Constant Content : Legal Ghostwriting & Content : Janet Raasch : Copy for Lawyers & Attorneys, Law Firm Business Development

When you get a big check from a client or a third party, the Colorado Supreme Court has strict rules governing where this money is deposited, how it is paid out and what happens to the interest.  In this April 2008 article, Alexander Rothrock of Burns Figa and Will PC discusses recent changes made to the Colorado Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.15 -- which governs trust accounts -- and the implications of these changes on Colorado law firms.

Office is office and trust is trust -- and never the twain shall meet

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The business climate of the 21st Century is increasingly diverse.  In order to succeed in this environment, law firms must take active steps to mirror the business culture of the present and the future -- not rest blindly in the culture of the past.  In this March 2008 article, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix discusses diversity in the legal profession and the work of the Colorado Campaign for Inclusive Excellence.

Beyond diversity:  Inclusion in the legal workforce

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One of the key responsibilities of a legal administrator is the need to interact effectively as a leader with lawyers and staff -- one-on-one or in groups -- in order to get things done.  In addition, legal administrators need to build and maintain networks of people they can rely on for support in their professional and personal lives.  This March 2008 article summarizes presentations made by Sarah Michel of Perfecting Connecting at the two-day annual retreat of the Mile High Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, held at The Historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.

Effective law firm administration depends upon connecting with others

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The daily responsibility for balancing th eneeds of attorneys and staff in a modern law office can put even the best legal administrator in a stressful position.  In this January 2008 article, consultant and author Julie Alexander discusses maximizing personal and workplace morale.

Law firm administrators:  Maximize your morale to achieve personal and workplace success

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With the approach of tax season, law firm administrators are eager to understand how the latest developments will affect their firms.  These developments can be structural, like choice of entity, or strategic, like the use of key performance indicators.  In this November 2007 article, accountants Paul Egan, Lori Gibson, Sean McBride and Shawn Windle of Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman discuss trends for the 2008 tax season.

An accountant's view:  Financial trends that affect law firms

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The subject of law firm dress codes is guaranteed to get an animated response from any legal administrator.  If you demonstrate to your staff and lawyers how their personal business style is closely linked with their ongoing career success, they will start to pay attention.  In this October 2007 article, wardrobe consultant Doug Paris of Paris Wardrobe & Design discusses the subject of law firm dress codes.

Law firm dress code:  External restriction or internal guide?

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Seventy percent of employees believe that they could improve their performance and results in the workplace -- if only they had effective feedback and coaching.  The "coaching conversation" is a structured process by which an employer helps an employee set better goals and take specific steops to reach his or her full potential.  In this August 2007 article, Morag Barrett of Broomfield-based Skye Associates discusses the use of her five-step coaching model by law firms.

Use feedback and coaching to help law firm employees thrive

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The files associated with a legal matter can easily take up an entire shelf -- or more -- in a lawyer's office.  What happens to all of this paper once the case is closed?  Although some larger firms are moving towards electronic storage of their documents, most paper is still warehoused off-site -- often indefinitely.  In this July 2007 article, Nancy Cohen of the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel discusses document retention and destruction policies and procedures in Colorado.

OARC recommends that law firms keep files no longer than seven years

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Employers in the United States -- including law firms -- spent 87 percent more on health benefits for their employees in 2006 than they did in 2006.  What's more, the amount that they are currently paying will most likely double over the next seven to ten years.  In this May 2007 article, David Lezitz, Jeff Kolker and Melanie Barnard of GCG Financial discuss how law firms can control the cost of health insurance.

Control cost of health insurance using consumer-driven health car and wellness programs

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At many law firms, there is a significant knowledge and experience gap between the "finder" generation of senior partners and the "minder and grinder" generations of junior partners and senior associates.  Who will fill the gap when the rainmakers retire?  In the April 2007 article, business development consultant Mark Maraia of Maraia & Associates discusses training young lawyers to become the next generation of rainmakers.

Mind the gap:  Train today's young lawyers to become tomorrow's rainmakers

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Technology is integral to the practice of law in the 21st Century.  Law-firm administrators are responsible for making sure that the firm's lawyers and staff have the technology tools they need in order to provide quality service to clients.  In the March 2007 article, Phil Shuey of law office management consulting group Shuey Robinson discusses how to make acquisition of new technology a needs-based business decision.

When upgrading your firm's technology, focus on needs -- not wants

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Lawyers and law firms have benefited from many of the changes enacted by Congress as part of the Bush administration tax cuts.  In this November, 2006, article, Ronald L. Seigneur of accounting firm Seigneur Gustafson Knight LLP provides a 2006 tax and accounting roundup for Colorado law firms.

Heads up!  2006 tax and accounting roundup for law firms

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All too often, the need to conduct performance appraisals is seen by supervisors as a necessary evil -- an unpleasant and time-consuming task.  Instead, performance appraisals should be seen as a process -- a valuable opportunity to advance an organization's objectives and develop the performance and happiness of its employees.  In this August, 2006, article, Marcia Kent of the organizational psychology division of Mines & Associates discusses the performance appraisal process.

Performance appraisals:  Isolated event or ongoing process?

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Legal professionals must constantly negotiate with their colleagues -- to agree on the appropriate schedule and dealine for a project, to settle on a budget, to mediate a dispute, to acquire employees and set their salaries, and to work with vendors on the cost of needed products and services.  In this June 2006 article, Peter Stark of San Diego-based Barron Stark & Associates discusses negotiation strategies.

Win-win negotiation skills:  The art of getting what you both want

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In 2006, the Mile High Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators celebrated its 30 anniversary.  The following article was commissioned to acknowledge that milestone.

ALA Mile High Chapter History

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