August 2021

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 and/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. Links to Capital Connection may not be shared without permission from the Chapter. 
Editors: Amy Walkowiak; Emmanuel Adedigba
​Contributing Editors: Robert J. Bieber; Joanna Hurt; David Sarnoff; Allison Howen; Jamy J. Sullivan, J.D.; Kshitij Kathuria
Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis


In this issue:

President's Message

Robert J. Bieber

We’re Back: July Quarterly Networking Luncheon

Joanna Hurt
​Office Manager, McCarter & English, LLP
Vice President, Community Services-Elect

Despite the rainy day, there was nothing but sunshine at the Hamilton Live for the first in-person ALA Capital Chapter networking luncheon since February 2020. On Thursday, July 8, 2021, over sixty chapter members and business partners met each other with cheers, elbow bumps, and a few fully-vaccinated hugs. The excitement was palpable as introductions were made to new members and business partners who many had only previously met on computer screens. While things looked different with masks, hand sanitizer, and fresh name tags, things also looked unchanged with old friends, networking, and raffle tickets.

During lunch at socially-distanced tables, Chapter President Bob Bieber welcomed the group and presented Immediate Past President Jackie Johnson with a crystal gavel in honor of her leadership and distinguished service as Chapter President from 2020 to 2021. Despite an unprecedented year, Jackie led the Capital Chapter to win the ALA National 2021 President’s Award of Excellence. Jackie graciously accepted the award and gave her first in-person speech since she officially took over as president in March 2020. She made sure to shout-out fellow National ALA award winners, Melody Watson and Tiffany Montgomery, for receiving the 2021 IDEA Award for creating a unique and innovative Virtual Year-End Gala and Silent Auction to raise funds for the Capital Chapter Foundation and scholarship. Jackie later presented a crystal business card holder award to another Past President, Jenna Carter, in honor of her work and contribution to the Chapter from 2018 to 2020. Jenna energetically stepped in to fill vacancies even after the end of her term. A surprised Jenna thanked the group and promised she would continue her work with the Chapter.

Catalina Mejia was presented with the Chapter’s annual President’s Award for her outstanding contributions and commitments to the Chapter. Specifically, Catalina spearheaded the “Discover Each Other Through Media and Discussion” group with chapter members and business partners, which meets monthly to discuss diversity, inclusion, equity and accessibility topics through discussion, articles, videos, podcasts, books and more. Catalina’s dedication to presenting the group with topics that address up-to-date issues facing the legal and local community creates lively discussion, intimate sharing, and lasting educational impacts for all who attend. The next meeting is Wednesday, July 28, 2021, with more information on the Chapter’s website on how to attend.

Before and during these presentations, Tania Jose and I, the Chapter Community Services Team, collected donations for the Toni K. Allen (“TKA”) Scholarship in the form of raffle tickets to win a summer-themed Yeti Hopper Flip cooler. The Capital Chapter Foundation awards the TKA scholarship each year to a DC student who shows academic achievement, financial need, leadership ability, interest in business or law, and engagement with the community. Through the generosity of members and business partners, we raised over $600 toward the scholarship. As dessert was served, Bob drew the winning ticket, and Marie Woods was the lucky person who won the Yeti cooler! Thank you to all who donated to the TKA scholarship. The next in-person event will be in September with more details to come.

Diversity Spotlight: David Sarnoff

Returning to the Office as Changed People - David Robert and David Sarnoff of Loeb Leadership discuss “Creating an Intentional Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment.”   David Robert is the Chief Talent Strategist for Loeb Leadership. David brings nearly 20 years of experience as a thought leader in the areas of Learning and Development, Change Management and Organizational Effectiveness. David has held both internal and external consulting positions at companies across several industries, and is the former CEO of Great Place to Work (Middle East). Previously, David worked with Blue Cross and Blue Shield as Director of Change Management. David had a monthly leadership column with the Kipp Report and has appeared on several television and radio programs, including CNBC Arabia, to share insights and best practices related to organizational effectiveness.

3 Considerations for the Future of Work

Allison Howen
​Senior Content Manager, iSolved

There are many lessons that business leaders have gleaned from the pandemic, but perhaps the most important is the need for their enterprises to be prepared for the future – even when the future is uncertain.

To prepare for the future, today, it is essential to invest in technology that is agile, adaptable and comprehensive. Data from isolved’s Transforming Employee Experience report shows that 79 percent of HR leaders actively do this now, however these investments vary when segmenting the data by company size. For instance, just 38 percent of companies with 150 employees or less are investing in the future of work compared to 85 percent of companies with more than 1,501 employees. So what can business leaders do to keep up if their organization isn’t actively preparing for the future? Here are three considerations:

1. Assess Digital Maturity
Digitally mature organizations are more likely to be prepared for the future of work due to their technology infrastructure. It is important to keep in mind, however, that investments in technology don’t always correlate to an advancement in an organization’s digital maturity. Technology needs to be intelligently connected so that processes remain efficient and data doesn’t end up in silos. In fact, isolved’s Vice President of Marketing Geoff Webb notes that technology that advances an organization’s digital maturity should be able to respond to needs and opportunities faster and in a more agile way than would have been possible in the past.

“You need to go from just having data to understanding that data and shaping the future because of it,” said Webb. “That’s a path that every business must take, but it’s the most complex and impactful path for HR because you are dealing with people – and there’s nothing more complex than people.”

2. Have a Modern Mindset
Even though social distancing restrictions have been lifted in many areas, business leaders need to remember the agility that was needed to maintain business continuity throughout the pandemic. Whether teams are in office, remote or hybrid, it is important to have tools available that can keep employees connected and collaborating.  

“The future of work is somewhat of an ominous phrase but what we mean by that is really connecting with people more effectively regardless of where or how they are engaging and in the most intuitive way possible,” said James Norwood, Marketing and Strategy Officer at isolved.

Technology that empowers employees to interact with their colleagues, request feedback from supervisors virtually and access paystubs digitally, for example, not only helps to streamline processes now, but also helps to ensure businesses are prepared for the possibility of future disruptions.

3. Prioritize Employee Experience
Employee experience (EX) is likely to play an important role in the future of work, which is probably the reason why 92 percent of HR leaders are prioritizing EX this year. Investments in EX can range from offering self-service tools that empower employees to digitally and independently elect their own benefits, to using survey tools to collect employee feedback in order to discover what can be improved upon. Good EX tends to not only lead to a happier workforce, but can also impact things like recruitment and retention. What’s more, research shows that businesses that invest in EX have two times the revenue than companies that don’t.

An intelligently connected human capital management (HCM) platform that supports core human resource (HR) functions (like payroll and scheduling) along with the softer side of HR (like performance management) can be instrumental in keeping employees engaged while also providing flexibility for the future so that organizations can stay prepared for potential shifts in the market.

The Future Looks Bright 😎
As business gets back to “normal” with the recovery of the pandemic well underway, it can be easy to forget the lessons learned over the last year and get back into old routines. The only way to stay prepared for the future, however, is to continually invest in your enterprise and its people now. Doing so can pay dividends even if future disruptions aren’t as extreme as those caused by COVID-19.

DC Community Service Opportunities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Joanna Hurt
​Office Manager, McCarter & English, LLP
Vice President, Community Services-Elect

While the global pandemic has physically isolated people, it has also prompted people to volunteer in many new and innovative ways. Whether your office plans to return in person or continue to work remotely, below are creative ways to get involved with the DC community with some of the Chapter’s favorite organizations. Please stay tuned for Chapter-lead opportunities.

5 Ways Leaders in the Legal Field Can Build a Culture of Success

Jamy J. Sullivan, J.D.
​Executive Director, Robert Half

Company culture has a significant impact on a team’s performance, but it’s not something managers can engineer at will. That’s because it doesn’t come only from the top, but also partly from the team itself. The way employees communicate, collaborate and treat each other — that’s your office culture. 

Even as a law firm or corporate legal department leader, you can’t force a positive workplace culture, but you can strongly influence it. Savvy managers know how to nudge people in the right direction by encouraging teamwork and accountability. Do that, and you’ll help foster a culture of success.

What is a culture of success?

Each law firm or corporate legal department has its own internal culture. And while there’s more than one way to succeed, most high-performing groups tend to emphasize the following: 

  • Communication — Everyone feels empowered to offer ideas and share feedback.
  • Engagement — People go the extra mile to deliver high-quality work. 
  • Retention — Employees stay with the team for a substantial amount of time. 
  • Focus — Everyone knows what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. 
  • Growth — The team is committed to constant improvement and development. 

If you’re worried that your team isn’t living up to its potential, you might be falling short in one or more of these areas. Here are five tips for encouraging a winning company culture:
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  • Get your onboarding process right. New hires may struggle to navigate an unfamiliar office culture. Onboarding is your chance to make them feel like they belong from the outset. 

    Don’t just tell them. Show them. There’s no point boasting about your structured routine and collaborative mindset if you leave new hires waiting at an empty desk during their first hour of employment. If anything, you need to be even more proactive about initiating remote workers into your company culture since they’ve had fewer chances to observe it firsthand.
 
  • Assign meaningful goals. Employees work best when they feel like their job means something. Pride in their organization is one of the main drivers of workplace happiness for legal professionals, and is linked to higher engagement, productivity and retention. 

    ​When assigning responsibilities, try to give employees a sense of why that task is crucial to your organization’s overall mission. But don’t just leave it there. If they do a great job, congratulate them and reiterate how that task contributed to the team’s success.

  • Invest in professional development. Team members are more likely to look out for the organization if they feel like the organization is looking out for them. For managers, that means investing in training and certification to help people achieve their career goals. Consider setting up a mentorship program to help people grow. Or provide access to legal journals and research services so they can study in their free time.

    As with project goals, team members will be more excited about professional development if they understand how it aligns with the organization’s overall strategy — and their own advancement in the firm. Digital upskilling, for example, means much more than learning the keyboard shortcuts for your document management system. It’s also about understanding concepts like machine learning and artificial intelligence, then deploying those learnings to give your team a competitive advantage.
 
  • Treat failure as a learning opportunity. Legal teams are under enormous pressure to always get things right. This can sometimes translate into a blame game, which is always counterproductive and often toxic. Instead of pointing fingers, encourage your team to treat failure as an opportunity for future improvement. What went wrong? What can everyone learn from the experience to help prevent it from happening again? 
 
  • Share setbacks as well as victories. Whenever a law firm or corporate legal department scores a big win, it’s always the result of a team effort. Everyone deserves recognition for their work, from lawyers to paralegals to office support staff. Equally, when something doesn’t go well, it’s a moment for the whole team to support each other and prepare for the next challenge. 

Best practices like these can help your team stay focused and motivated, but they won’t guarantee that you’ll embark on a winning streak. Be patient and trust your methods. A culture of success is more about mindset than results, and if the mindset is right, the wins will come.

Jamy Sullivan is executive director of the legal practice at Robert Half, a premier provider of talent and consulting solutions for a wide range of initiatives in the legal field, including compliance, contract management, data privacy, litigation support and more. Visit RobertHalf.com.

6 Security Best Practices to Keep Law Firms Secure

Kshitij Kathuria
Chief Information Security Officer, Afinety

Introduction
While securing client and firm data has always been a minimum requirement for law firms, the onslaught of successful ransomware attacks over the past 12 months undeniably demonstrates that information security needs to be top of mind for every organization, regardless of size or industry. 

Over the past several years, the legal industry has emerged as a particularly vulnerable target for three reasons. First, firms typically have access to vast amounts of highly confidential information. Second, the industry’s demonstrated reticence in adopting security tools results in a weaker security posture than their clients. And third, like other similarly sized professional services organizations, law firms frequently rely on third-party vendors for anything from file sharing to infrastructure management, leaving them open to IT supply-chain ransomware attacks.

In this article, we’ll review and explore the best practices for protecting your firm and client data as well as areas of opportunity to strengthen your security posture. 

Review your security principles
When considering information security, there is often an outsized emphasis on the individual security products and tools used to maintain a secure environment. Yet IT philosophy, architecture, design, configuration, and a “security-first” mindset do far more to increase an organization’s security posture than any single security tool. Here are some concrete best practices to implement:

1. Adopt a Security-First Mindset. Question everything –  it’s not just IT’s problem!
Many of us have grown to be entirely reliant on IT for all things security. But as Bloomberg Law points out, we must reconsider the idea that security is “IT’s problem”. Indeed, security needs to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Whether it is an attorney, a paralegal, or a staff member, they all need to do their part to maintain security.

This defensive mindset is critical to maintaining a secure environment – not just digitally but physically as well. In an office setting, that might mean validating the copy repairman or the person who waters the plants. Online, it’s verbally validating an unusual request from a client or partner or double-checking a URL before entering login credentials. Consider also adjusting standard procedures with security in mind. One example is to require money transfer requests to be authorized by voice, not just email, as extra controls to prevent being victimized by a phishing attack.

As part of shifting to a security-first mindset, it’s essential to reconsider what training looks like. Often, training is treated as a “one and done event” – an annual activity that must be suffered through, rather than an ongoing priority. Instead, engage in lighter, more frequent training and use responsive training tools to help educate your team on phishing attacks. Ultimately, your employees are your first line of defense – make sure they’re aware and prepared. 

2. Implement the Principle of Least-Privilege. Control exposure by limiting access to “if-needed.”
The Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP), as defined by the US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, asserts that a given individual, application, or system “should be given only those privileges needed for it to complete its task. If a subject does not need an access right, the subject should not have that right.” 
 
While client confidentiality is a well-understood concept, the PoLP doesn’t rely on humans to enforce it; instead, it’s engrained in the way system access is architected. Instead of determining what data and which systems should be blocked from a given user, think critically about what they need to access. 
This can sometimes be a point of contention with firm leadership that may be accustomed to accessing anything in the firm (even if they choose not to exercise that ability). However, doing so helps ensure that even if a cybercriminal gains credentials or ransomware is deployed at the firm, your exposure is limited.

Reevaluate your IT environment and security tools
Law firms that wish to maintain a strong security posture need to invest in the right tools, question long-standing assumptions about security and understand the risks and tradeoffs that their vendors and partners adopt. Here are some considerations:

3. Practice threat mitigation rather than threat prevention. Effective information security involves layers, not a single wall.
It can be tempting to think in black and white terms regarding your security program and strive to create an environment that cybercriminals cannot penetrate. Yet in the past year, the US Government and one of the nation’s top cybersecurity firms both revealed they’d been victims of cyberattacks, making it clear that no amount of focus, money, or expertise can insulate you from an attack. It is not a matter of “if” but “when.”

By erecting multiple barriers of defense (as in a multi-layered security model), you can slow down an attack, limiting your exposure and making it more likely that you’ll be able to identify and react to an attack before too much damage is done. In this model, an attacker that penetrates one layer of defense may be thwarted by another layer.
4. Reevaluate infrastructure, access methods, and data storage. Modernizing your infrastructure can dramatically improve your security posture.
This recommendation can be wide-ranging, but the goal here is to recognize that the powerful forces of inertia and the path of least resistance may be leaving you vulnerable. Consider, for example, an on-premises IT environment and the use of remote desktops. Changes in remote and hybrid working patterns may have put a strain on your bandwidth, leading to performance challenges. This leads attorneys and staff to store critical documents locally rather than centrally, creating a security hole. Increasing your office bandwidth can mitigate those performance issues, while the adoption of cloud-based virtual desktops and infrastructure could eliminate them.

With a virtual desktop, even if an individual computer is compromised (or even just left in a coffee shop by accident), the actual damage is isolated. Data stays under your control, and, as a bonus, users typically experience a dramatic performance improvement. If a computer is stolen or a laptop is damaged, no data is exposed or lost – you can just procure a new computer and get access to your cloud desktop as if nothing ever happened.

5. Review your security toolbox. Adopt the security tools you know you should. 
While security tools are not a panacea, they still matter. Multi-factor authentication (MFA), advanced endpoint protection, password managers, email security, and advanced firewall technology can go a long way to protecting you in that layered defense structure outlined earlier. 

In its 2020 Legal Technology Survey Report, the ABA reports that MFA has been implemented by less than 50% of respondents, while just 43% of respondents use file encryption. Such basic security standards should no longer be considered optional but rather mandatory. Email addresses have become the de facto gateway to access other applications and information. Advanced phishing techniques have made credential theft common. By deploying MFA, you can mitigate the damage done with a stolen password.

Meanwhile, password managers make it easier to maintain different, long, and complex passwords for every account. With a corporate account, firms have the added benefit of quickly shutting down access to all those passwords in the event of a termination.

Validate your vendors and partners
For too long, managed service providers and technology partners have taken the stance of shielding their clients from the headaches, intricacies, and complications that a strong security stance involves. And law firms have gratefully accepted that shield without question. However, while such partners can significantly reduce the security burden on the internal team at a law firm, the responsibility is still shared. 

Ensure you understand how seriously they take security, the security principles they adopt, the tools they use, and how they separate client environments.

Law firms owe it to themselves and their clients to ensure that they understand their IT partner's steps and security measures that require active participation and consent.
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That’s why the final best practice is:

6. Ask your IT partner a lot of questions. Your security stance relies on theirs.

July 2021 Diversity Observances

Click here to view the full list of July observances

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 Community 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.

Contact:  Amy Walkowiak (Chair), awalkowiak@perkinscoie.com; Emmanuel Adedigba (Co-Chair), EAdedigba@zuckerman.com
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The mission of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is to advance the concepts of inclusiveness and acceptance in every organization by providing all Chapter members with information so that they can merge these concepts with their firm's policies, procedures, culture, and relationships to be more equitable and inclusive.  We not only strive to raise awareness, but also to increase our sensitivity in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion and more closely reflect the diversity of our community at large. Having a more inclusive and diverse legal community will improve the quality of our organizations’ workforces and respond to our clients’ requirements for diversity. The DEI Committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month and we welcome all members to join us for discussion on how to further our mission in our firms and in our Chapter.  
 
Contact: Denise Verdesoto (Chair), deniseverdesoto@eversheds-sutherland.com; Angela Tyson (Co-Chair), atyson@axinn.com
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. 

Contact: Herb Abercrombie Jr. (Chair), HAbercrombie@jenner.com; Valerie Williamson (Co-Chair), vwilliamson@foleyhoag.com



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Member Experience
The Member Experience Committee will establish a welcoming environment for new members to be integrated into the Chapter through a formal Ambassador Program. Ambassadors will provide support and guidance to new members through their first 12 months of membership, ensuring new members realize benefits of membership and become ambassadors of the Chapter. If you would like more information and/or are interested in becoming an Ambassador, please contact the Chair or Co-Chair.

Contact: LaVerne Anenia (Chair), LaVerne.Anenia@dbr.com; Kim Santaiti-Potter (Co-Chair), kim.potter@alston.com


Educational Communities

Small Firm and Branch Office Administrators
The Small Firm and Branch Office Administrators Community focuses on a broad range of topics of interest to local administrators who must coordinate with other offices of their firms, as well as 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 Community's monthly luncheon meetings, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 12:30 pm, 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: Starr Pratt (Chair), spratt@ftlf.com; Lodora Barnes (Chair), lbarnes@sheppardmullin.com
Listserv: branch@lists.alacapchap.org and smallfirm@lists.alacapchap.org
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Legal Operations
The members of the Legal Operations Community represent a cross section of legal expertise from functional administrators to branch office managers. The Community meets on the second Thursday of each month at noon. 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:  Janelle E. Rynes (Chair), janelle.rynes@arentfox.com; Giovanni DiLuca (Co-Chair), gdiluca@zuckerman.com;
Listserv: legalops@lists.alacapchap.org
Human Resources
The Human Resources Community operates as a venue for educational information on global human resources issues.  While the Community is mostly comprised of HR professionals, any member is invited to participate in the meetings which typically take place on the second or third Wednesday of each month.  The meetings feature industry speakers or roundtable discussions on topics such as recruiting, benefits, strategic planning, performance management, career pathing, retention and other matters of interest.

Contact: Brenda Simoes (Chair), bsimoes@reedsmith.com;  Julie Hooper (Co-Chair), jhooper@gibsondunn.com
Listserv: hr@lists.alacapchap.org

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Next Generation Leaders
The mission of the Next Generation Leaders Community is to support our next generation of leaders and close the gap faced by our association and the legal industry as a whole by providing a community for Millennial legal managers and new managers in the legal field with a focus on mentoring, education, and networking. To accomplish this goal, the section hosts monthly meetings, pop-up events, and educational sessions, and provides 2-way mentoring opportunities. 
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Contact: Ana Sobalvarro (Chair), asobalvarro@bomcip.com;  Catalina Mejia (Co-Chair), cmejia@wiley.law
Listserv: nextgen@lists.alacapchap.org