Rethinking the roles of your firm’s support staff 
Published: November 26, 2012
Tags: 20 Things Lawyers Need to Know in 2013, practice management, support staff
Improving your law firm’s efficiency is more important than ever, and a good place to streamline is with your support staff.
Nearly one-third of lawyers plan to hire in coming months
Published: October 1, 2012
Tags: attorney staffing, Bankruptcy, commercial law, foreclosures, health care, hiring, hot practice areas, lawyer staffing, Robert Half Legal, support staff
Nearly one-third of lawyers who participated in a recent employment survey said they planned to hire full-time legal professionals during the fourth quarter of 2012.
Solo attorney grapples with employee’s actions
By:
Scott Lauck
Published: September 27, 2012
Tags: attorney discipline, embezzlement, law firm, Legal Malpractice Monitor, office staff, support staff
Attorney Kevin Jamison in his law office in Gladstone, Mo. Behind him are portraits of his great-great grandfather, his father and his son, who served in the Civil War, World War II and Afghanistan, respectively. Photo by Scott Lauck.
In 2010, Kansas City, Mo., solo practitioner Kevin L. Jamison fell headlong into the ultimate nightmare for a small law office.
Jamison fired his office manager of 10 years after she refused to turn over the password to her desk computer. He soon learned that his client trust accounts had been overdrawn. His long-trusted employee, he alleges, had been embezzling from him for years.
Lawyers paying non-lawyer colleagues
By:
Thomas Spahn
Published: September 20, 2012
Tags: law firm, Legal Malpractice Monitor, legal staff, paralegals, salary, support staff
The Wisconsin Supreme Court held recently that a law firm could pay a paralegal a percentage of the gross proceeds from cases on which the paralegal worked. The Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation had argued that the compensation plan violated the prohibition on sharing legal fees with a non-lawyer. (In re Weigel, 817 N.W.2d 835 (Wis. 2012)).
The opinion represents the latest chapter in a long‑running debate about how lawyers can compensate their non-lawyer colleagues. This has been a contentious issue, and the decision in the Wisconsin case highlights the continuing controversy.
Rethinking the roles of your law firm’s support staff
By:
Jim Calloway
Published: May 4, 2012
Tags: support staff
The old school model for staffing in a small law firm was often one secretary or legal assistant per lawyer, but it’s becoming increasingly incompatible with business reality. Lawyers USA columnist Jim Calloway explains why training staff to become experts with more focused assignments better reflects the needs of the contemporary workplace, and how to transition your firm to the new model.
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.
