of misclassifying their employees – and they are being sued for it.

Creative ways to motivate your staff 

By: Tony Ogden
Published: November 15, 2010

Tags: 20 Things Lawyers Need to Know in 2011, practice management, recession, support staff

With the economic climate still putting the brakes on monetary incentives, it can be difficult to keep up staff morale. However, money is not the only motivation for people to stay with your firm.

Ten tips for better staff evaluations 

By: Nancy Byerly Jones
Published: August 26, 2010

Tags: practice management, support staff

Good evaluation systems are well worth the time and effort put into their creation, implementation and monitoring. Whether your office’s employee evaluation methods need to be established or could stand to be updated or perhaps entirely overhauled, these tips are intended to help you get the ball rolling.

Staff plays key role in tough times 

By: Nancy Byerly Jones
Published: April 29, 2010

Tags: law practice management, support staff

Rough times can sneak up on us with little or no warning, or they can descend upon us after plenty of telltale signs that we choose to ignore. Either way, every staff member, regardless of title, plays a key role when it comes to successfully surviving change.

What to keep in your employee files

By: Jim Calloway
Published: April 22, 2010

Tags: employee files, human resources, practice management, support staff

A solo or small firm lawyer may represent him or herself as Director of Human Resources, among many other responsibilities.
In some small law firms, there may be no personnel file or other records for employees besides payroll and tax records. Here’s a look at what the small firm lawyer forced to serve as Human Resources Director would want to keep in the personnel files.

Creative ways to motivate staff in a recession 

By: Sylvia Hsieh
Published: April 15, 2010

Tags: practice management, recession, staff incentives, support staff

One cloudy day back when he first started his small firm, Mark Robertson of Robertson & Williams in Oklahoma City noticed tension building in the office as everyone in the firm grew overworked and snippy, generally suffering from the winter doldrums.

So Robertson made an executive decision: close the office and take everyone to the movies.

Would you like to work for you?

By: Susan Bocamazo
Published: April 13, 2009

Tags: practice management, support staff

A legal education can equip one to take many career paths. But even an emphasis on employment law does not necessarily give a lawyer the tools to be a great employer.

It is probably not a shock to most lawyers that a lot of other lawyers out there are not great at the role of employer. But after having many conversations with law firm staff, here’s a news flash: many of you who think you are pretty good at employee relations are not doing that great of a job.

Supporting staff is key to building dream team

By: Nora Tooher
Published: January 30, 2006

Tags: assistant, law firm, paralegals, secretary, support staff

Lawyers put a lot of time and effort into marketing, technology and other areas of their practice, but often give short shrift to the people who keep their firms running – their secretaries, assistants and paralegals.