Introduction
The Association of Legal Administrators is pleased to release the Web debut of the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM. The Web debut articles contain forms, checklists, spreadsheets and sample policies to support the Encyclopedia's goal and philosophy of presenting "the best single starting point" for any inquiry into the particular topic addressed by the article. Further, the articles reflect the actual experiences of legal administrators or subject matter experts with law firm experience. To enhance the "best single starting point" goal, the Encyclopedia provides a uniform text structure, easy-to-use search capabilities, extensive appendices, copy-and-paste capability, selected article bibliographies, and links to Internet resources and specialized Web sites using any Web browser.
Many members of ALA and other subject matter experts have contributed materials, resources, design concepts and ideas for topics to enhance the articles and the development of the Encyclopedia. A debt of gratitude and thanks is given to those members and experts, including the first Encyclopedia Editor-in-Chief, Gary Weitzel, who guided the Encyclopedia development from its inception. This product will continue to improve with the input and involvement of the legal management community. The Encyclopedia is only a part of ALA's long-term commitment to "provide the readily accessible and useable resource for the profession of law firm management and administration."
The other parts are found at the ALA Web site, at the ALA Legal Management Resource Center, in Legal Management and ALA News, in each chapter's educational and newsletter offerings, in the Annual Educational Conference and Exposition, and through Member Services such as the Job Bank and ALA Management SolutionsSM. These and other products and services enhance the "toolkit" available to ALA members for solving the everyday problems in their firms, corporations and governmental agencies. There is a starting point for finding the answer to every question. ALA hopes to be that starting point (and more) for every professional law firm manager.
The ALA Management EncyclopediaSM is not conceived or intended, in the short or long range, to provide an abstract, A - Z exposition of every aspect of law firm administration. ALA's approach, in this Encyclopedia, is to provide a collection of articles on discrete subjects and common problems/issues in seven broad management areas:
Ø General Management & Strategic Planning
Ø Human Resources
Ø Facilities Management
Ø Financial Management
Ø Technology, and
Ø Marketing.
That best single starting point goal and philosophy is something the Encyclopedia carries out by its text structure, easy-to-use search capabilities, extensive appendices, embedded additional resources, comprehensive article bibliographies and links that will automatically open your Web browser and take you to further Internet resources and specialized Web sites.
ALA Management EncyclopediaSM Editorial Board
John Michalik has been Executive Director of the Association of Legal Administrators since April of 1995. Immediately prior to joining ALA, he had served for 4 years as Assistant Dean and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle. He was also the Director of the Law School's Alumni Association and Executive Director of the Washington Law School Foundation.
From 1981-1990, he was the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the 18,000-member Washington State Bar Association. Under his leadership, the Washington State Bar originated nationally-recognized model programs in lawyer discipline and consumer protection; developed one of the first state-wide pro bono programs in the country; pioneered in developing a Lawyers Assistance Program to assist impaired lawyers; and won numerous national awards for its community service programs, including a law-related education mentor program that paired law firms and high school classes throughout Washington State. Before becoming the State Bar's Executive Director, John served as its Director of Continuing Legal Education from 1975-1981.
Prior to moving to Washington State, he worked for 5 years as Editor and Director of Editorial Training for the Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company (now a part of the West Publishing Group) in Rochester, New York.
Michalik graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's degree with Honors in History and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1970.
In addition to being a frequent speaker on law-related and management topics, he has been active in a number of organizations, including the American Society of Association Executives, the American Bar Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. Michalik is currently a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Denver's Bachelor of Professional Studies Program and of the Board of Directors of Global Management Group Inc. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of two non-profit foundations.
Jan Waugh is the Director of Member Services for the Association of Legal Administrators, a position she's held since 1986.
Before joining the ALA staff, Waugh was a legal administrator with the 75-lawyer firm of Davis Hockenberg Wine Brown & Koehn in Des Moines, Iowa, a member of ALA and an officer of ALA's Iowa Chapter. She is a frequent speaker at ALA and chapter events, as well as for the American Society of Association Executives. Waugh earned her Bachelor's of Science degree in Business and Management.
Jan Waugh is the staff liaison to ALA's Board of Directors. In addition, she manages a wide array of programs and activities including:
§ Chapter and international relations,
§ ALA's Web site,
§ ALA News and ALA News International (member magazines),
§ ALA Management ConnectionsSM job bank,
§ ALA's annual nominations and election process,
§ Leadership events and meetings, including the Chapter Leadership Institute, and
§ ALA Management SolutionsSM.
Rosemary Shiels is the Editor-in-Chief of the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM and has over ten years of law-related management experience. Before joining ALA, she was the director of the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section. Shiels has a JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she later managed the Center for Law and Computers, and an MA from the University of Colorado. Shiels can be reached at rshiels@alanet.org Click here or 847/267.1384.
Nancy Gronlund serves as the Editorial Assistant for the Encyclopedia project and further serves as ALA Management SolutionsSM Specialist, providing legal management reference assistance to members. Her paralegal and legal research experience spans 14 years, including nearly 10 years in the American Bar Association's Center for Professional Responsibility. Gronlund has two Bachelor of Arts degrees from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, has undertaken graduate work at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and received a Lawyers' Assistant Program Certificate of Completion, with Honors, at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
About The Association Of Legal Administrators
The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) was formed in 1971 to provide support to professionals involved in the management of law firms, corporate legal departments and government legal agencies. ALA provides educational opportunities and services to more than 9,000 members representing more than 6,000 employers in 27 countries. ALA is structured into six regions with more than 100 chapters in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and New Zealand.
ALA's mission is to “promote and enhance the competence and professionalism of legal administrators and all members of the management team.” The Association's members are law office administrators who manage such areas as finance, human resources, systems and technology, facilities, marketing and practice development.
The Association's information-based Web site — at www.alanet.org Click here and the Legal Management Resource Center Click here — provides law office managers and the legal community with news and information about ALA's educational programs and member services, print and on-line management resources, on-line educational opportunities and jobs available in legal management. The site also provides links to more than 250 law-related management resources, organizations and vendors to the legal industry.
ALA offers many educational opportunities for legal administrators of all experience levels. ALA's Annual Educational Conference and Exposition features more than 100 expert speakers including law office managers, attorneys and professors from leading management schools. Also, more than 250 vendors display the latest products and services available to the legal industry.
Legal administrators can add to their credentials by becoming a Certified Legal Manager (CLM)SM. The voluntary CLMSM Certification Program allows a qualified legal administrator to demonstrate, through an examination process, a mastery of core areas of knowledge identified as essential to the effective performance of a principal administrator. Examinations are administered each autumn, and then each spring during the Annual Educational Conference and Exposition.
The Client Satisfaction System (CSS) — at www.alanet.org/css Click here — is a new member benefit offering law firms a unique system that provides an accurate pulse on client satisfaction, loyalty and buying propensity.
Each fall, ALA sponsors the Corporate/Government Fall Forum, the Large Firm Principal Administrators Retreat and the Intellectual Property Retreat. These events address the unique needs of managers from these types of law practices. ALA's Regions also host individual conferences each autumn, and ALA's Chapters conduct many seminars and retreats at the local level.
The latest developments in law office management are covered in Legal Management, ALA's journal. ALA News and ALA News International, the member magazines, provide the latest Association news and career information for legal administrators. ALA offers many other resources, including publications, audiotapes, videotapes and teleseminars on such subjects as communication and general management, human resources, office systems, finance and client development.
Regular membership in ALA is open to any full-time administrator or support manager who is employed in a private law firm, corporate, government or university legal department, or charitable legal agency. Associate membership is available to certain individuals. Membership is not open to vendors or consultants.
Meet The Authors
Ida O. Abbott, principal of Ida Abbott Consulting, helps clients build and maintain successful firms, improve productivity and workplace relations, increase attorney retention, and build strong professional relationships, through services that include consultation, training, coaching and facilitation. She specializes in mentoring and professional development, and is the author of Lawyers' Professional Development: The Legal Employer's Comprehensive Guide (NALP, Washington, DC, 2002). Her other books include The Lawyer's Guide to Mentoring and Developing Legal Talent: Best Practices in Professional Development for Law Firms (NALP, 2000 and 2001). Abbott has been featured and quoted in numerous publications and is a popular speaker at national and international professional conferences.
Before starting her consulting practice, Abbott specialized in complex litigation at Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, and directed the firm's training and pro bono programs. Long active in dispute resolution as a private and court-appointed mediator and arbitrator, she also presided over jury trials and small claims court appeals as a judge pro tempore for the San Francisco Superior Court.
Abbott is a founding member and past board member of the Professional Development Consortium. Her bar activities have included serving as chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco Law Practice Management Section, member of the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California Law Practice Management and Technology Section, and member of the State Bar of California Committee on Women in the Law.
Abbott holds an A.B. from Smith College, an M.A. from the University of Miami, and a J.D. from Hastings College of the Law. She can be reached at IdaAbbott@aol.com. Click here
Abbot is the author of “Delivering Feedback with a Positive Impact.” Click here
Jerrold Abramowitz was Executive Director for Foster Swift Collins & Smith PC in Lansing, Michigan. He has been an ALA member for 18 years and served for 26 years as a Court Administrator and Legal Administrator.
Abramowitz has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut, an MSJA from the University of Denver College of Law, and a JD from the University of Toledo College of Law. He is a member of the Bars for Ohio and Oklahoma.
Abramowitz is the author of “Promoting Communication: The Role of the Retreat or Planning Event.” Click here
Austin G. Anderson is a Principal and Shareholder in the AndersonBoyer Group, Click here and President of the Network of Leading Law Firms. Click here He previously served as the Director of the Institute on Law Firm Management and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education at the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School. Prior to joining the University of Michigan Law School, he served as the Administrative Partner of a major Minneapolis law firm. His consulting practice includes strategic planning; financial, practice and general firm management; mergers and acquisitions; marketing; lawyer development; and counseling lawyers and others with significant firm management responsibilities.
Anderson is active on the lecture trail, teaching lawyers and other members of the legal service team how to manage, plan and market their practices. Admitted to practice in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota, he is a member of the bar associations of those states, the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He is a member of the College of Law Practice Management and immediate past Chair of the State Bar of Michigan's Law Practice Management Section. He is a Class Representative for the University of Minnesota Law School. Anderson is a member of both the State Bar of Michigan and American Bar Association Foundations. Anderson is the past Chair of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association (1982). He is the Chair-Elect of the Economics of Tort and Insurance Practice Committee of the Torts and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS). He is also Special Advisor to The Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education, the American Bar Association.
As an active writer, he has co-authored Associate Retention: Keeping Our Best and Brightest (June, 2002), and Improving Firm Performance, Profitability and Partners: The Effective Associate Training Program (1999) both for the American Bar Association Center for Continuing Legal Education, American Bar Association. He also has served as contributing editor of Merriam-Webster's Legal Secretaries Handbook (1981) and as consulting editor of the revised edition (1996). He is co-editor of the Lawyer's Handbook, Third Edition (1992), published by the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the American Bar Association. He is author of Marketing Your Practice: A Practical Guide to Client Development (1986) and A Plan for Lawyer Development (1986), both published by the American Bar Association. He is recognized in Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in American Education, Who's Who in America, Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in the World.
Anderson can be reached at aga@andersonboyer.com. Click here
Anderson is the author of “Successful Practice Management Structures: The Legal Administrator's Role.” Click here
Anderson, along with Sandra J. Boyer, is co-author of “Succession Planning: The Legal Administrator's Role in Ensuring the Future of the Firm.” Click here
Julien P. Ayotte is now retired from law firm administration and living in Rhode Island. He is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Framingham State College. He was the Executive Director at Mirick O'Connell in Worcester, Massachusetts for 12 years. During that time, he was the Senior Financial and Operating Officer and member of the management committee, and was responsible for all accounting, financial and administrative operations including MIS, employee benefits and strategic long-range planning. Ayotte received his Ph.D. from Columbia Pacific University and earned his MBA and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island. He graduated from the Management Development Program at Harvard Graduate School in 1978. In 2001, Ayotte co-authored the book Wealth Building for Professionals, available through Evanston Publishing. He can be reached via e-mail at jpahome@cox.net. Click here
Ayotte is the author of the articles:
“Financial Benchmarks and Ratios for Law Firms.” Click here
“Retirement Planning: Preparing for the Life You've Earned.” Click here
Kenneth A. Bailey, CPA, MBA, earned his B.S. in Accounting in 1965 and his MBA in Finance, with distinction, in 1974 from Long Island University. He began his career at the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, and in 1972 began his legal career as CFO of a major national law firm. With more than 20 years administrative and financial law firm experience, he presently is the Director of Finance and Administration at Bressler Amery & Ross. His legal career, however, was interrupted by seven years experience as Controller of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 through 1983.
Bailey has served on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, where he also served as President, First Vice President and Treasurer. He also has served on the International Nominating Committee of the Association of Legal Administrators. He is past Chair of the Entertainment and Sports Committee, CFO Committee and Commerce and Industry Committee of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He was Co-Chair of the Law Office Management Committee of the New Jersey State Bar Association. Bailey also has been active in various accounting and financial management associations including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He is also a member of the American Bar Association.
Bailey has been involved in disaster planning as far back as his NBA career, where he was quoted in the New York Post, and he has recently been quoted on the subject in the NJLJ. At the time of the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, Bailey was then the Director of Finance and Administration of the law firm of Shanley & Fisher. At that time he had in place a formal disaster plan, the result of which was that the New York office of Shanley & Fisher was able to function after the bombing with minimal interruption and no loss of life to the law firm. Bailey has lectured on disaster planning at the New Jersey Chapter and the Nutmeg Chapter of the ALA. He has also been a member of a panel discussion on this subject at the ALA International Conference in Orlando, Florida.
He has written numerous articles on law office management, risk management, and benefits and he has been extensively quoted in Bar journals and newspapers.
Bailey, along with Barbara Jerchower, is co-author of “Disaster Planning: Why and How.” Click here
Jean Barr, CRM, joined Sidley Austin Brown & Wood, an international law firm with more than 1,300 lawyers worldwide, as firm Records Manager in April 1990. She is responsible for the firm-wide records management program, including implementing software and upgrades, and retention policies. More recently, she is a content manager for the firm's intranet. Previously, Barr was a senior consultant with management consulting firm Cohasset Associates, where she worked on records management projects in the areas of retention policies and schedules, workflow and computer systems. She conducted workshops on basic records management, retention scheduling, records systems and disaster recovery planning for major corporations and law firms. Barr has more than 25 years of management experience in the field of information and records management.
Barr completed her undergraduate study at Beloit College, and received the designation of Certified Records Manager in July 1985. She is an active member of ARMA International, the Legal Association of Records Managers and Administrators in Chicago (LARMA), and the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM). She is a Past President, Vice President and Secretary of the Chicago ARMA chapter. Recent articles have appeared in the Law Office Administrator and the National Law Journal. She is a co-author, along with Beth Chiaiese and Lee Nemchek, of the forthcoming ARMA treatise Records Management in the Legal Environment.
Barr can be reached at (312) 853-7740 or jbarr@sidley.com. Click here
Barr, along with Beth Chiaiese and Lee Nemchek, is co-author of the articles:
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Creation and Organization.” Click here
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Management.” Click here
John Battin is the Firm Administrator for Wilson Smith Cochran Dickerson, a 20 attorney Seattle law firm. He has been in the legal industry for more than 20 years and joined ALA in 1997. Battin is an active member of ALA, currently serves on the board of the Puget Sound Chapter and is co-chair of the community service committee. He can be reached at battin@wscd.com. Click here
Battin is the author of the article “Roadmap for the New Principal Legal Administrator.” Click here
Judy Bell, CEM, is President and CEO of the Disaster Survival Planning Network, an international consulting firm that works with businesses, public agencies and schools to create emergency response and disaster recovery plans. Bell authored the book Disaster Survival Planning: A Practical Guide for Businesses, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops throughout the United States.
She is a Certified Emergency Manager through the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), a member of the American Society of Professional Emergency Planners, past Board member and Treasurer of BICEPP, Past President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP), and a member of the Southern California Emergency Services Association (SCESA). She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from CSUN and an MBA from Golden Gate University.
Bell became involved in the industry as a result of her experience chairing Pacific Bell‘s Emergency Operations Committee following a major California earthquake. For further information about the services and products that the Disaster Survival Planning Network offers, go to www.disaster-survival.com Click here. Training and Customized Business Continuity Plan templates for law firms also are available. Contact (800) 601-4899 for further information.
Bell is the author of “How to Create Effective Business Continuity Plans Before Disaster Strikes.” Click here
Al BeVier started programming in the late 1970s and began administering networks for law firms in the mid-1980s. He has worked with small two-attorney firms to 300-attorney law firms, and spent four years as the IT Director of a $40-million-a-year medical device manufacturing company. Now an Amicus Attorney Certified Consultant and President of his own company, Helix Business Service Inc., BeVier is focusing Helix on supporting the small to medium-sized law firm in the Twin Cities metro area. Visit his Web site at www.helixit.net Click here or call him directly at (612) 724-3590.
BeVier is the author of:
“Business Continuity Planning from an IT Perspective.” Click here
“Remote Access for Small to Medium-Sized Law Firms.” Click here
“VPNs (Virtual Private Networks): The Current Standard for Remote Access” Click here
Charles C. Bingaman is a management consultant with emphasis on practice marketing and in continuing legal education. Prior to starting his consulting business, Bingaman was Executive Director of Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Bingaman is a graduate of DePaul University and The University of Chicago Law School. His monthly newsletter on management and continuing education appears at www.chuckbingaman.com. Click here Bingaman can be reached at chuck@chuckbingaman.com. Click here
Bingaman is the author of:
"Checklist for Conducting Professional Client Seminars." Click here
"Integrating Lateral Associates Effectively: The Administrator Can Foster Success" Click here
Sandra J. Boyer is a Principal and the Managing Shareholder of the AndersonBoyer Group, Click here a law firm consulting organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She has been consulting with law firms for 10 years and her practice includes general management; strategic planning; associate development and personnel management, including the recruitment of the law firm administrative team. In addition, the Anderson/Boyer Group has partnered with ALA and developed the Client Satisfaction System (CSS). Click here This new survey system creates the opportunity for successful law firms to learn from their clients and see how they compare to their competition.
Boyer also is the Executive Vice President of the Network of Leading Law Firms, Click here a non-profit organization of affiliated law firms around the world. The Network focuses on referring work between firms and preparing them for the future of the law practice as it emerges into a new era.
Boyer previously served as the Associate Director of the Institute on Law Firm Management and the Administrator of the law practice management continuing education courses at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education at the University of Michigan Law School. She developed and administered courses and seminars regarding law practice management.
Boyer is a Fellow-Elect of the College of Law Practice Management, which is an honorary organization of leading legal professionals from around the world. Boyer is a member of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association and is Chair of its Membership Board and Vice-Chair of its Marketing Committee. In addition to being active in the American Bar Association, she is a member of the International Bar Association.
Boyer has been published in many law practice management newsletters, including the Law Practice Management Section's Law Practice Quarterly. She is the co-author of Associate Retention: Keeping Our Best and Brightest. She lectures for various organizations both nationally and internationally regarding law firm management. Boyer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Resource administration.
Boyer can be reached at sjb@andersonboyer.com. Click here
Boyer is the author of “The Administrator's Guide to Firm Dissolution.” Click here
Boyer, along with Austin G. Anderson, is the co-author of “Succession Planning: The Legal Administrator's Role in Ensuring the Future of the Firm.” Click here
Micah U. Buchdahl, Esq. is an attorney focused on assisting law firms with business development initiatives. He serves as chair of the marketing core group in the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management section, as well as on the ABA LPM education board and marketing & membership committee. Buchdahl is a faculty member of the non-profit Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Based in Moorestown, New Jersey, Buchdahl serves as president of HTMLawyers, Inc., a law marketing company. With HTMLawyers, he provides services ranging from consulting and project retainers to in-house CLE and law firm retreat programming.
Prior to law school, Buchdahl served in marketing and public relations functions within the National Hockey League and Major Indoor Soccer League. He also served as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun. Buchdahl attended Temple University both as an undergraduate (B.A., journalism, magna cum laude, 1985) and for Law School (J.D., Dean's List, class president, 1991). He is admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar. Buchdahl writes and lectures extensively on marketing, technology and ethics to law firms and law-related organizations throughout the world.
Micah Buchdahl can be reached via e-mail at micah@HTMLawyers.com Click here or by phone at (856) 234-4334.
Buchdahl is author of "Web Site Marketing: The Basics." Click here
Marian L. Carlson is the President of Carlson Performance Strategies, Inc., a Denver-based consulting firm focused on the training and professional development of lawyers. Prior to forming Carlson Performance Strategies, Marian Carlson practiced law for fifteen years, representing clients in civil and complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Carlson gained experience in a wide variety of practice environments, having held positions as an associate in two large national firms and a prominent Denver firm. She has been a sole practitioner, a founding partner in a litigation boutique and of counsel to a fifteen-attorney firm.
Carlson received her J.D. in 1988 from the University of Denver College of Law, where she served as a Research and Technical Editor on the Denver University Law Review.
Carlson is the author of “Managing Staff: What Your Lawyers Should Know.” Click here
Beth Chiaiese, CRM, MLIS, is the national Director of Conflicts and Records Management for Foley & Lardner, a law firm with 15 offices and 1,000 lawyers. She earned her Certified Records Manager designation in 1995 and her Master's degree in Library and Information Sciences in 1996. She also holds both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in History. During her 25-year career, Chiaiese worked as a records and conflicts manager for three Chicago-based law firms and spent 3½ years as a consultant with Baker Robbins & Co., where she developed the firm's consulting practice in records management, conflicts of interest and docket/calendar. In addition, she worked for LegalKEY Technologies Inc. as the Director of Education and Client Outreach.
Chiaiese is a founding member of the Chicago Legal Association of Records Managers and Administrators and is a Past President of the Chicago Chapter of ARMA International. She currently serves ARMA International as the Sector Manager for the Legal Industry Service Group. She is a frequent speaker on topics concerning law firm information and practice management, appearing at major conferences such as ARMA, the Managing Electronic Records Conference and LawNet. She is an active writer, publishing articles on electronic records management, conflicts of interest and law firm practice support. Recent articles include white papers prepared for LawNet Inc.: “Records Management Software: Helping the Legal Department Manage Litigation Cost and Risk” and “Disaster Planning: Developing an Electronic Vital Records Management Program.” Chiaiese also is collaborating on a forthcoming text on legal record management with co-authors Jean G. Barr and Lee R. Nemchek.
Chiaiese can be reached at (312) 832-4318 or bchiaiese@foleylaw.com. Click here
Chiaiese, along with Jean Barr and Lee Nemchek, is co-author of the articles:
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Creation and Organization.” Click here
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Management.” Click here
Steve Cleland, CPA, is a partner at Bandari Beach Lim & Cleland, LLP in Los Angeles, California. Steve specializes in law firm financial and management consulting. In addition to traditional CPA services (tax and accounting), Steve provides such services as fraud prevention, partner compensation, profitability enhancement, benchmarking analysis, retirement planning, new firm start-up consulting, turnaround consulting, cash flow and budgeting, firm retreats and operational reviews.
Cleland has spoken to various associations on numerous issues including fraud prevention, benchmarking and starting-up and managing a law firm. He has been published in the Los Angeles Business Journal, ALA Leadership Exchange, Los Angeles County Bar Update, Ohio Lawyer and Sonoma Business.
Bandari Beach Lim & Cleland, LLP offers a comprehensive range of accounting, tax and management consulting services and serves a wide array of entrepreneurial clients in diverse industries, ranging from high net worth individuals to start-up operations to multi-million dollar companies. Cleland can be reached at 310-447-1234 x239 or at scleland@bblc.com.
Cleland is the author of "Fraud: A Growing Reality in Law Firms Today." Click here
Grant Crowley is the Group General Manager of the largest Australian intellectual property firm, Baldwin Shelston Waters. He has been with the firm for 12 years; prior to that, he was a professional Army officer, retiring in the rank of Colonel. Crowley is a graduate of Massey University with a degree in history. He holds a diploma in military studies. He has written for a number of publications and is a contributor to The Oxford Companion of New Zealand Military History. He is based in the firm's Wellington, New Zealand, office. Baldwin Shelston Waters operates at the right-hand end of the management continuum. He is President of the New Zealand Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators.
Crowley can be reached at grant.crowley@bsw.com. Click here
Crowley is the author of “Governance in the Law Firm: A Need to be Business-Like.” Click here
William Curran retired in 2000 as Chief Operating Officer of Ice Miller Donadio & Ryan in Indianapolis, Indiana. He supervised all financial and administrative matters for the 230-lawyer firm. Before that, Curran spent 12 years as Executive Director of Bond Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, New York, and nine years as Administrative Manager at Price Waterhouse, also in Syracuse, New York.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York; an MBA in Organization and Management from Syracuse University; executive education from Harvard Business School; and is a Certified Public Accountant. Curran has served ALA as a Board Member, Treasurer, on the National Convention Committee, and as Chair of the Systems and Technology Section. He also was Vice Chair of the American Bar Association's Financial Controls Committee, Legal Economics Section. He can be reached by calling (317) 257-6603.
Curran is the author of “ALA Guide to Partner Capital Accounts.” Click here
Anthony E. Davis, Esq. is a Partner in Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP's Lawyers for the ProfessionSM Practice Group. He advises lawyers and law firms on legal profession and legal ethics issues, and in the area of law firm risk management and loss control. He is the author of Risk Management: Survival Tools For Law Firms, and The Essential Formbook: Comprehensive Practice Management Tools for Lawyers, published by the American Bar Association. In addition to his books, he has written and lectured widely on a variety of legal profession and ethics issues. He is a past President of the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL). He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, a Member of the American Law Institute, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He received his law degree from Cambridge University, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. He is admitted in New York, Colorado, and as a Barrister and a Solicitor (non-practicing) in England. Davis can be reached at adavis@hinshawlaw.com Click here or at the Hinshaw & Culbertson Web site at www.hinshawlaw.com/home.aspx. Click here
Davis is the co-author with David J. Elkanich of the article, "Document Retention and Destruction Policies: Establishing Reasonable Guidelines for Law Firms." Click here
Robert W. Denney is President of Robert Denney Associates Inc. Denney graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He later did post-graduate work at the Wharton School toward an M.B.A. in marketing and management. In 1974 he founded Robert Denney Associates Inc., a firm that has provided management, marketing and strategic planning expertise to over 700 firms, offices and legal organizations throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and the Caribbean.
Denney has written five books, two of which were published by the American Bar Association. He writes the “Trendsreport” column for Law Practice Management, and his articles have appeared in The National Law Journal and Legal Management. He has also conducted several national TV seminars on law firm management and marketing. His firm publishes the annual report on “What's Hot and What's Not in the Legal Profession.”
Denney has addressed conferences sponsored by The American Lawyer, the ABA, the Canadian Bar Association, the Association of Legal Administrators and the Legal Marketing Association. He has also been a guest lecturer at several law schools. A Fellow in the College of Law Practice Management, Denney is a member of the Law Practice Management Section of the ABA and a past Director of the Legal Marketing Association. He can be reached at bob@robertdenney.com Click here or at the Robert Denney Associates Inc. Web site www.robertdenney.com/. Click here
Denney is the author of “Practice Groups: Organization and Management.” Click here
Susan Saltonstall Duncan is the President and Founder of RainMakingOasis, a professional marketing resource that uses a unique mix of consulting, training and technology to help law firms, lawyers, marketing and administrative managers create, execute, track and evaluate effective strategic and marketing initiatives. Duncan has been working with law firms since 1980, was one of the first in-house law firm marketing directors in the country in 1984 and is a founding member of the Legal Marketing Association. She formed Saltonstall & Associates in 1987 after seven years in-house at 300-lawyer Pepper Hamilton and the Washington office of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft where she managed marketing, client and practice development initiatives, communications and public relations strategies, governance and planning and attorney recruitment, performance evaluation and training.
Duncan has been actively involved as a Board member and special task forces for the Legal Marketing Association (LMA), the National Association of Law Placement (NALP), and founded the Professional Services Division of the American Marketing Association (AMA) of Washington. Duncan received her bachelor's degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Trinity College in Connecticut and attended graduate courses at Harvard University and New York University. She can be reached at sduncan@rainmakingoasis.com Click here or visit her Web site at www.rainmakingoasis.com. Click here
Duncan is the co-author of the article, "Lateral Partners and Groups: Setting the Stage for Success with Recruiting, Integration and Marketing." Click here
David J. Elkanich, Esq. is a member of the Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP law firm, which provides a wide range of litigation and risk management services to law firms and lawyers. He regularly speaks and writes about professional responsibility and risk management and he recently co-edited the Oregon Ethics Opinions to reflect the change from the Code of Professional Responsibility to the Rules of Professional Conduct. He is also co-author of a column on the Oregon State Bar Litigation Web site entitled "American Legal Ethics." He received his law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law. Elkanich can be reached at delkanich@hinshawlaw.com Click here or at the Hinshaw & Culbertson Web site at www.hinshawlaw.com/home.aspx. Click here
Elkanich is the co-author with Anthony E. Davis of the article, "Document Retention and Destruction Policies: Establishing Reasonable Guidelines for Law Firms." Click here
Christine S. Filip is an attorney and the president of The Success Group in Manhattan, a company that helps clients succeed in sales, marketing, public relations and design in any media. She began her career with IBM and left corporate life as the general manager of Savin Corporation's New York Division. She co-founded The Success Group in 1989 to bring the power of persuasion to professional practitioners and business executives through coaching, training and program implementation.
Filip is an internationally known keynote speaker; she has appeared in and been quoted in all media venues. She is the author of over 100 articles on marketing, sales management and public relations. Filip is working on the second edition of her book, Effective Marketing for Lawyers, published by the New York State Bar Association. She holds a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Spanish literature and English, an M.Ed. in Renaissance Spanish literature, and Juris Doctor. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Ad Club of New York City. Filip has taught marketing at Boston University's MBA program and New York University. She was honored by the Small Business Association of New York City for her delivery of marketing seminars for business owners in New York City.
Filip was admitted to practice law in Massachusetts in 1982, and practiced as solo practitioner in the areas of commercial law and intellectual property.
Filip is the author of:
“A Strategic Approach to Crisis Management and Media Relations.” Click here
“Managing the Ethical Concerns in Marketing.” Click here
“Navigating Economic Cycles in the Pursuit of Profitability.” Click here
“Speaking of Price: A Conversational Approach to Pricing Strategy.” Click here
Molly L. George, President of CounselVoice Inc., has consulted on strategic marketing with law firms throughout the United States. She has been a legal marketing professional for more than 18 years. George has been published widely in legal periodicals in the United States and United Kingdom, including Marketing for Lawyers, Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, The Lawyer (UK) and The National Law Journal.
From 1993 to 1998, while George was Director of Marketing for Quorum/Lanier, she worked closely with DuPont and its 32 partner law firms as a member of the DuPont Legal Partnership. Ms. George has worked with law firms of all sizes from solo practitioners to the AmLaw 100 on strategic marketing planning, business planning, designing Web sites, and designing and executing market research.
George holds a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas. Her academic honors include Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board.
Contact Molly George at mgeorge@legalvoice.com Click here or (952) 974-9573. For further information, visit the CounselVoice Web site at www.counselvoice.com. Click here
George is the author of “Beauty Contests and Beyond: Preparing Proposals and Presentations that Win” Click here and "The Strategic Business Plan: Mission, Marketing and Money." Click here
Karen Glowacki is Executive Director of Sherin and Lodgen LLP, a 40-attorney law firm in Boston. Educated at Northeastern University, she has more than 15 years of experience in law firm administration. Prior to working in the legal field, she worked as an accountant and controller for a semiconductor manufacturing company.
Glowacki has served on the Boston Chapter ALA Board of Directors for five years as Program chair and Membership chair, and is currently the Chapter's president. She was a speaker at the 2003 National ALA Conference in San Diego, and can be reached at kglowacki@sherin.com.Click here
Glowacki, along with Deborah Roan, Susan Robbins Namerow and Paula A. Torke, co-authored “A Case for Outsourcing Facilities Management Services.” Click here
Nicole Belson Goluboff is a nationally recognized legal author and speaker concerning telecommuting. She is the author of The Law of Telecommuting (ALI-ABA 2001, Supplement 2004), which concerns the legal consequences of telework for both employers and employees. She is also the author of Telecommuting for Lawyers (ABA 1998), which concerns telework as a law practice management strategy, and of numerous articles on telecommuting. Ms. Goluboff is the former chair of the Subcommittee on Telecommuting of the ABA Young Lawyers Division Women in the Profession Committee, and she is a graduate of Columbia Law School.
Goluboff is the author of “Telecommuting: The Road to Sound Policy.” Click here
Heather Gray-Grant is the Marketing Director for the Vancouver firm of Alexander Holburn, Beaudin & Lang. Formerly, Gray-Grant was the Marketing Director of the Vancouver Office of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP for 15 years. She was one of the first legal marketers in Canada and began her career in the profession when the legal industry opened its doors to the concept of marketing. Gray-Grant was the president of the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) in 2003, the first ever Canadian to take on this leadership role. Gray-Grant was instrumental in starting the LMA's International Committee in 2001 and continues her work on its projects.
Gray-Grant is the author of “Opening a New Office: The Marketing Component.” Click here
Arthur G. Greene, Esq., was formerly a partner with a large New Hampshire firm, where he practiced law from 1967 until 2000, and served as managing partner for several years during the 1980s. He has now established the firm of Greene Perlow, P.L.L.C., in which he continues his statewide practice in a small-firm setting. He is an adjunct professor at Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he teaches Law Practice Management. Greene also has a consulting practice that focuses on both practice management and the strategic and financial aspects of maintaining a healthy firm. His consulting involves conducting profitability studies, facilitating retreats, and providing guidance and recommendations on a variety of management topics, including paralegal utilization, attorney/client dynamics, alternative billing methods and compensation. Greene can be reached at agreene@greene-perlow.com.
Greene is the author of "Value Billing: How to Implement Alternative Billing Arrangement." Click here
David A Grossbaum, Esq., is a partner at Cetrulo & Capone LLP and focuses his practice on the defense of professional liability cases and on insurance coverage matters. He has offices in Boston, MA and Providence, RI. Grossbaum is a past chair and present member of the Professional Liability Underwriting Society's (PLUS) New England Steering Committee, and a member of the PLUS Communications Committee. He is also a former chair of the Professionals', Officers' and Directors' Liability Committee of the American Bar Association. He graduated from the University of Vermont cum laude in 1981 and received his law degree magna cum laude in 1985 from Boston College Law School. He can be reached at (617) 217-5204 or at dgrossbaum@cetcap.com. Click here
Grossbaum is the author of "Legal Malpractice Policy: What's It All About?" Click here
Patricia A. Harris, Esq., is the administrative partner of Zetlin & De Chiara LLP. Prior to joining Zetlin & De Chiara, Ms. Harris provided consulting services to law firms in the areas of financial management, operations management and strategic planning. Ms. Harris was an attorney with the New York City law firms of Giancarlo & Gleiberman and Richards & O'Neil. She received her JD and MBA with distinction from New York University. She is a member of the Association of Legal Administrators and was an officer of the Small Law Firm Management Committee at The Association of the Bar of the City of New York. Ms. Harris lectures frequently on topics of law office management and business planning and has appeared on Court TV, at The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, The New York County Lawyers' Association, the Practicing Law Institute, The Columbian Lawyers Association of Westchester, Columbia University Graduate School of Business and The Leonard M. Stern School of Business.
Harris is the author of "Attorney Timekeeping: It Matters!" Click here
Andy Havens, President and founder of Sanestorm, has more than 15 years experience as a marketing consultant. He has been deeply involved in all aspects of strategic marketing planning, communications, brand building, marketing/sales training and many types of business writing. Havens primarily consults at the marketing management level, performing marketing audits, designing campaigns and strategic plans, developing training programs and helping identify appropriate marketing metrics for his clients. Havens is an adjunct professor of marketing and advertising at the Columbus College of Art and Design, a lecturer on marketing and creativity topics and a corporate trainer. Recent articles include: "Marketing is too hard. Let's try sales!" for the American Lawyer Media Law Journal Newsletter Marketing The Law Firm; Sales in The Law Firm Supplement March 2004.and "Why Aren't You Blogging?" for the American Lawyer Media Law Journal Newsletter, Marketing The Law Firm March 2004. A list of Havens' articles with the full text is available at http://www.sanestorm.com/html/writing.html. Havens can be reached at andyhavens@sanestorm.com. Click here
Havens is the author of "Project Blueprint: How to Plan for Successful Results." Click here
Sylvia Hershberger was the Human Resources/Operations Manager at Riddell Williams PS, a 75-attorney firm in Seattle, Washington. She was with the firm from August 1995 to October 1999. Prior to that, she was with the firm of Tousley Brain Stephens for 11 years.
Hershberger has been an active member of the Puget Sound Chapter of ALA since 1988. Hershberger served as Co-Chairwoman of the Human Resources Section in 1991-92, Co-Chairwoman of the Welcoming Committee in 1992-93, President-Elect in 1993-94, and President in 1994-95. She served as Region 5 Communications Officer for two years from 1997-99.
Hershberger currently lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and does contract work from her home. She and her husband have six children and six grandchildren. Prior to leaving the Seattle area, her chapter awarded her with the Lifetime Chapter Member Award.
Hershberger is the author of “Successful Steps in Conflict Resolution.” Click here
Gordon Holley is Chief Operating Officer for Owen Bird, a 35-lawyer firm in Vancouver, BC. Prior to joining Owen Bird, Holley was a partner of Catalyst Consulting, one of Canada's leading legal management consulting firms. He has also been the Executive Director of one of Vancouver's leading insurance defense firms.
Holley has presented at local, regional and national conferences for the Association of Legal Administrators and at continuing legal education conferences. He is also an award winning author and contributor to the Association's periodicals.
Holley is a chartered accountant and was previously with Ernst & Young in Vancouver. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Canadian Bar Association and the American Bar Association. He is on the board of directors of the Vancouver Association of Legal Administrators and the Canadian Society for Marketing Professional Services. He can be reached at gholley@owenbird.com. Click here
Holley is the author of “Personal Business Plan Development: Creating Something Worth Selling ... And a Story Worth Telling.” Click here
Veronica M. Hurless has been the Legal Administrator at Bourne Noll & Kenyon in Summit, New Jersey, since 2000. Her previous experience includes Parker Duryee Rosoff & Haft in New York City from 1987 to 2000. She has worked in the legal field in various capacities for the past 18 years.
Hurless is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chapter. She has served on the chapter's Newsletter, Marketing, Education committees and founded the Chapter's CLM Study Group. Hurless is active with the National Association of Female Executives and the Business and Professional Women's Organization.
Hurless is the author of the article “Recordkeeping Strategies.” Click here
Barry E. Jackson, CPA, CLM, has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1985 and a Certified Legal ManagerSM since 2002. He is currently Executive Director at Davis & Gilbert in New York City. Jackson began his career in public accounting at what was then Price Waterhouse. He has worked and traveled extensively throughout the world in Europe, South America, Central America and the Far East for what was then Bristol-Myers. He has also worked in the publishing industry at Ziff Davis where he learned partnership accounting and taxation. That knowledge base brought him into the legal profession, starting with Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, which, at the time, had over 500 attorneys throughout the world. He has also worked in law firms with as few as 50 attorneys.
Jackson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (cum laude) from the University of Richmond. He is a member in good standing of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York Society of Certified Public Accountants. He is licensed in both New York and New Jersey. He is also a member of the Association of Legal Administrators in the New York City Chapter and serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President and Chairs the Web site and Hospitality/Marketing Committees.
Jackson is the author of "The Art and Science of Benefits Provision" which appeared in the October 28, 2002, issue of the New York Law Journal. He authored two articles for the New York City Chapter ALA Newsletter, New York, New York: "Professional Employer Organizations" which appeared in the July/August 2003 issue and "100% Solution - A Benefit for Partners Previously Unavailable" which appeared in the July/August 2004 issue. He teaches CLM classes in New York and New Jersey, and has conducted seminars in "Negotiations for Experts" and "Rainmaking in a Drought" with the Lorman Institute.
Jackson is the author of "Exempt vs. Nonexempt Employees: An Overview." Click here
Mary L. Jennings is the Director of Human Resources & Client Relations at Sandberg, Phoenix & von Gontard PC, a 58-attorney law firm in St. Louis, Missouri. She has been a member of ALA since 1988, having served on numerous committees at the Chapter level and as Secretary, President and Past President for the Gateway Chapter. On the Regional level, Jennings served as Communications Officer for Region 3 from 2000 – 2002. She also was a member of the planning committee for the 1998 annual conference in Boston and served on the annual conference committee for 2003. Jennings has taught legal administration classes for the St. Louis Community College.
Jennings is the co-author, along with Wendy Rice-Isaacs, of “The Importance of Recruitment and Retention for Associates and Staff.” Click here
Barbara Jerchower has been the Administrator of Williams Caliri Miller Otley & Stern PC of Wayne, New Jersey, since 1995 and a Legal Administrator since 1980. She has been an ALA member since 1987 and is a Past President of the New Jersey Chapter. She previously served as Treasurer and Vice President of the New Jersey Chapter, and originated and chaired the chapter's Continuing Education program for several years. Jerchower currently is the Editor of the NJALA Newsletter. She has acted as a consultant to two New Jersey business colleges that train legal secretaries, and has developed and taught a legal secretarial course.
Jerchower, along with Kenneth Bailey, is co-author of “Disaster Planning: Why and How.” Click here
Lori J. Kannenberg, CLM SM, is the firm administrator of the Madison law firm of Lawton & Cates, S.C. She is responsible for human resources, finance, public relations, facilities management and other business functions including the overall operations of the law firm. Kannenberg graduated magna cum laude from Edgewood College with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University and achieved the Certified Legal Manager designation from the Association of Legal Administrators. Kannenberg is a Past President of the Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators (WALA) and currently serves as a State Bar Liaison. In addition, she represents WALA serving on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Convention Committee and participating on the Law Office Management Assistance Program Committee.
Kannenberg is the author of "Invisible or Integral: Get a Seat at the Boardroom Table." Click here
John G. Kelly is a Toronto law professor and professional services strategist on bill review and litigation management issues for corporate legal departments and law firms. In that capacity he provides ongoing consultation to insurers and insurance defense firms and has developed an application of "Balanced Scorecard" methodology to litigation management with his research and writing of the white paper; "Building Profitable Relationships Between Insurers and Insurance Defense Firms with the Litigation Management Scorecard." Kelly is the editor of an electronic newsletter on litigation management strategy, The Litigation Management Report available at www.litigationmanagementreport.com. He the founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of The Kelly Institute "TKI" (www.kellyinstitute.com). TKI provides comprehensive training and professional development for bill review and litigation managers through its Certified Insurance Litigation Management (CILM) Program. Kelly is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association's Budgeting and Billing Sub-Committee with responsibility for the ongoing development of the Uniform Task-Based Management System (UTBMS). He is the author of the upcoming text, Time Out; Building Profitable Relationships Between Legal Departments and Law Firms Through Strategic Performance Management. Professor Kelly can be reached at johngkelly@rogers.com.
Kelly is the author of "E-Billing Management." Click here
Dennis Kennedy is a well-known legal technology expert and computer lawyer in St. Louis, Missouri, who concentrates his practice in computer law and provides legal technology consulting services. He received a 2001 Burton Award for Legal Achievement for an article he co-wrote on computer law and was named the 2001 TechnoLawyer of the Year by TechnoLawyer.com for his role in promoting the use of technology in the practice of law. He is a member of the ABA Law Practice Management Section's Council, Webzine Board and ABA TECHSHOW Board. His blog (http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/) and Web site are highly regarded resources on technology law and legal technology topics. He is also a co-founder of the Blawg Channel (http://www.blawgchannel.com). Kennedy can be reached at dmk@denniskennedy.com.
Kennedy is the author of "Software Piracy and License Management." Click here
Marie Kraemer was Human Resources Director for Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon, a 185-attorney firm. Her entire working experience was with law firms as Secretary, Paralegal, Office Services Manager and, finally, for 13 years in Human Resources. Kraemer has been active with the Greater Chicago Chapter of ALA since 1985 as a committee member, chair and advisor of the Human Resources Committee, President-Elect and President of the chapter from 1995-96. She has done presentations, workshops and training sessions for her firm, the Greater Chicago Chapter and the Wichita Chapter of ALA.
Since retirement in 1998, Kraemer has remained active with both the Greater Chicago Chapter and ALA International as a speaker and author of articles in the Human Resources section of the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM. Kraemer can be reached at (708) 597-7271 or via e-mail at mariekraem@msn.com. Click here
Kraemer co-authored with Gary L. Osing “ALA Guide to Salary and Benefits Administration.” Click here
Kraemer is the author of the following articles in the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM:
“Employee Assistance Programs.” Click here
“Harassment: An Administrator's Guide to Various Forms and Situations of Harassment.” Click here
“Performance Evaluations and Staff Reviews.” Click here
“Privacy in the Workplace: Internal Investigation.” Click here
“The Importance of Documentation During the Discipline Process.” Click here
“Violence in the Workplace.” Click here
Ronda Landa-Steinau, IIDA, is an interior designer consultant in Salt Lake City. She consults with Midwest Office, a Steelcase dealership, on new business development. Currently, she is a professional member of the International Institute of Interior Designers (IIDA). She has served as a judge on the panel for the Caliber Awards and the Furniture Excellence Award in Los Angeles, and is a professional member of the International Facility Managers Association (IFMA), whose newsletter she edited for two years. She was National Student President of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) while in college and Treasurer of the Professional Chapter for two years. She is a trustee of the Salt Lake Design Awareness Foundation in Salt Lake City.
As Senior Project Manager with City Spaces Inc., Landa-Steinau oversaw the work of all senior designers. She also was the facilities designer for the L.A. Times' million-square-foot downtown facility, as well as its 95 nationwide leased facilities.
Landa-Steinau has an interior design degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and a business certificate from the University of Southern California. She has passed the National Council of Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) and is licensed by the California Council of Interior Design Qualifications (CCIDQ). She is the principal of R&R Enterprises in Salt Lake City, Utah, and welcomes comments at Rondasteinau@aol.com Click here or (800) 820-6055.
Landa-Steinau is the author of the articles:
“Creating the Team for the In-House Planning Process: Law Firm Interior Design.” Click here
“Relocating a Law Firm — Working with the Designer.” Click here
Gregory MacCrone earned his joint JD/MPH from the University of Houston Law Center and University of Texas School of Public Health. He was admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1998. He practiced law and then assisted in the formation of the attorney recruiting division of a legal staffing company where he was responsible for locating, recruiting, evaluating, marketing and placing attorney candidates in all law practice areas in private law firms and corporate/municipal counsel offices. MacCrone has authored and spoken on topics related to law office management, legal recruiting and contract lawyering. He can be contacted at maccrone@quik.com.
MacCrone is the author of “Contract Lawyers: A Smart Staffing Strategy.” Click here
Susan G. Manch is a principal in the legal management consulting firm of Shannon & Manch, L.L.P. Her firm has provided consultation on effective attorney management practices for the past eighteen years. Her clients include fifty-two of the AMLaw 100's highest-grossing law firms in the country, and eleven of the top twenty firms. Her expertise extends to issues regarding recruiting, professional development, mentoring, performance appraisal, and attorney transition planning and counseling. Ms. Manch received a M.Ed. in clinical counseling from the University of Virginia. She has worked with law firms in all parts of the U.S. and abroad on a wide range of issues. Prior to becoming a principal in Shannon & Manch, Ms. Manch held positions as the General Sales Manager for SYSCO Corporation, and as an Assistant Dean of Students and other academic administrative positions at Trinity College, Georgetown University, and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. She is the author of Recruiting Lawyers: How to Hire the Best Talent, and numerous articles published in professional publications of interest to the legal profession. She is a frequent speaker for the American Bar Association, the National Association for Law Placement and many local bar organizations.
Manch is the author of "Upward Reviews: A Unique Perspective" Click here and co-author of "Lateral Partners and Groups: Setting the Stage for Success with Recruiting, Integration and Marketing." Click here
Merilee Marsh is a marketing consultant ~ professional speaker who works with law firms to promote and provide results-oriented marketing. Through consultations, speeches and/or workshops she helps clients recognize and seize marketing opportunities.
Her professional career has been as a marketer. In 1994, she founded and built an international marketing consulting/professional speaking business, primarily serving professional services such as law firms. Prior to that, she founded and managed an advertising agency; directed public relations at a private law school; worked in television, radio, and cable; directed marketing and advertising for a chain of retail stores; and handled clients ranging from General Electric and IBM to International Paper and Sterling Organics.
Marsh has worked with law firms in a range of marketing areas, from the creation of marketing plans to practice development, from negotiating media buys to producing client surveys, from training associates about rainmaking activities to working with partners about targeted practice areas. She has presented workshops for organizations such as the Association of Legal Administrators and for law firms on marketing strategies and other related communication issues. Marsh has written articles on positioning, public relations, advertising, networking, research, relationship-building, sales, tradeshows, community connections, and other marketing avenues. She authored “Interactive Marketing for Attorneys” for the Practice Management Forum of the New York State Bar Association. She has been an adjunct college professor, teaching courses on entrepreneurship and communications. Internationally, Marsh has presented marketing workshops and consultations in countries as distant as Ukraine, Romania and Russia, offering entrepreneurial recommendations for professionals seeking business opportunities in the post-Communist era.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Marsh holds a B.A. and an M.A. She is a member of the American Bar Association. Further, Marsh writes a monthly business book review for the Saratoga Business Journal.
Contact Marsh at mm@merileemarsh.com. Click here
Marsh is the author of the articles:
“Associates and Their Role in Marketing.” Click here
“The Art and Strategy of Business Development.” Click here
She also is co-author, with Cheri Terzian, of “The Marketing Cycle in Law Firms.” Click here
Shawn McNalis is owner and co-founder of Atticus, Inc. one of the leading training and development companies for lawyers and law firms throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Along with Mark Powers, she developed and wrote both The Rainmaker Program, the marketing manual used by Atticus clients, as well as the abridged version commissioned and published by The Florida Bar in 1995, entitled The Making of a Rainmaker.
In addition, Shawn has completed a new book, Time Management for Family Law Attorneys to be published by the American Bar Association in the spring of 2004 and is presently at work writing Time Management for Real Estate Attorneys. Shawn focuses her coaching practice on a select group of attorneys in the Atticus Collegium, Practice Builder and Forum programs, and provides training and certification to the company's team of coaches.
A former "Imagineer" for the Walt Disney Company, Shawn credits her Disney background for her creative, client-centered approach to business and marketing. During her 15-year career with Disney, she played an important role in the opening of the Disney-MGM Studios and numerous theme park attractions throughout the Disney Resort. In 1983 she relocated to Tokyo for nearly a year, supervising and conducting training for contract employees of Tokyo Disneyland.
McNalis is the author of "Time Management: A Plan That Works." Click here
Gary Melhuish is the Legal Assistant Director in the Washington, DC office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Melhuish is President of the International Paralegal Management Association (IPMA) (formerly known as the Legal Assistant Management Association (LAMA)), and is Adjunct Faculty at the Georgetown University Paralegal Studies Program where he teaches Legal Ethics and Legal Technology. He has over 20 years experience as a legal assistant at Fried Frank, California Federal Bank and Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen. Melhuish received a B.A. from the University of Maryland, an M.A. from Michigan State University and a Paralegal Certificate from the Institute for Paralegal Training in Philadelphia. He is a frequent speaker at meetings of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), Paralegal Leadership Institute, DC Bar, National Capital Area Paralegal Association (NCAPA), Paralegal SuperConference and IPMA training seminars and conferences.
Melhuish is the author of "Law Firm Staff: Creating the Ethical Law Firm." Click here
Lee Nemchek, CRM, MSLS, has held the position of Information Resources Manager at the Los Angeles office of Morrison & Foerster LLP, an international law firm of more than 1,000 attorneys worldwide since 1985. After receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater from UCLA in 1978, Nemcheck earned a Master of Science in Library Science from USC in 1981 and began working as a law firm librarian that same year. She received the designation of Certified Records Manager from the Institute of Certified Records Managers in July 1996. Her current areas of responsibility at Morrison & Foerster include the library, records management, docket/calendar and purchasing departments for southern California offices in Los Angeles and Century City.
Nemchek is an active member of ALA, ARMA International (records management), and the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). For AALL, she has held the position of Chair of the Records Management Group of the Private Law Librarians Special Interest Section since 1999, and she speaks and writes frequently on the subject of legal records management. Recent articles include “Unidentified Mail Management: A Model Policy and Procedures Manual for the Legal Environment,” 31(4) Records Management Quarterly (1997): 27-42, and “Records Retention in the Private Legal Environment: Annotated Bibliography and Program Implementation Tools,” 93 Law Library Journal (2001): 7-70. The latter article won AALL's prestigious Law Library Journal's Article of the Year Award. With her partners, Beth Chiaiese and Jean Barr, Nemchek is co-author of a new text on legal records management to be published by ARMA International in the year 2003.
Nemchek can be reached at (213) 892-5359 or lnemchek@mofo.com. Click here
Nemchek, along with Jean Barr and Beth Chiaiese, is co-author of the articles:
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Creation and Organization.” Click here
“ALA Guide to Active Client File Management.” Click here
Stephanie Noel is the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Specialist at McDermott Will & Emery LLP. Noel holds a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Miami, and is currently pursuing a masters degree in public administration at Florida International University. She can be reached at snoel@mwe.com. Click here
Noel is the author of "Managing Mandatory CLE." Click here
Shannon O'Brien is Manager of Employment and HR Training with a large insurance and employee benefits company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She holds a Master's degree and is PHR certified. O'Brien has previous human resources management and consulting experience with law firms. Her prior articles on the topics of employee morale, Generation X, training and development, and recruitment and retention have been published in ALA News and Legal Management, as well as on the Internet. She can be reached by calling (414) 768-0168 or via e-mail at shannon.obrien@cobalt-corp.com. Click here
O'Brien is the author of “Employee Morale and Motivation.” Click here
William J. O'Connell is a senior consultant with Beers & Cutler, a Washington, DC-based accounting firm that serves commercial businesses, professional services firms, with an emphasis on law firms, and the real estate industry. He has over 15 years of experience as a controller, administrator and consultant for law firms and has assisted clients with strategic planning, profitability analysis, capitalization requirements, management reporting and partner compensation, as well as merger due diligence, internal control reviews, accounting department re-engineering, business system implementations and other consulting services.
Prior to joining Beers & Cutler, O'Connell was the Executive Director of the law firm of Freer, McGarry, Bodansky & Rubin, P.C., and has worked in financial and administrative capacities for several DC area law firms. In addition, he has performed a variety of consulting services for such firms as Arnold & Porter; Howrey Simon Arnold & White; Hogan & Hartson; Miller & Chevalier; Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering and Arent Fox, and performs on-going business advisory services to many other smaller law firms, as well as organizations outside the law firm industry.
O'Connell is a former instructor of accounting information systems at the University of Maryland, University College. He is a frequent presenter for accounting system user groups, the Association of Legal Administrators and the Bar Association of D.C. on the topics of administrative and financial management of law firms. He is a member of the AICPA and MACPA, and a former member of the ALA.
O'Connell received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Maryland and his M.B.A. from George Washington University in Washington, DC. O'Connell is a Certified Public Accountant and an Elite Software Certified Consultant. He can be reached at boconnell@beersandcutler.com. Click here
O'Connell is the author of “Lawyers' Client Trust Accounts.” Click here
John W. Olmstead, MBA, Ph.D, CMC, is a Certified Management Consultant and President of Olmstead & Associates, a practice management, marketing and technology consulting firm that works with law and other professional service firms, ranging in size from 100 professionals to firms with solo practitioners. The firm, founded in 1984 and based out of St. Louis, Missouri, serves clients across the United States, assisting them with implementing change and improving operational and financial performance, management, leadership, client development and marketing.
Olmstead has over 34 years of experience working with law and other professional service firms. His assignments have ranged from marketing and strategic planning to other legal management engagements, such as organizational change, firm governance, implementation of technology, financial management, staff development, partner compensation and practice management. He has been a lecturer for the Association of Legal Administrators, Missouri Trial Attorneys, St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association, IBM, Illinois State University, Illinois State Bar Association, Solo-Map CPA Association of St. Louis and many other state and local bar and other professional associations. Olmstead is the President-elect of the Institute for Management Consultants, St. Louis Chapter. He has authored numerous articles on law office management in local, regional, and national law office management publications, and is currently serving as Editor-In-Chief, West Group, The Lawyers Competitive Edge: The Journal of Law Office Economics and Management.
Olmstead received a B.A. from Park College, an M.B.A. in marketing and finance from Southern Illinois University, and a Ph.D. from Century University in business administration with emphasis in marketing and organizational development. His doctoral dissertation, “An Exploratory Approach for Addressing Leadership Characteristics in Law Firms Using the Case of a Voluntary Bar Association,” introduced an approach for addressing leadership interpersonal characteristics and interpersonal preferences for leadership roles.
Olmstead is an adjunct advisor with Century University. He is an associate member of the American and Illinois Bar Associations, a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, National Bureau of Certified Consultants and the Association of MBA Executives. He is also a member of the Legal Marketing Association and the Association of Psychological Type. He is currently serving as an advisory member on the Illinois State Bar Association Law Office Economics Section Council, on the Legal Marketing Association Research Committee, on the board of the Institute of Management Consultants - St. Louis Chapter, and on the Executive Advisory Board of the National Bureau of Certified Consultants. He can be reached at jolmstead@olmsteadassoc.com Click here or visit his Web site at www.olmsteadassoc.com. Click here
Olmstead is the author of “Selling Your Ideas to Your Partners: The Administrator as Internal Consultant.” Click here
Gary L. Osing has been an ALA member since 1983, having served law firms in Mobile, Alabama, and Memphis, Tennessee. Osing is currently the Administrator of Cochran Cherry Givens Smith & Bolton LLP in Memphis, Tennessee. He is a Past President of the Memphis Chapter, a member of the ALA Vendor Relations Committee and Chair of the Tennessee ALA Retreat Committee. Previously, he chaired the Vendor Relations Task Force. He served as Region 2 Director of ALA from 1996 to 1998.
Osing served as Chair of the Region 2 Task Force on Membership Promotion and Retention and twice has been a member of the Region 2 Nominating Committee. Osing wrote “Managing a Career Transition” and “Networking Your Way to That Next Position” for ALA News. He is a founding member of the Mobile Chapter and a Past President of that chapter and has served as Chair of the Alabama ALA Conference Committee. Osing earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of South Alabama. A 16-year railroad veteran before entering law office management, Osing is a native of Springfield, Illinois.
Osing co-authored with Marie Kraemer “ALA Guide to Salary and Benefits Administration.” Click here
Osing is author of “Taking Stock in Clients,” published in the January/February 2000 issue of Legal Management. Click here
Michael E. Palmer is the Director of Administration for the Los Angeles office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, an international law firm with over 1,000 lawyers. He is responsible for all administrative areas for the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. Prior to joining Akin Gump, Palmer spent 15 years as Executive Director for three large law firms located in Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas. He has also served in several financial and administrative capacities with an international oil and gas company, as well as eight years with Arthur Young & Company as a Certified Public Accountant.
Palmer has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. He has been an active member of ALA since 1987, and has served ALA as an officer and director at the chapter, regional and international level. He was a member of the Los Angeles Chapter Board from 1992 to 1997, including one year as Chapter president, and served on ALA's Board from 1996 to 2001, including a year as the president from 1999 to 2000. Palmer has spoken on various financial topics at numerous ALA conferences, and in New Zealand and Australia. In 2002, he was the recipient of the Spirit of ALA Award. Palmer can be reached at mpalmer@akingump.com. Click here
Palmer is the author of “Law Firm Budgeting: From the Beginning.” Click here
Don Philmlee, CISSP, is an owner of Potomac Consulting Group (www.potomac.com). He works with law firms nationwide on technology issues, security assessments and managing projects. He is a CISSP member of the (ISC)2 security association and frequently speaks and writes on technology for ALA and LawNet. Philmlee can be reached at don.philmlee@potomac.com. Click here
Philmlee is the author of "Ten Steps to a Successful Audit." Click here
Diana Price is Founder and CEO of The Perrinsville Group Inc. Click here which provides a wide range of business, technology and media services to law firms and other organizations. She has extensive experience in operational standards evaluations, including business process reengineering, technology initiatives, outsource service design and performance improvement processes. A veteran business and technology consultant to the legal industry for over 20 years, Price's focus on service quality has led her to develop industry certifications for law firms seeking a credible standard for operational excellence. Price's current writing projects include a book on the relationship between operational standards and business intelligence.
Price is the author of “The Future of Technology: Leveraging Resources, Processes and Practices For Strategic Success.” Click here
Mary Redmond, President of Independent Lease Review Inc. in Bonner Springs, Kansas, has been affiliated with leasing industry leaders such as GE Capital, Norwest Equipment Finance (now Wells Fargo Equipment Finance), Mellon US Leasing and Orix Equipment Finance for over 21 years. Independent Lease Review Inc., established in 2002, examines, audits and analyzes equipment leases to identify, quantify and, in many cases, eliminate problems in lease agreements that could cost clients money.
Redmond speaks nationally on the subject of finance leasing, negotiation skills and techniques on writing effective requests for proposals (RFPs), and is a contributing editor for industry and trade magazines. Her clients include small and large law firms, large corporations, manufacturers, distributors and municipalities for whom she reviews leases, reduces or eliminates hidden costs and negotiates fair financing on leases.
Redmond is active in professional groups, including the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Kansas City Chapter of the National Speakers Association and the Greater Kansas City Medical Managers Association. She is also a consultant to the National Association of Print Leadership. Redmond holds a degree in psychology and sociology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
Visit her Web site at www.reviewyourlease.com/pages/9/index.htm. Redmond can be reached at mary@reviewyourlease.com or (913) 441-4108.
Redmond is the author of "Leasing Equipment for the Law Office." Click here
Wendy Rice-Isaacs is office administrator for Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, a 353-lawyer firm with 35 lawyers in their Cleveland, Ohio, office. Rice-Isaacs is a 13-year veteran with the firm, starting as the assistant to the office manager in the Cincinnati office, then moving to the Cleveland office as office administrator in 1992.
Rice-Isaacs has been active in the Association of Legal Administrators since 1992. She has served as Region 3 Director and as Region 3 Communications Officer from 1998-99. She served as the Cleveland Chapter President 1995–96 (and associated posts prior to and following her presidency), newsletter editor, Region 3 Representative, and chair of the chapter's Program, Pictorial Directory and Membership committees. She is currently the co-chair of the chapter's Vendor Relations committee and Web site.
She received her Bachelor's degree from Purdue University. Prior to joining the legal management profession, Rice-Isaacs worked in the banking and restaurant management industries.
Rice-Isaacs is co-author, along with Mary Jennings, of “The Importance of Recruitment and Retention for Associates and Staff.” Click here
Deborah Roan is Office Manager of the Austin office of Hughes & Luce, LLP. Roan is certified as a Professional Human Resource Manager. She has 25 years of law firm experience, with the last 11 years focusing on Human Resource management and branch office administration. Roan is a member of the Austin/Central Texas Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the Austin Human Resource Management Association (AHRMA). She is currently serving as Region 4's Projects Officer for the Association of Legal Administrators. She is past-president of the Austin-Central Texas Chapter of ALA, and also served as president-elect and secretary/treasurer. Roan currently is serving as chair of the Education and Programs Committees, and is a member of the Vendor Relations Committee. Roan can be reached at droan@hughesluce.com. Click here
Roan, along with Karen Glowacki, Susan Robbins Namerow and Paula A. Torke, co-authored “A Case for Outsourcing Facilities Management Services.” Click here
Susan Robbins Namerow has been the Administrator for the Hartford Office of Cummings & Lockwood for over 15 years and has over 20 years of legal administrative experience. She assisted the firm with opening two branch offices and serves on its Operations Council, which sets personnel policy and procedures and oversees administrative issues on a firm-wide basis. Robbins Namerow is member and a past president of the ALA Nutmeg Chapter, and served as vice president/secretary of the chapter. She has been program chair and served on its board as regional representative and nominating committee chair. On the ALA national level, she served on the 2003 Annual Conference Committee and was on the Nominating Committee in 2001. Robbins Namerow has been a presenter at both regional and national conferences for the Multi/Branch Office Idea Exchanges, and was a panelist for the Outsourcing Boot Camp presentation at the 2003 Annual Conference in San Diego. She can be reached at snamerow@mccarter.com. Click here
Robbins Namerow, along with Karen Glowacki, Deborah Roan and Paula A. Torke, co-authored “A Case for Outsourcing Facilities Management Services.” Click here
Pete Sackleh is a native of the Washington, DC, area and has been working in the legal industry in that city for over 20 years. His career with law firms has been varied in areas of responsibility and in size of operations. Most recently, Sackleh has been with the firm of Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC since 1999 as the Director of Administration for the Washington and Reston offices. Other firms he has been with include Dow Lohnes & Albertson, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart and O'Melveny & Meyers. Prior to his role as the principal office administrator, Sackleh's law firm experience included positions as a financial controller, facilities and operations director, and information systems project manager. Sackleh also has worked in the corporate field as the Vice President of Operations for Management Alternatives Inc., a national relocation management-consulting firm.
In the various positions Sackleh has held, he has overseen a wide variety of challenges including major organizational restructuring, many space acquisitions and build-out projects (up to 120,000 square feet), outsourcing a variety of in-house functions, and detailed financial reporting and management of firm assets.
A significant resource in Sackleh's handling of his varied responsibilities in his career has been the ALA. He has been an active member of the Capital Chapter for more than 11 years, serving as chair or co-chair of several educational sections, including finance, facilities and office services, information technology and vendor relations. He has developed or contributed to many educational seminars that included topics such as FM outsourcing, build-outs and renovations, records management and retention, disaster recovery, vendor partnering and financial-management systems.
Sackleh holds a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies, with majors in History and Political Science from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.
Sackleh is the author of “Facilities Management — An Analysis on Outsourcing.” Click here
Lorri Salyards, CLM, is the Executive Director of Moye Giles LLP, a 35-attorney firm in Denver, Colorado. Salyards has been in law firm administration since 1986 and has extensive experience in human resources as well as full-firm management.
Salyards has been a member of the Mile High Chapter since 1986. She has served as Treasurer and President of the Chapter, and chaired various committees numerous times including Survey, Placement and Membership. She has also served on the Regional Conference Committee and as Regional Nominating Committee Chair. Salyards can be reached at lorri.salyards@moyegiles.com. Click here
Salyards is the author of the following articles:
"Employees - Who Needs Them? We Do! A Look at How to Hire, Maintain and Retain the Best" Click here
"Rebirth of a Firm: Losing a Name Partner." Click here
Rachel Schaming has 25 years of experience in Human Resources, legal administration and organizational development. She is the Administrator for Jeffer Mangels Butler & Marmaro, LLP, a San Francisco law firm. Schaming has been a consultant specializing in organizational development and change management. She has held director level positions at Captaris, a high tech company, two large New York City law firms, an Arizona law firm, NASA/Houston and The Medical Center in Houston, TX.
Shaming is a past president of the Association of Legal Administrators and is a recipient of The Spirit of ALA award. She is a Fellow in the American Bar Association's College of Law Practice Management. She is a frequent international speaker and workshop facilitator on organizational development and law firm management issues.
A graduate of the University of Florida, Schaming holds certifications in conflict mediation, coaching and grief counseling.
Schaming is the author of:
“Forms, Checklists & Exemplars: Human Resources Management” Click here
“HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.” Click here
“Human Resources Budgets: Cut the Fat; Keep the Muscle.” Click here
"Multiple Generations in the Workplace - Now What?" Click here
Ben M. Schorr is a technologist and Chief Executive Officer for Roland Schorr & Tower a professional consulting firm headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. In that capacity he consults with a wide variety of organizations including many law firms. He is frequently sought as a writer, teacher and speaker for groups as diverse as the Hawaii Visitor and Convention Bureau and the American Bar Association.
Almost 10 years ago Microsoft named him as an MVP in their Outlook product group and he has been supporting Outlook, Exchange and most recently OneNote ever since. Prior to co-founding Roland Schorr, Schorr was the Director of Information Services for Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, a large Honolulu law firm, for almost 8 years.
Schorr was a contributing author for "Using Microsoft Office 2000" by Que and has been a technical editor or contributor on a number of other books over the years. For several years he has been half of the "Ask the Exchange Pros" team for Windows Server System magazine. In October of 2005 Schorr was named by the Pacific Technology Foundation as one of the top 50 Technology Leaders in Hawaii. Schorr can be reached at bens@rolandschorr.com. Click here
Schorr is the author of "Improve Computer and Network Security Now." Click here
Ron Seigneur, MBA, CPA/ABV, CVA, is President of Seigneur & Company, PC, CPAs, where he specializes in management consulting, business valuations, litigation support services and taxation. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University and an MBA in Corporate Policy and Finance from the University of Michigan. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver College of Law, where he teaches Law Firm Leadership, Management Theory and Financial Management as part of the Master of Science in Legal Administration program (MSLA). Seigneur is the author and lead instructor of the Association of Legal Administrators' (ALA) Law Firm Financial Management curriculum for its Essential Competencies for Legal Administrators (ECLA) training program. He is co-author of the 1000+ page book titled Financial Valuation: Applications and Models, published in 2003 by John Wiley and Sons.
Seigneur was inducted into the College of Law Practice Management in 2002. He has worked with hundreds of closely held businesses and professional service firms. He has more than 20 years of management and consulting experience, including seven years as the CFO/COO for a 50-attorney Denver law firm, where he was responsible for human resources, finance, marketing and systems. He has written and lectured extensively on a wide range of leadership and management issues, as well as valuation science, including presentations to state bar associations, state CPA societies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He has been a featured speaker at national conferences for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.
Seigneur & Company is nationally recognized for its specialized support of professional service firm management needs, including facilitation of business planning and marketing retreats, administrative placements, technology planning, cost controls and revenue enhancement initiatives, incentive compensation plans and benefits planning, start-ups and break-ups, and general practice management issues. The firm acts as an on-call resource for several business owners and professional firms, as well as providing a full complement of support in the traditional areas of tax return preparation and compliance, and financial reporting for other clients served.
Seigneur is a contributing author, technical reviewer and instructor for the AICPA's new Fundamentals of Business Valuation (FBV) and Advanced Business Valuation (BVA) curriculums. As chair of the AICPA ABV Credential Committee, Seigneur is involved in the development and promotion of this nationally recognized credentialing program. He is the author and lead instructor for the NACVA Career Development Institute advanced class titled “Capitalization and Discount Rates: Assessing the Alternatives.” He has been a featured speaker for several years on complex business valuation issues and professional firm management strategies at several national conferences. He serves on an advisory panel for Ibbotson Associates for its Cost of Capital Workshops, and is chair of NACVA's Professional Standards Committee and Technical Development Team. He has been endorsed as an expert witness in several jurisdictions and has served in appointments as trustee, mediator, arbitrator and special master.
As an example of Seigneur's work with professional services firms, refer to the feature article on innovative compensation planning, which appeared in the April 2000 issue of the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management magazine (call for a copy).
Seigneur's firm was one of the first non-voting members to join FCG (Visit www.GoFCG.org for more information), a national network of CPA firms recognized for their work in the areas of business valuation, economic damage assessments and related litigation support services. He has been active in recruitment of new members and promoting the benefits of FCG membership.
Visit the Seigneur & Company Web site www.cpavalue.com Click here for more information on its services and capabilities. Seigneur can be reached by calling (303) 980-1111 or via e-mail info@pcavalue.com. Click here
Seigneur is the author of the articles:
“Law Firm Planning Retreats: A Management Guide for Consensus-Building Activities.” Click here
“Valuation Guidance in Law Firm Withdrawal, Retirement, Disability and Related Planning Issues.” Click here
Marcia Pennington Shannon is a principal in the Washington, DC consulting firm of Shannon & Manch, LLP. The firm specializes in professional development issues for legal employers, including recruitment, retention, evaluation, leadership coaching and transition counseling. Shannon also writes the "Managing" column for the ABA Law Practice Section magazine, Law Practice. She can be reached at www.shannonandmanch.com Click here or shannon@shannonandmanch.com Click here.
Shannon is the author of "Make Your Firm a Great Place to Work." Click here
Sandra L. Sherman, MBA, is a member of the audit staff of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Prior to that, Sherman was Legal Administrator for E. Stewart Jones, PLLC, a personal injury and criminal defense firm in Troy, New York. She was responsible for managing the business operations of the firm including financial budgeting, human resource management and labor law compliance, computer network administration and marketing.
Sherman graduated Magna Cum Laude from Siena College with a BAA in Accounting and minors in Finance and Management. She completed her MBA in Management of Information Systems, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of New York at Albany.
Sherman has served on the Board of Directors for the Hudson Valley Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators from 2000 - 2003 as Vice President, President-Elect, President and Past President. She is the co-editor of the chapter's newsletter, Valley News. She also served ALA nationally in 2001 as an "Excellence in Education" judge. During her board service, the chapter received Honorable Mentions in the "Excellence in Education" and "Newsletter" categories at the 2002 ALA National Conference.
Sherman is a member of the Who's Who in the 21st Century and Who's Who of Professional Management. She was awarded a National Leadership Award and serves as Honorary Co-Chairman of the National Business Advisory Council for her district. She is a member of the AICPA, Society of Human Resource Management and has been a member of ALA at both the national and regional level for the past eight years.
Sherman's master's dissertation was a study of Human Capital Management. Her article, "Transforming HR into a Strategic Partner: Automating Human Resources," Click here was derived from her research.
Dean L. Silverberg, Esq., is a member of the law firm of Epstein Becker & Green PC in the labor and employment practice group in the New York office. He practices both public and private-sector labor and employment law, and is actively involved in employment and workplace tort litigation, labor arbitration, collective bargaining negotiations, wage and hour audits, and human resource consultation and management.
Prior to joining the firm, Silverberg was deputy counsel to Mayor Edward I. Koch of New York City. He served as an advisor to the Mayor's Office in connection with public-sector labor relations, personnel management, and civil service administration from 1983 through 1986. He was appointed in 1983 as a city alternate member of the New York City Board of Collective Bargaining. After Silverberg joined Epstein Becker & Green, Mayor Koch appointed him a full city member of the Board of Collective Bargaining, and he served in that capacity from 1988 through 1993. He can be reached at dsilverberg@ebglaw.com Click here or visit the firm's Web site at http://www.ebglaw.com/home.htm Click here.
Silverberg is the author of "Employers Beware: Create a Firmwide E-Mail and Internet Policy." Click here
Rocky Stefano is a consultant with 12 years of telecommunications experience, and works for the Toronto-based firm of Echelon Systems. The firm specializes in the legal sector and offers advice in the areas of security, networking, thin-client computing, desktop management and document management.
Stefano can be reached at rstefano@echelonsystems.com. Click here
Stefano is the author of:
“The Future of Structured Cabling” Click here
“Client Relationship Management (CRM): Marketing at Its Best” Click here
“VoIP — Voice over Internet Protocol: Is It Primetime Yet?” Click here
“Storage Area Neworks (SANs): The Future of Your Storage” Click here and
“Wireless Networks: Are They Right for You?” Click here
Karen Steinberger, CLM, is the Executive Director at Saiber Schlesinger Satz & Goldstein LLC in Newark, New Jersey, and was Director of Administration since 1994 and a Legal Administrator since 1983. She has been an ALA member since 1990 and a Board Member of the New Jersey Chapter since 1992.
She is a Past President of the New Jersey Chapter and has served as Secretary, Treasurer, Second Vice President and First Vice President. She has chaired many of the chapter's committees, and is currently on the Newsletter and CLM Education committees. She has been a member of the Cyber Chapter of ALA for five years. Steinberger's membership affiliations include the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the 10,000 Mentors Program in Newark, New Jersey.
Steinberger is the author of:
“Staff Headhunters: The Benefits of Using Recruiters for Law Firm Hiring.” Click here
“Law Firm Mentoring: A Fresh Look at an Ancient Concept.” Click here
“When It's Time to Let Them Go: Dealing with Downsizing.” Click here
Charles E. (Chuck) Stinnett is retired and resides in South Carolina. For 18 years, he worked as the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer for large law firms based in the Midwest and southeast United States. Prior to legal management, he was a City Manager for municipalities in Illinois and Ohio.
Stinnett has been active in the Association of Legal Administrators throughout his legal management career. He served as ALA President in 1995-96 and spent five years on the Board of Directors. He was a Trustee and President of the Foundation of the Association of Legal Administrators for a number of years ending in May 2001. He is a Past President of the Greater Chicago Chapter of ALA.
He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Master's in Public Policy and Administration, and the University of Virginia with a Bachelor's in City Planning, School of Architecture. He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.
Stinnett is the author of “The Administrator's Role on the Management Committee.” Click here
Paul J. Sullivan is the Office Administrator of Quinn, Johnston, Henderson & Pretorius in Peoria, Illinois. He has more than 16 years of experience in law firm management. Prior to joining the firm, he operated a successful business for over 10 years and was General Manager of an electronics firm, and held various sales and management positions with a major computer manufacturer.
Sullivan is a member of the Law Office Economics Section of the Illinois State Bar Association, a member of the Association of Legal Administrators, and current vice president of the ALA Cyber Chapter. He is also past president and charter member of the Central Illinois Chapter of ALA. He is a regular contributor to the Law Office Management and Technology column in the Illinois Bar Journal and The Lawyers Competitive Edge: The Journal of Law Office Economics, and has articles published in Legal Management, and the American Bar Association Compleat Lawyer. He is a member of the Illinois Central College Paralegal Program Advisory Board, has been a regular panel member in the Law Office Economics Breakfast symposiums held at the ISBA annual meeting, and is one of the moderators of the Law Office Economics Roundtable programs held in various Illinois locations. He has also presented in various ISBA Law Ed programs.
Sullivan received his Bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University. He can be reached at psullivan@qjhp.com. Click here
Sullivan is the author of “Associate Bonus Programs: A Component of Successful Recruitment and Retention.” Click here
Cheri Terzian has been the law firm administrator of the Albany, New York-based law firm Burke, Casserly & Gable PC since 1988 and has worked in the legal field in various capacities for the past 18 years. She is responsible for all of the firm's management aspects of the practice including financial management, human resources, employee benefits, marketing, technology, facilities management and all administrative operations. Terzian has been a member of the Hudson Valley Chapter Association of Legal Administrators since 1995 and served in various capacities on the Board of Directors from 1996-2002.
Terzian is currently the Chapter's newsletter co-editor and was responsible for the Chapter's October 4, 2002 Conference on Ethics, Marketing & Law Firm Management. The conference was organized in conjunction with the Albany Law School Union University for New York attorneys and offered continuing education courses related to law firm management, as well as vendor exhibits.
In January, 2003, Cheri joined the Board of The Circles of Mercy, an advocacy program established to assist women and women with children go from welfare to work and provides training in various aspects that impact their lives such as parenting skills, computer training, self-enhancement workshops, and job-seeking skills.
Terzian is the co-author with Merilee Marsh of “The Marketing Cycle in Law Firms.” Click here
Terzian is the author of “The Administrator's Role in Client Relationship Management.” Click here
Paula A. Torke is the Rocky Mountain Region Administrator for the law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP, which covers four offices in three states. She has been in legal administration since 1984. Her career started out in the area of Human Resources, and during the past 14 years she has developed a strong generalist background. During her career as an administrator, she has been very active in the Association of Legal Administrators. She served on the Board of Directors of the Mile High Chapter of ALA for at least 15 of the past 19 years, as well as serving as president of the chapter in 1992-93.
In 1994-95, Torke worked on the Vendor Committee for the national ALA Educational Conference. She went on to serve as the Region 4 Meetings Officer during 1996-97. She was reappointed to a two-year term on the Region 4 Management Team in April of 1999 as the Communications Officer. Torke most recently served on a panel at the 2003 ALA Educational Conference in San Diego on “Out-Sourcing Boot Camp.” In 2002 Torke also served on a panel at the ALA educational conference held in San Antonio. The topic of that session was “Office Space: The New Prototype.”
Torke, along with Karen Glowacki, Deborah Roan and Susan Robbins Namerow, co-authored “A Case for Outsourcing Facilities Management Services.” Click here
Richard Turnbow is the Executive Director of the law firm of Capell & Howard in Montgomery, Alabama. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Turnbow is the author of numerous articles and written materials focused on legal industry finances. While on the staff at ALA in Vernon Hills, Illinois he wrote materials and produced a CD on the subject of Law Firm Profitability Enhancement and taught this subject in a number of seminars. He also authored the publication Successful Law Firm Financial Management. In addition to personal law firm consulting, Turnbow has served as an expert witness on financial management topics.
Turnbow is a former member of the ALA Board of Directors and has been active in leadership positions in the association for many years. He has taught for several organizations throughout North American including ALA's local, regional and national conferences. His teaching experience involves 600 hours of classroom instruction and 3000 attendees.
Since 1978 Turnbow has served as the Executive Director for nine different law firms in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada and Utah.
Turnbow is a fellow of the College of Law Practice Management and has served on the finance committee of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association (ABA).
Turnbow is the author of:
“A Cost Accounting Tool to Enhance Profitability for Law Firms.” Click here
“Internal Controls.” Click here
Felice C. Wagner Esq, is a strategic planning and business development expert with over 15 years of experience building businesses and leading successful teams. Her industry leading consulting practice serves major law firms and professional service providers throughout the United States and Canada. Wagner's broad background includes international duty as a Russian Linguist in the United States Air Force and an antitrust legal practice with two of the most prominent law firms in the United States. She also helped build and manage two of the largest legal staffing firms in the U.S. and she captained the team that won an exclusive contract to provide legal staffing services to DuPont Legal and its Primary Law Firm Network. In addition, Wagner was intimately involved in the DuPont Legal Model and played a significant role in the planning and implementation of the first Conference on Women and the Practice of Law for DuPont.
Targeting law firms and other professional service organizations, Wagner now leads Sugarcrest Development Group in its mission to assist its clients in creating relevant, effective sales and marketing strategies. Through its Path to PartnershipTM curriculum, Sugarcrest provides sales and marketing training programs for a wide variety of needs, from business planning seminars to intensive workshops on consultative selling skills. In addition, its widely acclaimed Rainmaker Reality CheckTM (www.sugarcrest.com/reality/) Click here has set the industry standard for assessing an attorney's business development skills. Wagner has authored several articles on client development and relationship management for print and Web publications such as Legal Times, Strategies: The Journal of Legal Marketing, Texas Lawyer, Law.com, LawCommerce, FindLaw, and LexisONE.
Wagner is a cum laude graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and a magna cum laude graduate of the University of South Florida. She is currently the President-Elect of the Legal Marketing Association's Mid-Atlantic Chapter. She may be reached directly at felice@sugarcrest.com Click here or at 202.828.1242.
Wagner is the author of “Best Practice Considerations for Pricing and Marketing Legal Services.” Click here
Kelly Wanlass is a media relations consultant specializing in promoting high-tech companies to the legal, telecommunications, manufacturing and healthcare markets. Before switching to public relations in 1996, Kelly honed her writing skills as a journalist, working for both United Press International and The Associated Press. From her office, based in her home near Salt Lake City, UT, Kelly uses e-meetings to communicate with her clients.
Kelly has a bachelor's degree in communications from Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
Wanlass is the author of "Building a Case for E-Meetings." Click here
Francine Ward, J.D., is a former practicing lawyer, is a success strategist, an inspiring author, a life coach, and a powerful motivator with a proven track record of achievement. Her mission: To encourage and support people in walking through their fear, so they can live amazing lives! Ward is the author of Esteemable Acts: 10 Actions for Building Real Self-Esteem and 52 Weeks of Esteemable Acts: A Guide to Right Living. She can be reached at www.esteemableacts.net Click here and francine@esteemableacts.net. Click here
Ward is the author of "Substance Abuse: The Secrete Law Firm Killer." Click here
Gary Weitzel, MSLA, is a legal administrator and information management professional, trained and experienced in all aspects of legal management, including the necessary communication skills to transfer information and knowledge within and between law firms, legal departments and the legal community at large. From 1998 to 2003, Weitzel served as Administrator of ALA Management Solutions and was the first Editor-in-Chief of the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM. He is currently president of Summit Knowledge Services LLC, which helps small to medium-sized law firms develop and revitalize their Web sites, improve their search engine marketability and build and manage content on their sites. Weitzel also serves as the independent consultant to McDonald's Corporation Global Legal Department Web site Redesign Initiative.
Before joining ALA in 1998, Weitzel served as a member of the financial management team at the 185-lawyer Chicago firm of Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon. In 2003, Weitzel served as the Director of Knowledge and Information Services at the Denver firm Moye Giles LLP. He also served as ALA Mile High Chapter's Newsletter Editor-in-Chief in 2004 and 2005, and assisted the chapter's development of its online newsletter. Weitzel is the author of over 50 ALA Management Solutions studies on various legal management topics and several articles in Chapter newsletters.
Weitzel holds a Master of Science in Legal Administration degree from the University of Denver College of Law where he was named the 1994 David S. Vogels Jr. Scholar in Law Office Administration. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Weitzel can be reached at the Summit Knowledge Services Web site at www.summitknowledge.com/about.asp. Click here
Weitzel is the author of "Formal Analysis of a Law Firm Web Site." Click here
H. Edward Wesemann is a Principal with Edge International. His consulting practice is limited to strategic planning and strategy implementation.
Wesemann has more than 20 years of experience managing law firms' planning processes and growth, particularly through mergers. His special area of expertise is law firm culture.
Before joining Edge International, he spent 14 years as the Executive Director of Arter & Hadden, which has more than 500 attorneys. Previously, he served as Executive Director of two firms in Pennsylvania and as a Legal Consultant. He holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from Valparaiso University, and a Master of Public Administration with honors from Chicago's Roosevelt University.
A frequent author and speaker, Wesemann also has written two books and numerous articles. His most recent publications are “Successful Law Firm Geographic Strategies” in the May 2003 issue of Legal Management, “Evaluating Law Firm Mergers” in the April 2001 issue of Managing Partner magazine (UK), “Strategic Options for Insurance Defense Firms” in the January 2002 issue of For the Defense, “Culture Club” in the July/August 2001 issue of Legal Management, and “The Ten Terrible Truths About Law Firm Strategic Planning” in the July 2002 issue of Convergences (South Africa).
Wesemann can be reached at Edge International by calling (877) 922-2040 or by e-mail at Wesemann@Edge.ai. Click here
Wesemann is the author of the articles:
“Creating a Merger Financial Model.” Click here
“Profit Planning: Creating a Profitability Component for Strategic Plans.” Click here
“The Administrator's Role in Law Firm Mergers.” Click here
“The Administrator's Role in Strategic Planning.” Click here
“Multi-Tiered Partnerships.” Click here
David Whelan is the director of the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center and recently served as acting Chief Information Officer for the Association. He and his staff provide practice technology resources and research to ABA members, guidance on the ABA's internal technology direction, and issue annual legal technology survey reports. Whelan speaks and writes frequently on technology-related topics and the effect of technology on the legal profession. Educated as a lawyer and librarian, he has worked for a legal case management vendor, for law firms, and has managed the technology infrastructure at a law school. Whelan is also an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science where he teaches courses on networked information systems. He can be reached at wheland@staff.abanet.org Click here or visit the LTRC Web site at www.abanet.org/tech/ltrc. Click here
Whelan is the author of “Technology Decisions: What to Buy? What to Buy?” Click here
Contributing Authors
Sandra Day
Sandra Day is the Director of Human Resources and Operations at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in New York. Day and her firm contributed the appendix “Business Recovery Plan.” Click here
Debra Hix-Sykes
Debra Hix-Sykes is a former law firm administrator. She is also a Past President of the Wisconsin Chapter of ALA. She is currently the President and CEO of DHS & Associates, SC, a national management, ancillary and training consultancy serving law firms and small/mid-sized businesses.
Hix-Sykes contributed the appendix article “The Pains of Remodeling: The Diary of a Former Legal Administrator.” Click here
Garth Olson is the Legal Administrator of Keating, Bucklin & McCormack Inc. PS in Seattle, Washington. He is a past member of ALA's Region 5 Regional Officers Team and has been active in various ALA chapter leadership positions for several years throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Since 1987, Olson has served as the Director of Finance or Legal Administrator for four different law firms in Minnesota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. He received his Bachelor of Science comprised of a Broad Area Business emphasis in Finance and Broad Area Music Emphasis in Piano/Composition from University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
Olson contributed the appendix article “Maximizing Income and Managing Expenses.” Click here
Lori-Ann Rickard
M. Diane Vogt and Lori-Ann Rickard are practicing lawyers and principals in PeopleWealth in Tampa, Florida, providing management consulting to improve lawyer retention through job satisfaction. Visit their Web site Click here or contact PeopleWealth at: info@peop1eweaIth.com. Click here
Vogt and Rickard contributed the appendix article “Attorney Mentoring and Burnout.” Click here