August 2014

Capital Connection is published monthly for members of the Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators to provide information for the education and benefit of legal administrators, law office managers, managing partners of law firms, and other law related associations. Capital Connection is not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or tax counseling or advice through this publication.  The contents of all articles, letters, and advertisements published in Capital Connection should not be considered endorsements by the Capital Chapter of ALA nor the opinion expressed therein of any products advertised.   Contributing authors are requested and expected to disclose financial an/or professional interests and affiliations that may influence their writing position. Articles and materials accepted for publication are subject to editing by the editorial team and become property of the Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. 

Editor: Paula Serratore; Cindy Conover   Contributing Editors: Joe Berger; Jenna Carter; Mark Brophy; Kimberly Ann Pexton, LEED AP BD+C; Dorothy L. Mooney Newsletter Designed By: Scoti Dodson


In this issue:

President's Message

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Thanks to everyone who participated in our recent Membership survey. We had 88 respondents (approximately 24% of our membership). We want to share the results with you and have summarized them for your convenience.

We asked you to rate the importance of the following benefits and here is what you said:
Educational Programs: 

Your preference is monthly (72%) at lunchtime (72%) for 2 hours. You told us the current quantity is just right (81%) and that the experience level of the chapter programs presented is a good mix (82%).

The attendance at our educational programs is trending higher with 67%  attending 2-6 seminars and 9% attending over 6. We also asked if you would like to have Business Partners exhibit at some of the educational events and a majority 82% responded yes.

We asked about attending a focused retreat on the weekend and paying $300-$500 to attend. While some mentioned budget issues or preferring not to give up a portion of their weekend, a majority,65%, still responded that they would be interested in attending if the program was interesting.

Business Partners:

Most respondents (73%) knew that Business Partners fund the majority of the Chapter’s educational and networking events and even more (97%) expressed comfort with the Business Partners attending events.

Social Events:

Most respondents (91%) said we hold just the right amount of social events.  A majority (65%) prefer lunchtime events over evening events (35%). Many of you (62%) have attended between 2-6 events with 16% attending over 6 events

One of the Chapter’s goals is to offer a wide range of programs that appeal to as many of our members as possible. We asked a question specifically targeted at Gen X and Gen Y. Many of the suggestions shared focused on mentoring programs. The Chapter is introducing a mentoring program. Looking at our member demographics, there is only a small percentage of our membership that fits in this category.

Community Services:

The Chapter is the primary funding vehicle for the Toni K. Allen Scholarship program. The Annual Fundraiser has not raised as much money in recent years as we had hoped and are looking for other ways to fundraise. Over 70% said there are other ways they would be willing to support the program. Many ideas focused on holding smaller events, drawings at events, and direct donations with no time commitment. The Chapter is now holding 50/50 raffles at the Quarterly Networking lunches and members can make a direct contribution to the foundation through the members only portal. We will continue to explore other ways to fund the scholarship going forward. We would still like to hear any ideas you might have with regard to this program. It is one of the ways the Chapter reaches out to the  community.

ALA International’s Programs & Conferences:

We wanted to take a quick look at some of ALA International’s programs and also ask about conference attendance. Attendance at the Annual Conference or the Regional Conference is only 35%. Many of the reasons cited for not attending focused on whether the firm pays for the member to attend, location, can only attend one Annual Conference such as ALA, SHRM or ILTA or programs too elementary/general. Members that do attend cited education, networking, friendships and industry updates as primary drivers. The Chapter will continue to offer the Edward Ross Scholarship and also offer registration scholarships to defray some of the costs of attendance.

The ALA also offers a Peer consulting database. We wanted to know if our members used the database and most 67% do not use it, some 12% use it regularly and some 18% use it occasionally. The Chapter was looking at introducing one locally and 51% said they would be willing to be listed as a peer consultant and 48% said they would utilize the local resource. Many said they didn’t know about the database, some felt the listservs do a good job, and others felt they just call a colleague for assistance.

We are working very hard to make sure we deliver to you the resources that will most benefit you and your career. We very much appreciate the feedback. 

Until Next Time,
Joe Berger

New ALA Capital Chapter Members

Elena Garcia
Chief Human Resources Officer
Dickstein Shapiro LLP
1825 Eye Street NW
Washington, DC 20006

Danita Ellis
Office Manager
Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
101 Constitution Ave NW
Suite 900
Washington, DC 20001

Renee Ann Brooks
Payroll and Benefits Coordinator
Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered
One Thomas Circle NW
Washington, DC 20005

Sarahi Estrella, SPHR
Senior Human Resources Manager
Arent Fox LLP
1717 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Nichole Rudd
Human Resources Coordinator
Holland & Knight LLP
800 17th Street NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20006

Jacqueline A. Thomas
DC Office Administrator
Arnall Golden Gergory LLP
1775 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006

Paula Cox
Facilities Manager
Baker & McKenzie
815 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20006

ALA Capital Chapter Awards $15,000 to a DC Public School Student at July Quarterly Networking Lunch

By: Jenna Carter, VP-Elect Community Services

Members and Business Partners gathered at the W Washington DC on July 10th for the third Quarterly Networking Luncheon of 2014.  President Joe Berger welcomed the group and then turned over the presentation to the VP of Community Services-Elect Jenna Carter and ALAAC Foundation President Alana Harder-Washington announced that thanks to the generous donations of its members, the ALA Capital Chapter was able to award a $15,000 scholarship.

Taiwo Dosunmu was introduced as the 2014 Toni K. Allen Scholarship recipient winner.  Taiwo was joined by his father and many members were able to congratulate him on his outstanding accomplishments and send him off to college with well wishes!  Over the next four years, Stacy Fischbach of Keno Kozie, will help to mentor Taiwo as he makes his way through college.

After the award presentation, President Joe Berger invited guests to enjoy the “Taste of DC” lunch buffet.   Diners had the options of the Chinatown Station with an assortment of dumplings and sauces, the Waterfront Station with made to order mini crab cake sandwiches, the Adams Morgan station with fish or vegetarian tacos and the Capitol Hill station with carved roast beef, hearts of palm, and a light citrus salad.  The grand finale was a trip to the Georgetown station for giant red velvet, chocolate, or vanilla cupcakes from Baked and Wired or gelato.

Congratulations to Veronica Akinnuoye of Hausfeld LLP for winning $300 in the 50/50 drawing!  In addition to proceeds from the 50/50 raffle, guests made donations to help us raise over $3,100 to support the Foundation's Toni K. Allen Scholarship Fund.

A great time was had by all.  If you don’t believe me, see below for what some of the guests had to say:

“I have been removed from networking circles for a few years. Very good to get reintroduced to the legal community.”

“Having a chance to witness the scholarship award today was invaluable and helps to confirm the good work we do in our community.”

 “I am always meeting new people - vendors and members and you have a chance to talk about things that are important to you in your career.”

 “It's nice to mingle with vendors and members together. It was also beneficial to meet the recipient of the scholarship; it helps to encourage people to donate when they can see the results.

 “It is very helpful to have a chance to connect with members and discuss issues in a relaxed environment, and to meet vendors whose services coincide with the firm's needs.

Our Next Quarterly Networking lunch is October 2nd…you won’t want to miss it!

Keno Kozie Spotlight: Security at the Desktop - How to Save Your Employees from Malware Disaster

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By: Mark Brophy

Earlier this year Cisco released its quarterly survey, in which respondents were asked what they feared from the new security threats. Over 80 percent answered that they (IT) actually felt secure with the technology that they had in place. Unfortunately, that answer is contrary to what is really happening. Feeling secure is no substitute for staying alert. Law firms still need to make sure they are doing everything in their power to keep their infrastructure protected. A good place to start is by focusing on the security of your employee’s desktops.

Traditionally, the endpoint of the network was a desktop computer, but today it can encompass anything from tablets to smartphones. Protecting the endpoint has become a challenge as attacks have become more sophisticated. With nearly 52 million different viruses appearing monthly, it’s impossible for antivirus software to combat security threats alone. A recent survey from antivirus maker Avast says that 34 percent of people don’t have any antivirus installed on their smartphones. That’s an alarming percentage, considering that people look to their phones and tablets for everyday sensitive tasks. Although the device has changed, the risks have not gone away.

Getting back to the discussion on the business network, antivirus alone is not enough. A great reference as to what is needed to help protect endpoints is the Australian Signals Directorate Strategies to Mitigate Target Cyber Intrusions (ASD). The ASD is Australia’s counterpart to and working partner with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The ASD publishes a regularly updated manual on the best practices for preventing cyber incidents. Following their top four strategies, by their estimates, would prevent 85 percent of the attacks they investigate. Their top four mitigation strategies are ranked in order of overall effectiveness and are as follows:

  • Use application whitelisting to help prevent malicious software and unapproved programs from running
  • Patch applications such as Java, PDF viewers, Flash, Web browsers and Microsoft Office
  • Patch operating system vulnerabilities
  • Restrict administrative privileges to operating systems and applications based on user duties

Looking at each strategy, you can see that solely having antivirus software installed doesn’t make devices any more secure. Desktops require constant updates and maintenance to remain protected. This holds true with tablets and other devices. Just as users can install whatever applications they choose, they can also unintentionally install bad applications, namely covert malware. Moreover, people left to their own devices will install software and neglect updates or fail to secure their networks as previously mentioned. Unfortunately, all of the previous mitigation strategies can be undone in one swoop.

Today, you can’t leave anything to chance or assume that individuals will do the right thing. Employees may not be aware of what the right thing is — or worse, not know what the wrong thing looks like. Therefore, well-documented policies that are repeatedly enforced are vital. Other forms of awareness training are also needed as the ruses that trick people change almost daily. Nearly all of the major security incidents reported in 2013 were the result of human error or deception.

People are truly eager for information on how to be safer both at home and in the office. This is an opportune time for organizations to update their security policies and educate their employees on the risks and proper use of technology. Today’s threats are not going away anytime soon, and in fact things will probably get worse before they get better.
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Mark Brophy serves the Director of IT Security and Risk Management Services at Keno Kozie Associates. Mark brings extensive knowledge on information technology networks and security. He specializes in developing and implementing security assessments, business continuity and risk management plans. He was also one of the founding members of ILTA’s new LegalSEC™ program and helped organize a community in which law firms can leverage their collective knowledge and experience in combating today’s IT security threats.

Green Initiatives: Sustainable and Profitable

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Kimberly Ann Pexton, LEED AP BD+C
Director of Sustainable Construction
HITT Contracting Inc.

A company’s environmental effort can come from the humble beginnings.  Much inspiration can be garnered by drawing on other company’s experiences.  While all approaches to green initiatives will be different based on the type of business, fundamentally the area of concern is the same.  Over the years greening of law firms has focused a great deal on reductions in paper use and document storage.  Another area of sustainability focus is on greening of the office environment.  There are tools available to law firms that provide a roadmap toward a more sustainable practice.  The Law Firm Sustainability Network is a great place to begin a sustainable journey.  While sustainable programming does take time and cost money, we have proven that those programs increase our profitability.  Our green initiatives will continue to expand and leverage savings while responding to clients and supporting our corporate culture.  Some of the highlights of those green initiatives are outlined below.  Think about how these examples could be used to inspire programs relative to your firm’s management.

Well before green building rating systems were fashionable, a few green building projects inspired ideas to practice sustainability.  Practicing sustainability does not come without challenges.  What one does with those challenges defines whether the outcome will be profitable.  The green building arena represented a profit loss risk to our business.  We responded with a now trademarked, repeatable, quality control program that focuses on profit protection while delivering a high quality and predictable result.  This valuable Green Project Delivery™ process has saved our business over two million dollars in its ten year life.  We utilized this very same process to achieve a gold certification for our headquarters building under the LEED Green Building Rating System™.   Focus has shifted from the greenness of specific projects to the green integrity of corporate programs as well.  We grew in our sustainable ways and expanded our recycling efforts to address rechargeable batteries and obsolete IT equipment, cell phones, power tools, etc.  Styrofoam was made taboo in our offices leaving us to relying on reusable drink containers for both employees and guests. We settled into paperless as a means for both resource conservation and increased profitability. 

Traditional construction document reproduction for projects meant that upward of 250 sets of drawings and specifications would be produced and distributed to specialty contractors.  Drawing reproduction went digital.  We transitioned from compact discs with project information to cloud placement of drawings to meet our distribution needs.  Our printing costs were cut by one million dollars within 24 months.

The paperless story did not stop there.  Paychecks and associated pay stubs went paperless.  Recent initiatives address payment of subcontractors and vendors by direct deposit saving.  These programs saved the company over $80,000 and 80,000 sheets of paper annually.  Paperless project management tools for operations staff reduces significantly the amount of paper needed for information transfer and recordkeeping.  Our paperless efforts continue to bring a significant amount of savings year over year.

Expanding on the paperless environment we have adopted building information modeling (BIM) workflow.  BIM utilizes computer technology to visually communicate building construction in three dimensions.  Special clash detection programs identify conflicting interfaces of construction assemblies, plumbing, ductwork and electrical components.  These clashes are resolved virtually in the computer program before any materials are ordered and workers are on a project site.  This approach not only saves project money but also conserves resources and physical man hour time relative to rework of conflict areas. 

As we worked to attach our $1M document reproduction process our focus shifted to other areas of the business.  One of the largest expenditures our business incurs on a yearly basis is for the removal of construction debris from construction sites.  A simple waste analysis across our typical project types uncovered several trends.  We recognized a need to minimize the effect of increasing waste hauling costs due to shrinking landfill availability.  The result was an unprecedented partnership with a green-minded company yielding a construction waste diversion from landfill percentage of 95%.  Simultaneously, we are able to experience a $200,000 savings annually due to this strategic partnership.

Corporations are approaching sustainable growth in a manner that addresses people, profit and planet.  Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part of sustainable business practice as we are all faced with ever diminishing resources.  As we plan for the future of our company, we have recognized that transparency, employee engagement and community involvement are an important part of our growth.  As we employ more millennial philanthropic efforts are an integral part of who they are and their freedom to exercise this aspect will dictate how long they stay.  Investment in our people saves our company valuable dollars in training.  We are rewarded with a retention rate slightly above the average.

Paperless, electronic documents, and green firm environments can be realized by adapting the examples and ideas to your business.  The Law Firm Sustainability Network has member resources that can assist in your sustainable journey. 

For more information on sustainable firm management visit www.lfsnnetwork.org

Let's Talk Budgets!

By: Dorothy L. Mooney

On July 24th, ALA Capital Chapter Business Partner, SunTrust, hosted a Lunch and Learn in their offices on New York Avenue.  President-Elect and Education Chair, Beth Fowler, introduced Chris Hartman, Managing Director of SunTrust Bank Private Wealth Management who welcomed the group and announced that SunTrust would be working on additional financial programs for ALA Capital Chapter members.

The presentation began with Steven Manekin, CPA, Director in the Audit, Accounting and Consulting Department of Ellin & Tucker, Chartered, who discussed budgets.  Mr. Manekin said “every law firm needs a budget (roadmap) to tie the partners into a firm wide business strategy.”  Mr. Manekin spoke in detail on the various parts of a budget to include revenue projection, soft costs, billing and collection realization as well as expenses.  Mr. Manekin provided several best practices and pitfalls to avoid when preparing a budget.  Finally, Mr. Manekin presented an actual budget format and described the various entries.

After Mr. Manekin’s presentation, Tom Byers, CPA, Director of the Tax Department of Ellin & Tucker, Chartered provided a summary of IRS capitalization rules and how they affect law firms.

Our Community, Our Kids: VP-Elect of Community Services Speaks at the University of the District of Columbia

By: Jenna Carter, VP-Elect Community Services

On Wednesday, July 23, 2014, VP-Elect of Community Services Jenna Carter spoke at the University of the District of Columbia’s Upward Bound program. The Upward Bound program offers academic and career counseling to students with the goals of admission to and graduation from college.

The group of 25 D.C. Public High School Junior and Seniors were there to get a quick lesson on business etiquette and how to apply for the ALA Capital Chapter’s Toni K. Allen Scholarship.  In the 75 minute lecture, students learned the art of the handshake, 10 tips on phone and in-person interviews, and the do’s and don’ts  of how to complete scholarship applications, like the Toni K. Allen Scholarship.  Students were encouraged to “prepare, prepare, prepare for the interview, their resumes, and for college so they could enjoy a future of success.”

Administrative Committees

Communications and Media Relations
As members of the Newsletter and Media Relations Committee, Chapter members participate in producing the award-winning Capital Connection. Members gather to brainstorm new ideas for editorial themes for upcoming editions. The newsletter reports Chapter business activities such as Section and Committee news and provides information about upcoming educational and other events. It also includes articles of interest to members and other legal management personnel, collected, authored and/or edited by members of the committee. This committee also works with other legal associations and the media to ensure that ALA and the Capital Chapter are represented in the legal industry. The Newsletter Committee welcomes new members.

Contact: Paula Serratore, [email protected]
Salary Survey
The Salary Survey Committee is responsible for maintaining, updating and running the local survey each year. They review the positions listed, the job descriptions, and the benefits questions to ensure that the survey remains relevant to the end users. The members of the committee also promote the survey within the Chapter to stimulate participation. In addition, the committee is tasked with selling the license to the survey software to other chapters within ALA for use in their locales. They also provide technical support and logistical guidance to those chapters who purchase and utilize our survey software.

Contact: Dina Dalecki (Chair), [email protected]; Janeanne Gorman (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]

Educational Sections

Branch Office Administrators
The Branch Office Adminsitrators Section focuses on a broad range of topics of interest to local adminisraotrs who must coordinate with other officees of their firms. The Section's monthly luncheon meetings, held on the second Tuesday of the month, provide a venue for members to discuss issues of common interest, share ideas, and network. Members are encouraged to raise topics and to recommend speakers.

Contact: Richard Gibson (Chair), [email protected]; Wendy Iversen (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
Intellectual Property (IP)
The Intellectual Property (IP) Section focuses on all aspects of legal management as it pertains to the IP Administrator. The group discusses the complexity of the ever-changing IP environment and how to effectively create and apply IP specific, non-legal procedures in both boutique and general practice firms. The Section's monthly meetings, held the third Tuesday, are primarily lunch meetings and every third month is a dinner meeting. 

Contact: Kristine Miller (Chair), [email protected]; Dina Dalecki (Co-Chair), [email protected] 
Listserv: [email protected]
Human Resources
The Human Resources Section operates as a venue for educational information on global human resources topics and issues. While the Section comprises mostly HR professionals, any member is invited to participate. The Section meets the second Wednesday of every month and often has either industry speakers or roundtable discussions on topics such as recruiting, benefits, strategic planning, performance management, career pathing, retention and more!

Contact: Claudia Baragaño (Chair), [email protected]; Jane Schindler (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]

Office Operations Management
The members of the Office Operations Management Section represent a cross section of legal expertise from functional administrators to branch office managers. The Office Operations Management Section (OOMS) meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month to discuss operation0related hot topics. We welcome all members to join the section, especially if you are an administrator in a small law office and you have to wear multiple hats. We can provide you with many best practices to run your operation smoothly.

Contact:  Gregory Fudge(Chair), [email protected]; Jeffrey Cole (Co-Chair), [email protected]

Listserv: [email protected]

Small Firm Management
The purpose of the Small Firm Management Section is to provide Administrators of law firms with 35 or fewer attorneys educational opportunities through vendor presentations, idea sharing and open forums specifically designed for those who work in smaller firms. The Small Firm Management SEction meets the 4th Tuesday of the month at host law firms.

Contact: Melody R. Watson (Chair), [email protected]; Emily Christianson (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]

Technology
The Technology Section is looking for members to join the group for lively discussions about practical situations we all face daily in the information technology world. With ever-changing IT needs and issues, we will look at our firms' policies and procedures and help develop best practices and speak of the many concerns we all have. Even if you are not in the IT field,  your experiences and opinions will help us in bringing all departments of a law firm together and working on the same page.

Contact: Kenny Mitchell (Chair), [email protected]; Frank Schipani (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]