March 2015

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
Contributing Editors: Joe Berger; Maggie Best; Daniel J. Williams; Stacy Fischbach; Lauren Stanley; Paul Purdue
Newsletter Designed By: Scoti Dodson


In this issue:

President's Message

Picture
With this issue and this letter I mark the end of my tenure as Capital Chapter President. It has been an honor to have served as your president. I have been fortunate enough to have served with an exceptionally talented and dedicated Executive Committee and Leadership Team who were totally dedicated to providing strong programs for the Chapter members. Through all of this, our business partners have been an unwavering source of support for all of our programming.

In case I don’t get to see you at the Change of Gavel, I will say "Thank You!" now...  But I hope to see you there!

Thanks.
Joe Berger

New ALA Capital Chapter Members

James W. Norton
Accounting Manager
Van Ness Feldman LLP
1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
#700
Washington, DC 20007
[email protected]

Judith Bernstein
Controller
Fan Ness Feldman, LLP
1050 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20007
[email protected]

Fawn Elzie
Office Manager
Kobre & Kim LLP
1919 M Street NW
Suite 410
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]
Sarah Lynn Turner, CLM
Office Administrator
Thompson Hine LLP
1919 M Street NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]

Eve S. Kramer
Office Administrator
Gossberg, Yochelson, Fox & Beyda LLP
1200 New Hampshire Ave NW
Suite 555
Washington, DC 20036
[email protected]

rand* construction Spotlight: Dedication to Collaboration

Picture
By: Maggie Best

Over a 25 year history, rand* construction has been consistently committed to delivering high quality construction and renovation projects, to adding value at every opportunity, and to enhancing the overall experience for our partners and clients. rand* has built its business on our ability to exceed at those objectives and our growing base of regional and national repeat clients and partners attests to our success.  rand*’s approach to project management is centered on collaboration and our collaborative nature is sustained through teamwork and organization.  As the General Contractor, rand* leads the entire team to achieve the goals and the expectations of the client and project stakeholders. Whether those goals relate to project functionality, design intent, or quality, they are met through establishing an adequate team structure and a system of communication. We focus on the communication of information not only in a timely manner, but in a way that enables the client and extended team to make critical, informed decisions.

Collaboration is the cornerstone of a successful project delivery regardless of size, scope, location, and contract value.  In today’s age of global business operations and continuous connection, we recognize the need to innovate our methods of communicating and collaborating with our project teams. As a GC, rand* assumes the responsibility of establishing and sustaining a chain of communication through both traditional and online networks. A clear reporting structure and dedicated project management personnel maintain the high level communication needed to ensure the open exchange of ideas, transmission of drawings and documents, site photos, logistics plans and schedules, and cost management documents. As a differentiator in the marketplace, rand* has incorporated relevant and collaboration-based technology into our processes in order to perform in an advanced economy and to deliver high quality preconstruction and construction services to our clients.

The growth of our company and the extension of our services into the national marketplace over the past decade have aligned our firm with partners and clients that operate on a global scale. Our work with remote and foreign clients, design teams, manufacturers, subcontractors, and suppliers places a premium value on our portable online interactive communications system. On a recent project, rand* worked with a UK-based client, a Spanish design team, and several European vendors, suppliers, and installers on a restaurant build-out in Washington, DC. The complex nature of the build-out, paired with a tight schedule and restrictive site conditions, required a team that was virtually available at a moment’s notice in order to make quick, critical decisions. The rand* project management, preconstruction, and procurement teams worked incessantly to manage the trades, maintain the costs, purchase materials and advance the schedule while the field staff utilized technical expertise to overcome significant site challenges. The team’s ability to upload and exchange critical drawings, documents, and other information with the remote teams saved the project from both added time and costs.

Another collaborative development at rand* has been the implementation of an innovative technology to enable a more effective management processes for project close-out. Managing this process is a significant focus of our business, and great attention is paid to the final details on a job to ensure that the client’s expectations are met. In 2014, a Superintendent, a Project Manager, and an Assistant Project Manager took on the challenge of researching, presenting, and implementing a new system of punchlist management that would enable our teams to be more efficient. The iPad-based system application is an intuitive, user-friendly, and immediate cloud-based portal that allows users to instantly create punchlists as they walk the space utilizing virtual plans, photo references, and checklist formats. The deliverables can be emailed to subcontractors, suppliers, and team members instantaneously, allowing for a shortened and cohesive close-out process. On a recent project with a 550-item punchlist, the team was able to ease the client’s concerns by providing a system-based analysis which indicated that 40% of the items were point up and paint, 30% were clean up, 10% were ceiling adjustments, 15% were carpet related, and only 5% of the items involved any missing or delayed materials. This allowed the team to focus on the appropriate manpower and subcontractors, sequence the work properly, and complete the punchlist quickly.

rand* construction’s dedication to the collaborative process is what sets our approach to project management apart in the marketplace. By providing real-time information and expert analysis to the entire team, we are able to go beyond constructing a space for our client and instead build a partnership that focuses on quality and added value in each of our projects.


Congratulations, Judy Deason!

The Chapter Congratulates Judy Deason, Administrator of King & Spalding LLP, for receiving the 2015 Hope Connections Celebration of Hope Award.

The  annual Celebration of Hope Gala is set for Wednesday, March 18th at the Park Hyatt Washington, DC. At this event, they honor an individual and a company that have been extraordinarily supportive of their mission. Judy Deason joined the Board of Directors in 2009. A cancer survivor, Judy has been a tireless advocate of those affected by cancer and of the organizations that support cancer patients and their loved ones. She is passionate about their mission and has introduced many friends, colleagues, and business partners to Hope Connections. 

Hilltop Consultants Spotlight: Getting Your Data to the "Cloud" Should Raise Some Questions

Picture
By: Daniel J. Williams

Would you have someone you have never met, come to your house, pick up your most prized possessions, drive them across the country, put them in a storage area, and trust that no one else has access to them?

Of course not.

You just heard of this great new company who can store your company’s confidential files for a low cost.  All you need to do is submit a PO and you are ready to have them start moving files right?  Not really.  These are the questions you should ask when researching sending files to the cloud.

1.        How will the vendor transport my files?
2.       What is the security of my files when they are at the location?
3.       Who has access to my files?
4.       What happens if there is a disaster?
5.       What is the uptime percentage of the vendor’s servers?

Transporting your files to their final destination across the internet without security is a huge risk.  A reputable company’s security policy should state that the data ‘in transit’ will be encrypted.  To encrypt each file at your organization would be a large and very expensive task.  SSL protocol is the answer.  It is based on a dual and private key system to ensure a secure transmission.  If someone even happened to see the data packets, they would not make any sense and could not be deciphered.  This information remains secure and private.

So, your data is now at the location and is secure, right?  Maybe not. Your data while ‘at rest’ should have some sort of encryption while sitting on your vendors servers.  If the data was not encrypted, what happens if their establishment has a security breach?  You don’t want your data to be compromised. Have the employees passed background checks? 80% of data loss is caused by insiders.

Are you the only person who has rights to the data?  Some companies employ 3rd party vendors to assist with the handling of your data.  Check the vendor’s security policy and ask questions!

Another thing to think about is the establishment itself where your data is located.  Is it next to an ocean or a prime terrorist location?  Does the building have security? Is there another building in another time zone where your data is replicated in case there is a terrorist act, power outage, etc.?

Most vendors will advertise that their systems have a 99.9% uptime. Great uptime right?  99.9% uptime is 8 hours 46 minutes per year without access to your data.  It does not mean one 8 hour period.  It could be an hour a month or longer.  Can you go for a period of time without access to your data? 99.999% uptime is only 5 minutes a year of downtime. The difference between 99.9% and 99.999% is a lot more time than you might realize.

As you can see, there are many different items to consider when going to the cloud.  Take some time and evaluate all of these options before making that step.  The cloud may sound convenient, but, don’t rush!  When you ready to make that decision, and are ready to pursue, the cloud will still be there!

Daniel J. Williams is Legal Account Manager at Hilltop Consultants and has been supporting law firms for 15 years.  He holds various Microsoft certifications (MCP, MCITP, MCSA, & MCTS).  He also is a Certified Virtualized Datacenter Expert (CVDX5).

Mentoring the Toni K. Allen Scholarship Winner

By: Stacy Fischbach of Keno Kozie Associates

Why is it valuable to mentor?
We all live in our own busy worlds and can easily forget the enormous variety of journeys and struggles other individuals are going through. Mentoring through the ALACC’s Toni K Allen Scholarship program allowed me to set aside some time in my life to connect with someone whom I wouldn’t normally come into contact with.  Oftentimes, learning about others’ experiences and sharing in their involvement broadens our own capabilities and relationships.  Listening to my mentee, Taiwo Dosunmu, share his first steps on his journey through college life allowed me to remember my experiences. It also allowed me to think about how those “first time” experiences might be for my middle school son and high school daughter.  When I heard about his first week on campus, which included joining the rowing club and purchasing school books that cost more than he anticipated, I too joined in on the scariness, but also the joy! I am hopeful that this mentorship experience will help me be better equipped to relate to my children as they reach their 18th birthday and leave for their University years.

Mentoring through the Toni K Allen Scholarship program reminded me that getting involved doesn’t have to be a drastic addition to our daily lives. Taiwo and I are easily able to connect through phone calls and emails for 15 minutes here or there to touch base. 

Was I reticent to mentor?
Absolutely! I try hard not to commit to something unless I can oblige for the entire duration.  College is usually a four year pledge.  Could I stick with being a mentor the whole time?  I have only been mentoring for a few months, but already feel confident Taiwo and I will continue to build upon our mutually beneficial mentorship. I look forward to our conversations of catching-up and find it easier than anticipated to fit our discussions into my busy work and family life!

Additional reservations for me came as a result of my fear of teenagers in general!  As I near my fifth decade on this planet, I thought, “How would I be able to connect with an 18 year old I had never met?” I thought surely after a few phone calls, Taiwo and I still wouldn’t click. But alas, as I gain more confidence in relating to him I believe that my reticence in speaking to teenagers has diminished and believe we are able to relate on multiple levels.

Looking Ahead
I believe there is more value to come and look forward to seeing what that will be.  I am off to a respectable start in getting to know Taiwo and am confident in my ability to commit in my mentorship! I anticipate connecting more with Taiwo and seeing what other surprising benefits wind up coming my way as well.

Royal Cup Coffee Spotlight: Espresso in the Office is a Growing Trend

Picture
By: Lauren Stanley

Introduction
Over the past year, I have noticed that when any firm leases are up they face the difficult decision to either stay in their current space, renovate, or move into a different space.  With that decision, almost everyone who is involved in this process knows how difficult it is to formulate a plan in executing a move or a renovation.  I have learned a lot regarding renovation and moving this year especially and what is required from our expertise in the pantry layout.  One thing in particular that I have noticed is a desire to provide upscale espresso options in these firms, whether it be on their reception floor, café areas, or in every pantry.   Going over our espresso options is always helpful in this process.    
Picture
De Jong Duke Virtu 90
This machine has become extremely popular in the past year.  The 10.4 inch touch screen feature on this equipment gives the end user the ability to make a customized drink using whole bean coffee and ground decaf coffee.  It creates a “straight up” espresso as well as chocolate, latte, and French vanilla flavor options.  By having the options to place any type of whole bean or ground coffee in this equipment is a huge bonus.  For example, you can decide to use a Royal Cup Caffe Siena Italian Roast Espresso for the Espresso lovers and a Royal Cup Villa Rey French Roast for other users (among many other options that we have available). We have found success in this equipment not only for the custom drinks, but for the maintenance factor as well.  This machine would be recommended for high traffic areas.
Picture
Nespresso Aguila
Over the past six months, Royal Cup has started working with Nespresso Office Solutions in providing their product and equipment to our clients.  There are several models of their equipment for every office size, but the most intriguing is the Nespresso Aguila Machine.  This machine offers Nespresso’s high end product, as well as fresh milk options for every drink.  Although it is espresso based, every coffee lover can enjoy this machine with the multiple options of drinks available.  From an Americano, to a Cappuccino, this machine can do it all.  This machine would be recommended for a reception floor or a café area.  
Picture
Mars Drinks Barista Brewer 
Mars Drinks has recently come out with their Barista Brewer which combines the Flavia C400 and their new espresso technology together.  If you are familiar with the Flavia systems, this is their newest system.  This new design fits great with any open floor plan, and looks great from all angles.  It has the ability to brew your regular fresh packs of coffee or tea on one side, as well as their new espresso options with 15 bars of pressure on the other.  You can create a customized drink, just as any Flavia machine before, but now with the flexibility for a more authentic espresso.   

With any renovation or move, having your coffee service vendor involved as much as possible gives you the capability to have the most success in creating the complete vision for your space.  Our service experts and team experience always helps to provide the most information regarding new space and design.  Having these espresso options gives each firm the option to customize their coffee program for their users and to, ultimately, create an atmosphere for attorneys and staff to stay in the office to get their favorite beverage.  

ABA Preferred Hotel Reception

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

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


Educational Sections

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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