January 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: Dorothy Mooney; Joe Berger; Ida Abbott; Stacy Fischbach; Beth L. Jeffries Newsletter Designed By: Scoti Dodson
In this issue:

President's Message:  A New Year - A New You!

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New Year Resolutions.  Love them or hate them.  To some, just the thought of having to come up with a goal that will probably go by the wayside after the first week or two of the new year is enough to make them scream.  Others rise to the challenge and succeed.  Who started the practice of making New Year's resolutions anyway?  According to Wikipedia, while making a promise at the beginning of the new year can be traced back to the ancient Babylonians, the tradition of actually making a New Year's resolution became popular in the “western hemisphere following the Great Depression.”  And are there really any studies that determine success/failure rates of New Year's resolutions?  Actually yes.  Again, according to Wikipedia, a “2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year's resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study's participants were confident of success at the beginning. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.”  Interesting.  Still struggling with a resolution?  We have all heard the Weight Watchers© catch phrase “A New Year – A New You” and know it refers to personal weight loss.   But have you ever thought about a new you in terms of your professional growth? 

A resolution most of us can attain is to do something positive for our self and in turn, enhance our professional and personal self.  Look no further than ALACC to help you meet your goals.  The Capital Chapter offers something for members every month whether it is a webinar, an educational event, a networking event or meeting with peers.  In 2014 the Chapter will continue with the very successful Leadership Series with presentations by Michael Nash (Excellence in Management Parts II and III) and Marguerite Ham (Critical Conversations for Leaders) and the leadership team is busy at work planning 2014 and beyond.  Every month there is an educational section meeting and everyone is invited to attend any and all of the section meetings.  You do not need to be a member of a section to attend.  Need to hone your IT skills?  The new Technology Committee has several educational sessions in early 2014.    Check the ALACC website regularly or sign up to be on the list serve and receive weekly email updates.  

Want to take on a leadership role or expand your network?  The Chairs and Co-Chairs of the educational sections are looking for new leaders.  If you are interested in leadership opportunities, hone your skills among your peers and let the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the educational sections know you are interested.  You get to make a difference and put your stamp on the Chapter.  Not quite ready for the spotlight?  How about expanding your network by attending a Quarterly Networking lunch.  Meet other ALACC members and business partners while enjoying a wonderful lunch at the W.  We are making the networking lunches interactive, informative and fun. 

How about volunteering?  Our Chapter is the second largest Chapter in the entire ALA organization.  We grew to 387 members adding 48 new members in 2013 and we can only succeed if you volunteer.  The Chapter offers many volunteer opportunities including manning the water stations at Lawyers Have Heart; collecting toys and other items for needy families through the Salvation Army Angel Tree and N Street Village programs; a new initiative, Our Community – Our Kids; and our Annual Fundraiser to support the Toni K. Allen Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships to local students.  Speaking of the Annual Fundraiser, planning is already underway and the Fundraiser is set for April 10th.  Mark your calendar to attend this fun event.  And in 2014 the Chapter is creating new committees in an effort to enhance membership including a new welcome committee.  Information will be forthcoming about ways you can get involved and help our Chapter continue to succeed.  Be proud to be a member of this organization.  Get involved!

How about doing something fun?  We are launching a game that involves cards, members, business partners and prizes.  What a fun way to grow your professional network, build partnerships and increase your knowledge of trends, products and how-to’s in the legal community.  What do you have to do?  The rules of the game will be announced soon on how you can grow your network by meeting with business partners and earn the chance to win amazing prizes!

Excited and Energized?  The Chapter has a lot of changes for 2014.  The Chapter office is moving on February 1st.  Look for the official announcement shortly.  A new website is in the works and will be launched in January.  And with a new leadership team ready to take over on April 1st, there are so many more ideas and opportunities for growth.

Here is a resolution most of us can attain – do something positive for yourself!  A New Year – A New You!

ALA Antitrust Guidelines

So we don't stray into dangerous antitrust territory and to serve as a reminder of our "rules of the road," it's time for that annual message about avoiding listserv discussions regarding prices, fees, etc. Even though we've all seen and read this information before, it's wise to review the material from time to time - especially since the penalties for violations are severe.

New ALA Capital Chapter Members

Vivien Straume
Administrator
Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry, LLP
1425 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Paula Miller
Administrator
Edell, Shapiro & Finnan LLC
9801 Washingtonian Blvd #750
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
Karen Gregory
Director of Human Resources
Williams & Connolly LLP
725 12th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

Law Firm Mentoring Programs

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Joe Berger, Education Chair

On December 11, 2013, the Chapter hosted Ida Abbott, the industry’s recognized leading expert on Associate Mentoring. She has worked extensively in this field for over 20 years after first working herself as an associate in “big law.”  She has worked with a number of firms in helping them establish their own mentoring programs and has lectured often on behalf of the ABA on the subject.

Among her first points was the important fact that there is no “cookie cutter” answer to establishing a successful mentoring program. Each successful program is tailored to the specific firm and driven by culture, acceptance of the program, the participants, and the budget and training just to mention a few of the many ingredients that go into a successful program. Replete with examples touching on all of the above she shared with the group her experiences in what is good and what is “not so good” about different programs.

She shared with the group a comprehensive check list that was the most useful of a number of handouts she provided. And while none of us left with a crispy new mentoring program in our pocket, she provided the stimulus to make us think about our current program if we had one or how to develop a workable program if we didn’t.

Ms. Abbott’s lecture was the most recent in a number of planned Lunch ‘n Learn presentations the Chapter sponsors almost every month throughout the year. If there is a special topic or speaker that you’d like to hear, please let us know.

Coaching, Mentoring & Sponsorship

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Ida Abbott, Ida Abbott Consulting

Considerable confusion exists about coaching, mentoring and sponsorship. Many people refer to coaching and mentoring interchangeably. While both processes provide personalized professional development, require special interpersonal skills and have a significant impact on a lawyer’s career, there are some important distinctions between them. Coaching is also distinct from sponsorship, which is an advanced form of mentoring. Let’s examine these processes and clarify their similarities and differences.

Coaching

Coaching deals with performance. It is functional and results-oriented. Coaching helps someone become more productive and effective at a specific set of functions, tasks or practices. A coach helps you identify and set goals in a particular area (or function) and develop a plan to achieve those goals. Then the coach gives you support while you implement your plan and achieve your desired results. Because you check in with the coach as your plan moves forward, the coach also keeps you disciplined and focused. 

Lawyers who receive coaching usually fall into one of three categories: new or existing leaders who want to optimize their leadership effectiveness; high potential lawyers who want to achieve their highest level of performance; and under-performing lawyers who must improve their performance or change certain behaviors in order to stay in the firm and on track. A large and growing number of coaches today help partners and some high potential associates with areas like business development, leadership development and leadership optimization. Firms also hire specialists to provide coaching in areas like communication and presentation skills, writing, time and work management and team management. Many firms also provide transition coaches for lawyers returning to work after taking leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

A few firms have coaches on staff but most firms hire outside coaches to work with particular lawyers on an as-­needed basis. These coaches are paid specifically to provide coaching services. Mentors, sponsors and supervisors might all act as coaches when they help someone improve performance or set career goals, but if the issue involves adopting new behaviors or changing problematic behaviors, law firms and individual lawyers usually hire outside coaches.

Coaches can help lawyers recognize barriers to top performance and develop strategies for overcoming them, or identify counterproductive behaviors and develop techniques for changing them. While coaches hired as skills experts (e.g., in presentations or writing) use their expertise to offer advice and guide a lawyer’s skill
development, most coaches act more indirectly. They help individuals look inside themselves to find solutions and achieve desired results. They are trained to use powerful questions that help individuals discover their strengths and deploy them to achieve their career goals. Some coaches are certified to administer psychometric assessments, helping lawyers increase their self-­awareness. They might conduct interviews with co-­workers, or study the lawyer’s performance evaluations, to collect feedback for the lawyer. Then they help the lawyer process this internal and external information and use it to enhance performance.

Mentoring

Mentoring is broader in scope and purpose than coaching, and is based on a deeper, more meaningful relationship than coaching. It is relational in nature and career-­‐oriented. Both the quality of the mentoring relationship and the factors that determine quality – trust, mutual respect, and mutual learning – are critical to the mentoring process. Mentoring covers more wide-­ranging career issues than coaching because it deals with mentees’ overall professional development and advancement, not simply performance goals. Although mentor and mentee might spend time on improving performance, the relationship usually expands to larger and longer-­‐term personal and professional career issues. Mentors often employ coaching as one of their tools, along with confidence building, role modeling, counseling and advocacy.

Within a law firm, mentors are predominantly lawyers with greater career experience and expertise than mentees. They act as mentors both informally in the usual course of work and through formal mentoring programs that have particular objectives and guidelines. They are not paid to be mentors; it is expected of them as part of their responsibility to the firm and its lawyers. However, given the time constraints and billing pressures in law firms today, many mentors lack the time to devote to mentoring and do not make it a priority. Consequently, firms are filling in gaps by hiring coaches to help with certain performance aspects of development, leadership and rainmaking. Coaching that targets specific areas where performance can be improved or optimized may be narrower in scope yet more effective than inadequate mentoring.

Mentoring is especially important, however, for career advancement. Unlike coaching, mentoring has a role in knowledge transfer and skill development. (Skill-­focused coaching is an exception, as noted above). While coaches do not need to be lawyers, mentors within a firm usually are. They therefore play an important and direct role in helping lawyers become better, more highly skilled legal practitioners. Because they have relevant work and career experience, mentors are more likely than coaches to use their own experiences, insights and advice to help the mentee learn and progress. Coaches can help lawyers create a plan that calls for developing certain skills and getting certain work experience, but mentors can teach and model the specified legal skills and create the work opportunities needed to achieve those goals.

Another reason mentors are so valuable is that because they are lawyers in the same law firm, they know about the firm’s decision-­making processes and political dynamics. They can give mentees inside information about firm management and politics that enable associates and junior partners to develop and execute smart career advancement strategies. They can offer insights into client relationships and make introductions to business contacts. Mentors can welcome lawyers into firm networks, make them feel appreciated, and promote a sense of inclusion and camaraderie that heighten engagement and personal identification with the firm. Most significantly, mentors are part of the firm. They can transmit firm values, culture and professionalism to young lawyers and future leaders.

In sum, mentoring and coaching are both important for professional development. Coaches can be very helpful in mapping out performance goals and supporting lawyers as they execute plans and strategies. At a time when accelerating development is of paramount importance, coaching is a useful resource for improving effectiveness and productivity. But for purposes of learning, engagement and career advancement, coaches cannot replace the importance and value of mentoring by an established lawyer in the firm who takes an active and personal interest in helping a younger lawyer succeed.

Sponsorship

A sponsor is a strong advocate who has power and influence and uses that advocacy to produce positive career results for you. Sponsors publicly endorse your qualifications and take risks on your behalf, arguing that you should move up to a higher compensation tier or urging their partners that you are ready for equity partnership or a significant leadership position. They alert you to opportunities and appoint you to key posts. Sometimes they call in favors, put pressure on colleagues, or put their reputation and credibility on the line for you. Partners become sponsors when they perceive special value in you and actively help you advance. It can occur for any number of reasons: they might see you as a natural successor, as having rainmaking potential that could benefit them, or as having expertise necessary to support their clients. Sponsors and champions may not guarantee success, but they make it easier and improve your odds of receiving a coveted leadership appointment, a fatter paycheck or a new client.

When we talk about sponsorship today, it is basically mentoring at the highest level. Sponsorship is the same as the traditional concept of mentorship: a prominent and wise individual takes you under his wing, supports and protects you, and promotes your career success. Current conversations about sponsorship call attention to these traditional notions of how powerful people can help others succeed in a law firm (or any organization). They also direct attention to a critical factor in sponsorship: the sponsor must be someone with power who purposefully champions the other lawyer’s career.

The importance of sponsorship was underscored in a 2010 publication that found men enjoy greater career benefits from mentoring than women do.[1] The research data showed that women are promoted less often than men because mentors actively sponsor men for promotions far more often than they sponsor women. Both women and men get career advice from mentors, but advice consists of words and good intentions. Sponsorship involves taking action on another’s behalf to advance their career interests, and having sufficient clout to produce results. Because mentors do not sponsor women, women do not receive the same career benefits from mentoring that men do. In response, some law firms are starting initiatives to increase sponsorship for women and diverse lawyers. These programs generally target a group of mid- to senior associates or junior partners who are paired with one or two influential partners. Relationships tend to focus on creating high quality work and business development opportunities for the junior person. Most sponsorship programs are in the pilot stage, but early experience shows the need for very careful pairings and oversight. Although similar to other mentoring programs, sponsorship demands more of mentors, requires more focused effort from those being sponsored, and considerable ongoing involvement by program coordinators.

[1] Herminia Ibarra, Nancy M. Carver and Christine Silva, “Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women,” Harvard Business Review, September 2010; Nancy M. Carter, Ph.D., Christine Silva, “Mentoring: Necessary But Insufficient for Advancement,” Catalyst, 2010

Ida Abbott helps employers develop, manage and retain legal talent. She also serves as a mentor and coach to high achieving individuals seeking professional success. This article is excerpted from her book, Lawyers’ Professional Development: The Legal Employer’s Comprehensive Guide, 2nd Edition (NALP 2012).

Technology Update

Is your firm considering upgrading to Microsoft Windows 8 or Office 2013?

Members of the ALACC that attended this month’s IT subcommittee were educated by IT partner of choice and Gold Sponsor, Keno Kozie Associates, on the newest features of the latest Microsoft Office and Windows editions. Hosted at Carmines Italian restaurant, Eli Nussbaum of Keno Kozie lead the presentation and provided valuable insight on why firms should consider upgrading. The Windows 8 discussion included insights on the:

  • Touch AKA Metro User interface
  • Integration with the Windows store
  • Enhancements found in the Task manager functionality
  • Plus the promise of faster boot times across the board!

After reviewing Office 2013 features, participants mentioned that the following features really stood out as having value for their firms:

  • Newly incorporated native PDF editing within Office
  • Video embedding into Word Documents
  • Google Search-like Auto completion in Excel!

While the new upgrades provide exciting reasons to make the switch, participants also discussed the April 2014 end of life support deadline, including lack of additional patches or updates, for Windows XP and Office 2003 as another compelling reason why firms will want to upgrade.  With the exciting new features and the end of support for the current products, the IT discussion on upgrading to these new Microsoft versions was a captivating conversation for all.

The Best of Legal Times Reader’s Rankings Washington, D.C. named Keno Kozie in the Best IT Outsourcing category provider. Keno Kozie Associates has been providing information technology design, service and support to leading law firms and legal departments since 1988. Hundreds of firms have chosen Keno Kozie to provide IT consulting, system integration, advanced application integration, 24/7 help desk support, training, and managed services.
Questions? 
Please contact: Stacy Fischbach
[email protected]
Keno Kozie Associates
1701 K Street, NW, Suite 1025
Washington, D.C. 20006
202-681-1650

Salvation Army Angel Tree Ribbon Cutting

I attended, along with my colleague Sylvia Garrett the ribbon cutting event for the Angel Tree program at the Salvation Army warehouse December 17th.It was amazing to see the thousands of bags of gifts and bikes ready to be picked up by the parents. As in past years, ALA was the largest contributor. The Salvation Army adopted a total of 5,751 angels and from that total, ALA adopted 2,254 angels.  

Channel 4 News reported on the event and televised the ribbon cutting.  It was a wonderful experience.

Thank you to everyone that participated.

Beth Jeffries
VP Community Services

You're Invited! 22nd Annual Fundraiser

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: Catherine S. Barron (Chair), [email protected]; Dina Dalecki (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: Sheri Shifflett (Chair), [email protected]; Richard Gibson (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: Dina Dalecki (Chair), [email protected]; Kristine Miller (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 industry speakers discuss such topics as recruiting, benefits, strategic planning, performance management, career pathing, retention and more!

Contact: Cynthia D. H. McEwen (Co-Chair), [email protected]; Donna Williams (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 third Wednesday 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: Barbara Mannix (Chair), [email protected]; Gregory Fudge(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: Adele Hook (Chair), [email protected]; Melody R. Watson (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]; Janis Foster (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]