June 2020

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: Cindy Conover;  Beth Fowler
​Contributing Editors: Jackie Thomas; Erin Brereton; Erin Connors; Cindy Schuler; Craig Church
Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis


In this issue:

President's Message: ​A Conversation over Coffee – Little Fires Everywhere

“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over.  After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow.  People are like that, too.  They start over.” – Little Fires Everywhere

If you have not read the book or watched the tv show, it is good.  It is about race, class and privilege, among other things.  The TV show starts with a large, elegant house on an affluent street, in flames.  “The fireman said there were little fires everywhere.  Multiple points of origin.  Possible use of accelerant.  Not an accident.”  The novel is set in the progressive town of Shaker Heights, Ohio where the white families are well meaning, but also blind to their own privilege.  In a recent interview the author stated, “We often suppress racial and cultural biases in ourselves, even when we can identify them in someone else.  The surface may appear smooth but lurking problems (race, class) will eventually rise; disruption is required for truths to be revealed.”

I have thought A LOT about the approach to this article, and have changed it numerous times, even as I am sitting here writing it now.  I want to get this right, because this conversation is so important and is needed right now.  However, what I have come to realize is that if we wait to “get it right,” and wait to say all of the right things, or look for all of the right answers, we may NEVER start the conversation.  Starting the conversation and disrupting the silence is what is important.  I acknowledge that no matter what is said, it is likely to be misinterpreted or heard how the reader wants to receive it.  So should I say nothing and hope it goes away?  No, because silence is no different than standing in agreement or being complacent with the status quo.  As a Chapter, we must be part of the solution needed to continue to dismantle racism in our community.  This cannot just be another allyship statement with no action.    

I had the absolute privilege of spending one morning having a real, raw conversation with some amazing diverse members from our Chapter.  To Cameron, Catalina, Melody, Tabatha, Tiffany, and Valerie (and 1 other member who wishes to remain anonymous), I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a candid, open and collaborative conversation about race relations.  
Metaphorically speaking, my hope is that after reading about our discussion, all CapChap leaders and administrators will allow an ember to fly in your direction to spark a little fire within you, so that you will start a meaningful conversation in your firm, this Chapter, or in your home about race relations and how to improve them.  Be the accelerant to change on purpose!

Be the change you wish to see in the world – be open to ALL perspectives: If we only focus on the side we see and never challenge ourselves to see someone else’s perspective, we remain stuck in our own implicit biases and prejudices.  As a result, the embers die out, and the conversation never starts.  

Within our group we had the perspectives of an auxiliary police officer; the mother of a police officer; a former member of the military; a military brat; someone who grew up during integration of schools; someone who grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood; and, one who grew up in an all-black neighborhood.  We span all generations and all skin colors. Our backgrounds and experiences shape our perspectives.  Collectively we agreed that everyone deserves the respect to feel how they feel, and share their perspectives, and be heard in the process.  

For example, while the police officer never wants to put a uniform on again because there is so much fear and anger in the world (from all races), we have a father whose wife will not let him wear a hoodie outside at night.  They both fear they will not come home.  We have a well-educated woman who just wants the same courtesy in a job interview, because while her resume states her name which “may sound like a white name,” she can’t help but note the surprise on the interviewer’s face when as a black woman she walks in and is innately left feeling that her chances of getting the job are less now because of her skin color and not because of her credentials.  We have someone whose white boyfriend expressed concern over her taking their dog out after curfew and decided he would do this because he knows that it is safer for him to do so, simply because of the color of his skin.  On the flipside, we have someone whose black husband was told that he could not have an opinion on racism and what is going on currently in this world because he is married to a white woman.  

Sadly, this is the reality that many of us live in.  But do we stop listening?  No, because we believe that if each of us were to just stop and listen to someone else’s perspective, we might find there is a lot more we share in common than we don’t.

Be curious and open to growing – embrace possibility.  We need to stop and do some introspection and reflection.  We need to police our own thoughts and ask ourselves, “Why do I think this about that person because they look that way or they hold that profession?”  Look inside and embrace the possibility that things need to change.  Ask yourself where you can change – am I consistent with what I say to someone’s face and when their back is turned?  What am I teaching my children about race?  It is not enough to be on the sidelines; become active.  Embracing possibility is so much more than being Democrat or Republican; white or black; affluent or impoverished.  It is about opening your heart to difference and change.  Challenge those “truths” you may have been taught as a child.  Become an ally of change.  Be curious and explore the differences of others.  

Show respect and suspend judgment – be kind to everyone.  Listen to hear, not to respond.  Setting aside our preconceived ideas and judgments opens us up to learning from others.  It makes them feel respected and appreciated, plus it goes a long way.  We may not agree with everything a person says but we can be kind and listen.  For example, when someone says “Black Lives Matter,” take a step back and listen to why that person feels that way.  In most cases the person making the statement is not saying that ONLY black lives matter; they recognize that ALL lives matter.  You see, there is a difference.  When we march to raise funds for breast cancer, are we dismissive and say, “but what about skin cancer?”  No, we do not.  We know all lives matter; however, black lives are the ones that are in danger.  So, set aside your preconceived ideas and judgments.  Be quick to hear and slow to speak.  Show respect and be kind.
  
Find common ground – see the good in people.  Our group agreed that we have to do better.  Racial injustice has to stop.  We agree that all police are not bad, nor ALL black people, nor ALL white people.  In every race, we have good and bad.  We agree that we have to stop lumping all people together.  We agree that we do not want to live in the world of the purge by defunding the police.  We agree we need to reform how we teach and train our police force to include sensitivity training and mental health checks.  Moreover, systemic change is needed, and because of the nature of their job, police officers SHOULD be held to a higher standard.  There needs to be a better community outreach between the police and the neighborhoods.  We agree that a lot of this starts at home.  We agree that we need to start the conversation on where we go from here, and we acknowledge that may be uncomfortable, but we agree we still need to talk about it.  We have a lot more views in common than we don’t.

Be authentic and allow others to be authentic – smile.  Speak authentically from your personal experience, it is the only one you can truly speak from.  Speak from the blackness you have to experience every single day.  Speak from your whiteness in that you can acknowledge the pain and hurt that your black counterparts feel, even though you have not experienced it personally.  Being authentic and allowing others to be authentic does not mean you have to apologize for the color of your skin.

In our discussion, a story was shared of a neighbor recently picking up mulch, whose wife called ahead to let her know that her husband would be by, and to not be surprised as he waved emphatically outside, just to let her know that he was not stealing the mulch, because he was black.  The fear that it would be misinterpreted is the authentic reality from the experiences he has endured because of his skin color.  The authentic reality that a happy moment of picking up a puppy for the family was tainted by the threat and fear of seeing the confederate flags flying over the city where the kennel was located.  The authentic reality of the conversations black people have to have with their kids that while you tell them they are beautiful because of the color of their skin and how smart they are and special they are, that they are all of those things, but it would be irresponsible as a parent not to tell them that others may not see them that way because of the color of their skin.  That if your black nephew is with two white kids in a predominantly white neighborhood and they are all stopped by the police, the police are going to look at the nephew first as if he were the person committing a wrongdoing.   

Our authentic experiences, what we personally have experienced, may tell us that we need to be afraid of the cops from a young age because of how we were policed, or they may tell us that the police are there to help because we grew up knowing the police.  They may tell us that because we did not have any white friends growing up, or any black friends growing up, that we should be suspicious of someone not like ourselves.  We need to change how we think just because we have not had that interaction.  

It's not just a problem with the police – how this transcends to the legal industry.  Our conversation started over whether to use our firm photos or our quarantine pictures…because you know…they are different!  The “real” us has a different persona than the “corporate” us.  Even though we are in fact at work right now, having a conversation and putting in the work, we have to present ourselves different at the office, especially black employees.  

Despite growing up in a predominantly white neighborhood, or in an all-black neighborhood, whether being military, or dealing with discrimination of all types in their lives…the experience has been the same…corporate America has given the biggest lesson in race relations.  In many instances, black employees are seen as aggressive if they speak up in the same tone as their white counterpart, and in some cases get called out by white partners for being angry – and so in response, a member of our Chapter will just be silent; where when a person of color speaks concisely and clearly, some people act surprised and respond on how “articulate” they are – which is offensive.  It is exhausting to question every communication and interaction you have.  And being the one black person at the table is like a workout every day.  One black person at the table is not going to give you what you need, and please note they also do not hold the mic for all black people.  If we can see that each person brings a different perspective from our different experiences, this is how we can be better together.

Will more focused diversity in hiring, pro bono work and community involvement do anything to move the diversity needle?  If you keep fishing in the same pond, then you catch the same fish.  If you put out your allyship statement, but the picture of your executive committee or Board is all white.  If you have never had a chief of any minority.  How do we find the courage to have the conversations we need to have to address these issues of retention and recruitment?

We need to support our employees of color each day.  We need to disrupt this pattern of recruiting and retention and be the accelerant to change in our firms, or we will lose our good talent.  How do we create a place for our employees to talk about their cultures and for them to be comfortable talking about their weekends; their “real” lives versus what “corporate” America wants to hear.  That their weekend may have included protests or uncomfortable conversations, when yours may have included gardening.  And if you are talking about gardening and ignoring the reality of the moment, that silence hurts your colleague to the core.   

While everybody may not be ready for this conversation, continue to stoke the fire, because eventually, one day, they may be ready.  You might be surprised how weight is lifted by having this conversation; and while it is not a one and done, and we just scratched the surface, we are hopeful that by sharing this with our members that we can start little miniature fires everywhere by flipping embers to someone else to continue the conversation.  As I am writing this, my husband, who is black, went out to grab our takeout for dinner and was approached by an older white man.  He authentically asked my husband to explain what was going on in this world right now because he was truly confused and did not understand.  He did not think himself prejudiced, but wanted to have the conversation.  What you should know is that my husband previously felt like he was done having conversations because they did not make a difference; action did.  But what the courage of this one white man did was reinstill a little hope to my husband that change may actually be happening, and that conversation is action.  This white man ignited something in my husband that will cause him to tell others about this conversation and will inevitably flip embers to others to continue the conversation.  All of that to say, when the white man asked “what do we do?”,  my husband replied, “what you just did.”  And it just started with a guy willing to have a conversation based off his experience with another guy – starting a little fire.  

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for being open to this opportunity and to get uncomfortable with the truth, because that is how you start to change the world.  I read something somewhere that said, the specifics get harder from here, and you will screw it up, a lot, but that is what a lifetime is for:  to get better.  Be better each day.  Care, listen, acknowledge, commit to act, commit to learn, and respect your fellow human.  Be you, because everyone else is taken.  Do not be ashamed of who you are because of your skin color (and that is for all colors), and do not judge a book by its cover.  Watch your words and how you address people; because it matters.  Words have the power to build people up or tear them down.  White employees, use your privilege and voice to help those who do not have the same power because of their skin color; when you see things happen, speak up.  And have the courage to be the accelerant, on purpose, and have the conversation.  
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“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?” – The Hate U Give

If you would like to continue the conversation – consider joining our Diversity & Inclusion Committee (you can reach out to Beth Fowler ([email protected]) or Denise Verdesoto ([email protected])); or reach out to any one of us who started this conversation and we will be happy to continue the conversation.

The Chapter also has a resource page for other steps you can take: http://www.alacapchap.org/page/we-are-better-together
Jackie Thomas

Handle with Care

Erin Brereton

For employees who are struggling to help an ill parent or family member, employer-provided support can be a game changer.
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Throughout the past year, Sonia Menon, Chief Operating Officer at Chicago-based law firm Neal Gerber Eisenberg, had begun to hear employees make remarkably similar comments — all involving ill family members they were trying to help take care of.

One firm member was hoping to check in on her elderly mother, who wasn’t well, every day. An attorney getting ready for a trial had a parent who needed hip surgery. Another employee was preparing to move in with his father, who’d been diagnosed with cancer.

“Stories started to pop up more and more — just struggles people were having,” Menon says. “Maybe they had kids at home and a parent with health issues and had to manage it. We do such a great job supporting women when they go on maternity leave; we thought we should talk about this and what we can do to support our colleagues.”

Since January, the firm has offered its approximately 300 employees access to Homethrive, a company that provides care management coaching for individuals who have aging loved ones — which can range from identifying a medicine delivery service or a specialist to helping firm members navigate difficult conversations about a parent’s living situation.

“We understand this population of our parents who are having health and other issues want to be independent so they don’t put stress on their kids,” Menon says. “A lot of our employees have parents out of state; [we wanted to determine] how to get to a point where we’re providing the physical and emotional support they need.”

THE NEW NORMAL
In the past 10 years, approximately 10,000 Baby Boomers a day have turned 65; 47% have two to three chronic health conditions, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.

With a growing amount of the workforce consisting of employees who have parents in that age group, many have found themselves trying to balance work with caregiving responsibilities they’ve assumed for a parent or older relative.

In March of this year, additional workforce members may have needed to take on a caregiver role to help run errands for elderly and other at-risk family members so they could self-isolate as a coronavirus safety precaution.

Dozens of law firms allowing employees to work at home — as of late March, more than 60 BigLaw firms had closed offices and/or encouraged remote work, according to a Law.com tally — likely helped some fulfill newfound caregiving needs.  

Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda PLLC in San Antonio, Texas, which currently employs four attorneys and four staff members, transitioned to a work-from-home structure in response to COVID-19 concerns, according to Managing Attorney Joseph Hoelscher.

“Stores are giving priority to older shoppers with special hours, but for elderly relatives who can’t go shopping, just getting groceries is a problem,” Hoelscher says. “Because we’ve now gone fully work-from-home, caregiving isn’t an issue, really. Basically, people are working whatever hours they want, as long as it gets done.”

Employees providing care for older family members, Hoelscher says, has become a more frequent occurrence in recent years. “Over time, people stopped taking sick leave for themselves or to take care of kids; it became taking care of a parent or relative,” he says. “It seems to be a common Generation X experience.”

With the hours legal industry members can log, ongoing caregiving needs can pose a problematic time crunch.

Caregivers may need to reduce their work hours or ultimately leave their job because they’re often focused on their loved ones’ health. Caregivers also tend to neglect their own, according to Drew Holzapfel, Convener for ReACT, a coalition that works to address challenges employee caregivers face and the impact on employers. It’s a membership-based group, but there’s no cost to join, according to Holzapfel.

“They’re more likely [than noncaregivers] to experience everything from chronic pain to fatigue,” Holzapfel says. “Lower health outcomes mean increased costs for employers — certainly absenteeism and presenteeism. This hits productivity, health care costs — there’s definitely an impact to the employer, and people who are caregivers also have generally lower financial outcomes.”

In response, some organizations are offering assistance to help reduce the strain employees can feel from balancing caregiving and work responsibilities, ranging from on-site professionals who’ll sit down to discuss care-related options with employees to increased insurance for family members, Holzapfel says — and on-demand support like Neal Gerber Eisenberg (NGE) is offering.

Within two and a half months of its care program launch, a number of firm members had already reached out for assistance or signed up to receive information, according to Menon.
“At least five people have told me, ‘This has changed my life,’” she says. “People are more appreciative of it than we ever expected.”

HOW FIRMS FACILITATE CARE
In addition to remote work opportunities, law firms also utilize flex-time arrangements to help employees meet caregiving needs. A ReACT analysis found both options offer a return on investment of about $4 for every $1 spent, according to Holzapfel.

In addition to employees taking time allotted under the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for a relative, NGE has a remote work policy and will adjust employees’ schedules, according to Menon.

“It’s harder for nonexempt employees; they have to be here from 9–5,” she says. “We see more of a leave option [with them]. [But] if something were to happen, we would make it work by covering shifts.”

Hoelscher’s firm employs a similar approach. Firm members can use paid sick leave time to care for relatives, take advantage of flex scheduling or work remotely.

When one of the partners recently transitioned to a part-time schedule to care for his father, other firm members helped complete his work obligations, Hoelscher says. While pet-related leave isn’t a standard policy, another employee was able to take time off when her dog became seriously ill.

“It became apparent the dog was going to need very expensive surgery; we gave her time for that,” Hoelscher says. “She ended up being out over the course of two weeks. She tried to come back in a couple of times; we just pitched in to cover for her.”

The firm’s habit, Hoelscher says, is to not really question specifically why employees are out of the office for caregiving. However, the firm has the right, per its employment agreement, to ask for documentation if concerns arise — and being unable to prove a reason for taking time off could be grounds for termination.

“We try to be polite about it, [but] we’ve had people we felt were abusing it before,” Hoelscher says. “Both times, we said, ‘What’s going on? If there are excessive [circumstances], what do you need? How we are going to move forward? Because right now, it’s not sustainable and is affecting your work.’”

Provided it’s not misused, a policy that helps employees provide care can be a prized benefit. Although when ReACT was formed a decade ago, most of the C-suite members it initially spoke with said elder care needs hadn’t had a huge impact, in the last five years, Holzapfel says that sentiment has changed.

“Companies realize it’s an issue; they’re looking at ways to respond,” he says. “The tight labor market is also a contributing factor. They’re looking at how you can attain and retain employees, what employees are doing outside of work and what makes a great workplace.”

Hoelscher Gebbia Cepeda has found enabling caregiving has helped the firm attract highly qualified candidates — including ones working for competitors who want to jump ship.

“It’s not because of the pay, because they’re better compensated there,” Hoelscher says. “It’s because they’ve reached a point where they have some kind of family problem, and their employer is not letting them address that. It has become a recruiting thing for us; people are coming to us because they want and need flexibility.”

PLANNING CAREGIVING POLICIES
Although firms may assume employees hope they’ll provide financial assistance, access to vetted financial and other support sources is actually caregivers’ No. 1 request, according to a survey ReACT conducted.

“Finding a service provider is exhausting and time-consuming,” Holzapfel says. “All care is local, so if you’re a law firm that has 1,000 lawyers in 15 different cities, there isn’t a national caregiver roadmap you can give out. You need to have resources in Chicago [and other cities].”

If a firm wants to provide additional protection against the costs associated with ongoing care-related services, it can consider offering long-term care insurance for employees — family members or firm employees in case they need care due to injury or illness.

Robyn Leonard is a benefit adviser at LTC Solutions, a brokerage firm specializing in employee long-term care insurance benefits; they are also an ALA VIP business partner. She suggests checking how many health questions participants have to answer to qualify for a plan (she notes some allow new hires to sign up without any) and looking for an option that provides enough to live on if care is only needed for a brief time.

“We recommend what we call a short, squatty plan versus a tall, thin plan,” Leonard says. “For example, a benefit that pays $200 a day for two to three years we feel is better than a plan that pays $100 a day for six years or [an] unlimited [period].”

To ensure the caregiving-related services your firm offers are providing the most value, Holzapfel suggests regularly gauging employee sentiment.

“The process should be survey [employees about what they want], offer [a service, then] survey [them about its effect],” he says.

“One employer told us it was offering a crisis hotline for support, and the phones were quiet. They switched to an option where you could text as well, and utilization went through the roof. With open [office] plans, people can’t just call and hash it out over the phone — they’d rather text for privacy.”

Because caregiving needs can arise quite suddenly, proactively informing employees about what benefits are available may help increase utilization.

“We have a member who said, ‘You have nine months to prepare to have a baby and about nine seconds to prepare to be a caregiver,’” Holzapfel says. “Making sure people are aware of resources that are there to support them will reduce the impact of the crisis.”

Educating supervisors about how they can support caregivers will also help employees take advantage of the resources you provide, according to Holzapfel.

“Another big barrier is how frontline managers respond,” he says. “We somewhat celebrate young parents — you can dash out of a meeting if you say you’ve got to get your kid to a soccer game — but we don’t have the same situation when you have to provide elder care.”

That’s unfortunate because, as Hoelscher says, when employees are burdened with caregiving concerns, they — and their work — can suffer.

“If they’re wondering how to take care of their dad, the stress is still with them and they’re not performing,” he says. “If people can take care of these things in their personal lives, they can come to work and focus.”

A number of organizations have put programs into place that are successfully helping employees address caregiving needs, according to Holzapfel. Others haven’t, but he says they may find they eventually need to.

“The demographics show this is a growing issue,” Holzapfel says. “We’re living longer, with age-related chronic conditions; we’re working longer — all of this is going to impact the need for elder care. Ultimately, you want to be able to support professional and personal demands. That’s just good for your bottom line — and good for the employee.”

About the Author
Erin Brereton is a freelance writer, editor and content strategist who has written about the legal industry, business, technology and other topics for 20 years.

Copyright ©2020 Association of Legal Administrators. All Rights Reserved.   www.legalmanagement.org

Workplace Solutions for the Post-COVID-19 World

Erin Connors
Assistant Project Manager, HITT Contracting

COVID-19 has changed so much about the way in which we interact with the world around us. From social gatherings to professional activities, the global Coronavirus pandemic has touched just about every aspect of our everyday lives. Now, more than ever, the health, safety and wellness of employees has become a top priority for businesses everywhere. As workplaces begin to reopen across the country, there are a number of actions that can be taken to help protect the health and safety of employees and mitigate some of the risk they face as they return to the office.

Clean and Sanitize Workplace Spaces and Surfaces
The first and most obvious action that businesses can take to address the immediate health and safety concerns of their employees is to thoroughly and regularly clean and sanitize their space. High-traffic common areas such as lobbies, pantries, conference rooms and restrooms are the areas at highest risk of exposure. Commonly touched items such as door handles, hand rails and elevator call buttons must be regularly sanitized throughout the day to reduce employees’ risk of exposure. Restroom and pantry surfaces such as countertops, sinks, faucets, kitchen appliances, toilet handles and restroom stalls must also be cleaned regularly.

One thing to keep in mind when it comes to cleaning, particularly in spaces with high-end finishes like law firm offices, is that some products and finishes have specific cleaning guidelines that must be followed in order to prevent damage and maintain the intended look and feel of the space. This is particularly common with millwork, flooring and wall finishes such as wallcoverings and fabric panels. Care must be taken to ensure the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations are followed, as failing to do so may not only result in damage to the finished product, but also may void any warranties offered by the manufacturer. 

Workplace Reorganization
There are several precautionary measures that can be taken when it comes to the way a space is set up to help mitigate the health and safety risks faced by employees as they return to the office. For instance, workstation and conference room density can be reduced in order to enforce and maintain safe social distancing practices. Paths of travel throughout the space can also be modified using temporary signage to create one-way traffic patterns, therefore reducing the amount of face-to-face interaction between employees.

Specialized Materials and Technologies 
There are also a number of specialized materials and technologies than can be used to help mitigate some of the health risks associated with returning to the office. For example, touchless controls for doors, lights and plumbing fixtures can be installed to reduce the number of surfaces being touched throughout the space. Items such as automatic hand sanitizer dispensers can also be placed in common areas to encourage safe personal hygiene habits. Workstation dividers and protection screens can be installed to create separation between individual work areas and form protective physical barriers around personal spaces. Finally, anti-microbial/anti-fungal coatings can be applied to many different surfaces to help inhibit bacterial, viral and fungal growth. This is particularly beneficial on metal surfaces such as door hardware and restroom fixtures.
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Evolving in the Post-COVID-19 World
These are just a few of the steps that can be taken by businesses to respond to the immediate health and safety needs of their employees. As we continue to navigate through life in the post-COVID-19 world, the “new normal” that we all face will continue to evolve as we discover more about how to best protect ourselves and those around us. While there is no way to know just how much the COVID-19 pandemic will ultimately change our world, there is one thing we know for certain, and that is that our lives will never be quite the same as they were before. It’s important to note, however, that while that may seem like a scary prospect, it’s not necessarily such a bad thing after all. Like the innovators and problem-solvers that have come before us, we are now faced with the unique opportunity to use what we have learned throughout this crisis to create a better, safer and healthier world for all, and that is what we must do.

Mental Health Awareness During and After COVID-19

Cindy Schuler
Director of Human Resources, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
Chair, HR Community

On Tuesday, May 19, 2020, Dense Perme, LICSW and Manager of the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) and Michelle Cotter Richards, Member of the D.C. Bar Lawyer Assistance Committee (LAC), presented “COVID-19, Mental Health, and the Legal Profession,” to the Capital Chapter.  There were approximately 40 members on the webinar.

Ms. Perme and Ms. Cotter Richards began the presentation by confirming that even before COVID-19, there were already significant mental health challenges in the legal profession – and that the global pandemic has exacerbated those issues.  Lawyers see themselves as “helpers” and do not see themselves as needing help.    

During the discussion, Ms. Perme and Ms. Cotter Richards provided us with a list of “signs” or changes in behavior such as mood changes, decrease in performance, and problems with meeting deadlines that could point to someone dealing with mental and emotional chronic stress.  And most importantly, the speakers pointed out the importance of “self-checks” to make sure we are caring for ourselves during this unprecedented time of change.

Some suggestions to finding balance were finding a perspective on what we can and can’t control and connecting with ourselves by exercising, eating healthy, and asking for help and support early on as we experience things like anxiety, trouble sleeping, and losing interest in things we used to enjoy and increased errors in judgment.  

Ms. Perme and Ms. Cotter Richards stressed the importance of utilizing the resources that are available to us to assist our colleagues and ourselves with coping in this challenging environment such as our Firm EAPs and the D.C. Bar Lawyers Assistance Program.  The slides can be found on the ALA Capital Chapter website, and the resources they mentioned during the presentation are listed on the last page of the presentation.  Thank you for attending!

Need Help on Solutions for Staff Returning to the Office?

Craig Church
Vice President Sales, Miller's Supplies at Work

I hope this finds you, your family and your firm safe and healthy! From what we’re hearing from our clients, many of you are starting the process of returning to your offices. For most, this will be a gradual process of cautious steps, doing what you can to make sure your staff returns to a safe work environment, that will be fundamentally changed.

Like you, we’ve been trying to learn and decipher the multitudes of information in the public domain about what steps should be taken, what products should be purchased and what environment should be created so that our staffs can safely return to work. Leading research firms have published studies, the CDC has a trove of information on their website, and manufacturers are bombarding us with marketing materials. So much so, that the volume of information can be overwhelming!

We believe that when things get so complicated, it's best to try to simplify the process, reduce the noise, and take small steps toward the larger goal.  With that in mind, Miller’s Supplies at Work has given presentations to over 150 companies on what we call “Back to Work 101”.  This is a high altitude look at the basic PPE products you need for your employees and why you need them.  We cover ways to immediately and cost effectively provide a physical work environment that can reduce the spread of unwanted viruses and bacteria and how to effectively clean and disinfect high touch areas.  Lastly, we touch on what we have done as a company to change our business model to better serve our clients.

Over the last two months, Miller’s has provided over 5 million pieces of PPE equipment to our customers.  Millions of masks, gloves, thermometers, face shields, sanitizers and disinfectants, just to name a few. We’ve learned a lot about which products are effective, which aren’t, and how you make sure you are using these products correctly and effectively. We’ve sourced products that help you effectively change the behavior of your staff and remind them of safe work habits.

As we enter this transition stage of returning to work, we can help provide short-term solutions to more defined and enclosed work spaces without having to make a large financial commitment.  Miller’s works with a multitude of furniture manufacturers which have partition systems that fit any look and budget.  
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For more information on how Miller’s at Work can help reduce the noise, simplify the process and source the products you need as your staff returns to work, visit our website at www.millersatwork.com. 

June 2020 Diversity Observances

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, established to recognize the impact that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on the world. LGBT groups celebrate this special time with pride parades, picnics, parties, memorials for those lost to hate crimes and HIV/AIDS, and other group gatherings. The last Sunday in June is Gay Pride Day.

Click here to view the full list of June 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 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: Cindy Conover (Chair), [email protected]; Beth Fowler (Co-Chair), [email protected]
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Diversity & Inclusion
The Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators is a professional organization comprised of administrative managers from private, corporate and government legal organizations in the Washington DC, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland areas.  ALACC embraces and encourages diversity within the legal profession. We value diversity and those initiatives that promote it and look to partner with affiliated professional legal organizations to advance diversity. We not only strive to raise awareness, but to increase our sensitivity in the area of diversity 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 workforce and respond to our client’s requirements for diversity. As a committee we are very interested in your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about achieving greater diversity in our Chapter, our profession, and in our firms. 

Contact: Beth Fowler (Chair), [email protected]; Denise Verdesoto (Co-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: Valerie Williamson (Chair), [email protected]; Herb Abercrombie Jr. (Co-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: Joanna Hurt (Chair), [email protected]; Tabatha Harris (Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected] and [email protected]
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Office Operations Management and IT
The members of the Office Operations Management and IT 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: Giovanni DiLuca (Chair), [email protected]; Janelle E. Rynes (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]

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Intellectual Property (IP)
The Intellectual Property (IP) Community 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.

Contact: Judi Heston (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: Cindy Schuler (Co-Chair), [email protected]; Monique Terrell (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: Amy Walkowiak (Chair), [email protected]; Ana Sobalvarro (Co-Chair), [email protected] 
Listserv: [email protected]