February 2022

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; Tania José; Jaclyn Randolph; Willie Wilson-Herring; Race Sorden
Newsletter Published By: Gabrielle Webster, MSM


In this issue:

President's Message

Robert J. Bieber

Royal Cup Coffee Success Story video 

Michelle Scott 
 Royal Cup Coffee 

To learn more about Royal Cup Coffee, visit www.royalcupcoffee.com.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Spotlight: Building a Diversity Program that Sticks – Two Key Tips

David Campbell 
Chief Operating Officer​

I’ve spent the last few years hearing from law firm Leadership and administrators alike concerning their firm’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Programs.  While they point to various reasons why, the universal sentiment is that these programs aren’t working.  

Unfortunately, the consequences to firms that fail to demonstrate D&I results are mounting.  Not only do they risk losing the ongoing talent war, but firms are now feeling pressure from potential clients who are themselves under D&I directives from their stakeholders.

Whether you have an existing program or your firm is new to the D&I journey, turning your gaze inward using the strategies below will create a unique and meaningful way forward.

1 - Update Your Definition of Diversity

Over the years, the D&I has become a euphemism for ‘hire and promote more minorities.’  I won’t debate whether this narrowing of the definition was inadvertent or intentional because we have arrived at the same result – firms have made D&I a transactional experience rather than a transformational one.  It is no wonder why so many people feel disconnected or even frustrated by these initiatives—and, more importantly, why they don’t work.  

D&I Programs are, first and foremost, an exploration into and a celebration of what makes us different and unique as individuals.  This is an essential distinction because before we can appreciate anything, we must first learn enough about it to connect to it.  

D&I in the workplace is much more complex than our current definition allows, so firms must communicate the full scope of their D&I efforts in terms that resonate and align with their overall objectives.

2 - Make Diversity Education an Ongoing Effort

The next key step is making D&I education an ongoing part of your culture.  One of the reasons D&I programs never gain the traction necessary for company-wide adoption is the lack of continuing awareness.  Fortunately, an example of a potential framework has already been created in a format that makes it easy for your firm to adopt and make its own.  

Inside my company, Optimal Networks, we have implemented an ongoing D&I education program leveraging monthly observances.  The Anti-Defamation League publishes a calendar of observances that recognizes a different group almost every month of the year: Black History Month in February, National Women’s History Month in March, Arab American History Month in April, and so on (you can download the full calendar here).  

In the case of my organization, we have a working group responsible for making this information easily accessible to our teammates.  For each month, we produce a short document outlining the history of the observance, local events associated with the observance, and links to books and movies available on the topic.  Finally, we invite our teammates and their families to join us on a company outing to visit a museum or other live events.  This steady pulse of activity gives employees opportunities to learn, and more importantly, reaffirms to everyone the organization’s ongoing commitment to make D&I a pillar of the organization’s culture.

There are no quick fixes to creating a more diverse and culturally aware firm. Any initiative should be viewed through the same strategic lens its leadership uses to evaluate its most important commitments.  The progress of your D&I journey will be measured through the changing attitudes inside your firm, which will show itself as success to those looking from the outside.

Navigating Supply Chain Issues in an Uncertain Climate

Jake Kerr 
Assistant Project Manager, Law Firms
HITT Contracting

High-end law firm construction projects can use some of the most difficult materials to obtain in terms of lead times. Think glass office fronts from Italy, stone from Spain, carpet from India, custom ordered glass assemblies, and more. These materials are difficult to obtain in normal times, not to mention during a global pandemic. One of the most critical aspects of managing a construction project is properly coordinating the delivery of material and equipment acquired by the subcontractor and getting it to a construction site. In uncertain climates, additional stress is applied to the supply chain that has the potential to negatively impact a construction project with delays and missed deadlines if not properly managed. Top national commercial construction firm HITT Contracting has put strategies and steps in place that help effectively procure delayed materials or equipment to successfully complete a law firm build-out on time, even during today’s supply chain challenges.

First, early layout and measurement processes are essential before walls are installed at the beginning stages of a project. The superintendent can work with staff on-site and use tools to coordinate the proper measurements and dimensions necessary to install that piece of material or equipment. For instance, if a light fixture will be hung in a specific corridor, the superintendent would physically draw out the entire length of the fixture on the ground to confirm it can be properly installed in that area without major disruptions. This method ensures that all the proper due diligence is taken before ordering the material or equipment to the site and ultimately saving time. Sometimes, especially with today’s supply chain disruptions, schedules don’t allow for this method, so project teams need to rely on early release packages and fixtures that are ordered well before walls are demolished.  This puts more pressure on the construction team to coordinate items more carefully; however, if executed properly, can save 4-6 weeks, which can make the difference between completing on time or missing a deadline.

Measuring and ordering are only one part of the process. Direct communication with vendors has proven an effective strategy for HITT when confronted with supply issues. In the early stages of the project, the subcontractor or vendor will provide the project management team with a rough date of when material or a piece of equipment for the project will arrive. This date is typically a placeholder, and it can be improved if polite pressure and persistence are applied to the vendor. For example, a manufacturer or subcontractor might specify that a certain type of material or piece of equipment is backordered when it is actually on hand or at the end of production. When the manufacturer or vendor becomes aware that the project management team is constantly communicating and persistent about the need, sometimes the communication itself can be enough to expedite the material. Verbally conveying a sense of urgency or immediate need to the vendor can sometimes be the key to circumventing typical production issues or other reasons manufacturers or vendors give for delays. 

One of the most direct strategies HITT’s project management teams have taken when navigating supply chain issues is traveling to the factory or production plant where the material or equipment is made. An in-person meeting or physical visit to these locations can help build a relationship and share with the manufacturer or vendor how serious it is for the project management team to acquire the material and ensure they receive it on time. When traveling to a factory to discuss any problems or delays, project managers can inspect the quality, fabrication process, assembly, or quality control on the specified item as well. 

Ultimately, supply chain issues can occur at almost every phase of a project. In all cases, it requires a robust and efficient project management team with national reach to effectively manage and mitigate these delays. This ensures proper delivery of material and equipment and, in the end, on-time delivery of law firm construction projects. 

To learn more about HITT Contracting’s law firm construction capabilities, visit www.hitt.com/lawfirms

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Spotlight: 4 Tips for Talking to Kids and Teens about Racism and Social Unrest

Dr. Chinwé Williams
Board-Certified and Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)​

Over the past few months, our world has changed in profound ways. The effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching and are now occurring in tandem with the quest for racial justice. The convergence of these events has made our jobs as parents even more challenging.

Parents are now grappling with questions related to racism, violence, and injustice. The parents I’m speaking to simply want to know: What do I say to my children about racism and the recent social unrest?

These conversations are rarely easy. I offer four tips to parents who want to engage the topic of racism with their children in a meaningful way.

Tip # 1: Find out what your child knows and how they feel about race.

As parents, we’re often faced with having to engage in tough conversations with our children at much earlier ages than we anticipate or desire. With regard to racism, we may be processing our own thoughts and feelings and it may be difficult to know exactly what to say to our children.

Depending on the age of your child, he or she will have some level of awareness about what’s currently going on in the world. Children are very perceptive. If the news has been bothering you, it’s likely bothering them too. So, initiate the conversation by inquiring about what they do know and how they feel.

Acknowledge whatever emotions arise. Emotions can manifest differently for every child depending on their age, temperament, and experiences. Your child might be afraid of the images of buildings on fire, or they might be afraid of you being hurt or being hurt themselves. Your teen may be confused about why racism is still a significant issue or may express the desire to join the protests in some way. Listen and validate their emotions, and be honest with them about your own.

Tip # 2: Be direct and honest about racism and racial justice. 

The age to talk to children about racism is now. Studies like these, and the studies mentioned in articles like these, suggest awareness of racial differences develop as early as infancy and that by the age of 4, many children are already assigning positive traits to people of their own ethnic group and negative traits to people who look differently from them. As parents, we’re our children’s earliest teachers and we can start early to shape the ways in which our children embrace those differences or we risk leaving it to chance. So, be proactive—discuss race in a positive way, using developmentally appropriate language.

When discussing racism and racial justice, use simple terms like fairness and equality. Be direct and unequivocal. One example is to state, “Some people mistreat others because of the color of their skin, and that’s not okay. That’s not what we as a family believe in. It’s not okay to treat people any differently based on what they look like.”  

For younger children, books can be an instrumental resource to encourage conversations about race. While books providing historical context are great, ensure that your child is also reading books that include multi-racial characters simply engaging in fun adventures that your child might also find interesting. Toys and films also offer an opportunity to introduce multi-racial characters into your child’s life. The objective is not to always make race a focal point, but to highlight children of all races in positive and affirming ways. Currently, my children love the animated show Motown Magic that features multi-racial characters who frequently break out into Motown era hit songs (a plus!).

For older children who may or may not have some exposure to the topic of racial justice, begin by asking about their concerns and what they’re experiencing. They’ll be making sense of it in their own way and, as parents, it’s important that we guide them. Do more listening and reflect back any emotion that he or she expresses. For youth at any age, be sure to leave the door open for future conversations.

Tip # 3:  Be okay with not knowing all the answers.

For many non-minority parents, these are new conversations. Anything new can provoke anxiety and potentially be messy. Prepare yourself for questions to which you might not have all of the answers—but have the conversation anyway. The truth is that there’s no “right” way, but we know that conversations with significant adults help children begin to make sense of the chaotic world around them. You will likely not know the answers, but the key is to encourage the questions. By doing so, you’re teaching your child that race and racism are topics that should be broached and discussed openly.

If needed, commit to doing some research in order to educate yourself and deepen your own cultural understandings. However, more importantly than seeking the answers is demonstrating that you have the patience and the desire to lean in, listen, and help your child develop and nurture the values of compassion and humanity.

Tip #4: Take advantage of the opportunity. 

​Many children are expressing sadness, fear, and confusion about the tragic events, riots, and the social unrest our country is experiencing. The images on TV can be very frightening. When discussing violent behavior, be clear that violence is never the answer, and emphasize that the most effective way towards change is through peaceful measures. Highlight to your children the different hues, races, and backgrounds of the peaceful protesters all over the world. Like many of you, I’m encouraged by how multicultural and multi-generational the peaceful protests have been, and I’m awed that they’re being led by young people! It’s such a display of courage that has quickly led to laws being changed! Share with your child that change is possible through peaceful means and . . . through relationships.

Similar to our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, this season in our nation offers us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and demonstrate the love of God. As parents, this is the perfect time to live out our faith by modeling love for all of our neighbors. And remember, modeling anti-racist behaviors begins in relationships. Immerse your family in diverse environments. Beyond multi-cultural book characters, there’s nothing like experiencing genuine relationships with people whose skin color differs from our own.

In conclusion, my prayer is that as parents, our courage will continue to grow exponentially as we navigate these challenging—but necessary—conversations.

Originally appeared in Parent Cue.

Imagine Belonging on a Global Scale

Rhodes Perry, MPA 
Founder + CEO 
Rhodes Perry Consulting, LLC

Can you imagine belonging at work…on a global scale?

Perhaps when attempting to answer this question you find yourself being dismissive and cynical, silently saying to yourself, that’s impossible. You may feel justified in your response for good reasons. You might have personally experienced one, some, or all of these common pitfalls that stymie your workplace from advancing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals. These fumbles may include:
  • Lacking a long-term plan that clarifies required actions to build a belonging culture.
  • Failure to cascade DEI strategies across the organization and the workforce.
  • Unaccountable leaders unequipped to model inclusive behaviors.
  • An absence of diverse representation in leadership positions.

Fortunately, the goal of my newest book, Imagine Belonging, is to help inclusive leaders like you answer this big question: how you can begin to imagine belonging at work…on a global scale. The book gives you the permission and the courage to commit to building more belonging at work. It invites you to activate your imagination. It can help you transform your workplace culture into one that is not only more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, but one that has more safety, trust, and belonging for those least likely to feel it on the job. 

Before you can imagine belonging on a global scale, it’s important to first define what belonging means. Belonging is something you intuitively know. You, like me long for it, and you know when it is present, because you can feel it on a cellular level. Tragically, many of us often feel its absence on the job, and endure the sting of exclusion in social groups. Belonging is an affinity for a place or situation. When it comes to the workplace, I helped contribute to this Coqual research, which articulates four core belonging elements. They include: 
  1. You feel seen for your knowledge, expertise and experiences.
  2. You feel connected at work, you have positive, authentic social interactions w/colleagues.
  3. You feel supported at work, getting what you need so that you can do your best work.
  4. You feel aligned with your organization’s purpose, mission and values feeling a sense of pride.

​Reflect on your own sense of belonging at work. How often do you experience these four elements? Are you able to show up as authentically as you want on the job, or do you feel the pressure to conform, to fit in, and to go along to get along in order to get ahead? Giving into the pressure to conform often coerces you to fit into a culture that diminishes your ability to show up as authentically as you want. It’s truly the greatest barrier to fully experiencing connection and the power of belonging at work.

If you too have had to stuff yourself into a box in order to fit it - you know this pain all too well. Despite the workplace rewards that come when you assimilate and act like everyone else, you are left with everyone else liking you…except for you. Often this pain leads to feeling invisible, disconnected, disregarded, and ashamed for not being able to fully shine bright and share your genius with your colleagues.

Imagine Belonging calls you to begin visualizing something better for yourself. It challenges you to intentionally name the kind of workplace culture you desire. Left with a blank canvas and a paintbrush, you may find yourself struggling to first clarify your long-term vision for your workplace culture. To overcome this challenge, you are encouraged to name, and then confront the aspects of the status quo, or the dominant culture, that limits your sense of belonging at work. Things like white supremacy culture, patriarchy, nativism, ableism to name only a few aspects of dominant culture. 

As Lillian A. Tsai says, “To imagine belonging is to take the spark of discontent with your organization’s current culture and fan these flames into powerful personal and social transformation in the workplace.” To begin this kind of transformation, the book helps you identify all of the possibilities to deviate from the status quo. Taking this action gifts you with added confidence required to build Belonging Culture Systems. These systems include principles rooted in racial, gender, spatial, disability, and economic justice. 

In order to bridge the canyon between today’s status quo and intentionally embed these Belonging Culture Systems into your workplace, you must make the commitment to transform it. To make this kind of commitment, you are called to answer this key question: how can I go all in with building more belonging at work?

Dr. Heidi Reeder’s book, Commit to Win: How to Harness the Four Elements of Commitment to Reach Your Goals can help you answer this big question. She suggests making a high-level commitment. The kind of commitment that requires you to put something of value on the line. When you put something of value on the line, you’re less likely to abandon your commitment. This could include your social power, expertise, time, or relationships.

This kind of real commitment helps establish a leadership legacy you can be proud of. It will open the door for more of your colleagues to bring more of their real selves to work, which will promote the kind of team cohesion that promotes creativity, risk taking, and process improvements that you likely want more of in your workplace. These are the kinds of things that far too many organizations - perhaps yours too - unfortunately lack. When you keep your commitment narrow in focus, you will also have a high level of follow-through, because you are clear on the long-term vision you desire.

This all begins when you dare to Imagine Belonging, and this will take root when your organization embraces this transformation equation: clarity + confidence + commitment = transformation.
​As you work to clarify your long-term workplace culture vision, it’s important to note that you aren’t simply changing the current culture. I make this distinction, because to change something implies that you can always change it back. I think you will agree with me that you don’t simply want to change your current culture and run the risk that a different set of leaders can simply reverse your implementation efforts. Rather, to truly transform your culture, you must first grieve what it once was (warts and all) to make the space required to grow into what you, and your workplace, are destined to become. 

Research shows that leaders who usher in this kind of transformation to their leadership style, the way they build teams, and how they structure their work, are twice as likely to experience better products and services leading to business success and sometimes even industry breakthroughs. This happens because their organization’s values, DEI goals, and management processes are aligned with their long-term workplace culture vision. 

Are you ready to transform your workplace culture? Do you want to build more belonging for yourself and your colleagues? Yes? Then please get your copy of Imagine Belonging today, and get the inclusive leadership guide you’ve been waiting for to build a more equitable organization!

February 2022 Diversity Observances

​Click here to view the full list of February 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), [email protected]; Emmanuel Adedigba (Co-Chair), [email protected]
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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:  Angela Tyson (Chair), [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. 

Contact: Herb Abercrombie Jr. (Chair), [email protected]



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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), [email protected]; Kim Santaiti-Potter (Co-Chair), [email protected]


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), [email protected]; Lodora Barnes (Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected] and [email protected]
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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), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
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), [email protected];  Julie Hooper (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]

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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), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]