May 2017Capital 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. Links to Capital Connection may not be shared without permission from the Chapter.
Editor: Jacqueline Moline Associate Editors: Paula Serratore; Cindy Conover Contributing Editors: Richard Gibson; Melody R. Watson; Dr. Larry Richard; Royal Cup Coffee; Julia Hayhoe; Lance Breger; Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis |
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Another incredible new product is the Bevi system. If you attended the ALA Conference in Denver this year and happened to visit the Royal Cup Coffee booth, you probably noticed this amazing new system. The Bevi system starts with amazing filtered water, and allows you to create your own drink with a variety of delicious flavorings. It offers still or sparkling water with or without the flavor options below. Sparkling water is another office beverage that is becoming a necessity. The Bevi system eliminates waste and allows end users to customize their beverage. Complete with a touchscreen for easy usage, this machine is a wonderful addition to any pantry or collaborative space.
By highlighting new and innovative products in the office coffee/beverage/snack world, Royal Cup Coffee realizes it is more than just coffee that keeps employees engaged and excited. We want to be able to offer a variety of products that can help complete your space, whatever your vision may be.
April Networking Happy HourOn April 27th, Capital Chapter members and Business Partners met at Lincoln Restaurant to mingle and network over a selection of appetizers and signature cocktails - including the very popular "First Lady Lincoln"!
The Hidden Profitability of Team DynamicsJulia Hayhoe and Dr. Larry Richard
Hildebrandt International Relying on groups and teams is a competitive imperative in law firms today. Numerous trends are driving this phenomenon:
This growth in the use of teams has led many firms to the realization that effective teamwork doesn’t just happen by chance. In fact, if left to chance, certain team dynamics can occur which can lead teams to become dysfunctional and increasingly unproductive, which in turn can ultimately discourage the use of teams within a firm. For example, growth alone causes a natural deterioration of workgroup effectiveness. As workgroups grow in size, group members naturally have a harder time agreeing on goals, gaining mutual commitment, and communicating effectively. The plain and simple truth is that small groups—5 to 12 people ideally—function better. They get results. Does that mean you’re out of luck if you have a 250-person Litigation practice group? Not necessarily. But it does mean that you should definitely learn more about the group dynamics principals that might be holding you back from excellence, and what you can do to exert more control. Another important aspect of group dynamics is the innate tendency of people working in groups to take their time to build up enough interpersonal trust in other group members—even if they’re people you already know—before people truly begin working in a collaborative, team-first way. In other words, a workgroup naturally evolves through a series of developmental stages, and early-stage groups are far less efficient and productive than mature groups. As a result, high levels of performance and true group “synergy” are only likely to emerge in those groups whose leaders—and members—understand these developmental principles. In fact, ample evidence shows that groups—and even entire law firms—that understand and adroitly apply the psychological principles that lie behind true teamwork enjoy some notable payoffs:
So what can be done to turn a bunch of individuals into a team? Empirical research in the field of group dynamics provides the answer. In this article, we’ll outline for you the basic principles that govern team behavior, and show you which ones are within your control as a leader, or within the control of the members of a group. First, the main “engine” that produces sustained teamwork is a combination of clear goals, roles and responsibilities and continual feedback to the group about how they’re doing. Of these, establishing clear goals is by far the most important. In fact, the healthiest groups actually go through three or more separate attempts to define their goals, each attempt taking place at a different point in the chronological evolution of the members from individuals to a group and finally to a true team. More important, not just any goal will do. Goals that drive teamwork tend to have three important characteristics:
Measureable: By January 1st of next year, we will have been named one of the top ten firms in client service in an AmLaw survey. Not Measurable: We will become the “pre-eminent” health care practice group. (When? By what measure? In what area? etc.) Second, when people work together, it takes time for them to develop into a team. There are certain inevitable milestones that any workgroup must transition through, just as individual human beings develop over time from infants to children to adolescents to adults. You can think of a workgroup as if it were an independent living organism, with its own goals, needs, and developmental life cycle. The group life cycle – which culminates in true teamwork – takes a minimum of approximately six months for the average workgroup to transition through, when they meet together regularly on a face-to-face basis. However, workgroups in law firms rarely meet face-to-face with all their members present, and they usually transition through the cycle at a slower pace. Conceptually, this developmental life cycle consists of four stages. All groups go through these stages in one fashion or another. Noted organizational psychologist Bruce Tuckman came up with the following nomenclature for these four stages:
Dr. Susan Wheelan, a professor of psychology at Temple University, and a leading researcher and theorist on group dynamics, uses a more revealing set of labels based on the psychological tasks that the group faces at each stage:
We have worked with firms to help groups navigate these stages since in practice some group dynamics principles can be counter-intuitive. As a result, a person unschooled in these principles can inadvertently make poor choices in either leading a team or being a productive member of a team. For example, any time a group of people come together for the first time for a work purpose, psychologically they will start at Stage 1 (Forming). They will generally behave in a tentative and polite way, and will not be able to devote their full mental energies to the work of the group. Until you gain a sense of familiarity with who’s in the group, how things work, and what your role is, it’s unlikely that you’ll take many risks. In the early stages of a workgroup, group members face a number of psychological issues that must be resolved before they can turn their full attention to the actual tasks of the group. Concert about these issues—conscious or unconscious—causes most group members to split their attention, with part focused on the task of the group, but an equal amount focused on issues such as the following: "Is it safe to speak my mind in this group?", "Does the leader know what s/he is doing?", "What do I have to do to be a part of this group?", "Will anything worthwhile result if I invest my time here?", etc. The greater the level of ‘uncertainty’ about these kinds of psychological issues, the more a group member has to turn his/her attention to these issues to reduce uncertainty and achieve a sense of equilibrium. This leaves less mental capacity to pay full attention to the actual work tasks. Thus, early in the life of a group, a leader needs to be clear, structured and directive to help answer these questions and reduce uncertainty. However, often lawyers who are appointed group leaders to new groups do just the opposite of what is called for – they start with a highly consensual approach; they ask the group what they want to focus on; and they ignore members' requests for clarification. All of these behaviors end up increasing psychological uncertainty, not decreasing it, and nearly insure that the group will have a difficult time working together. Even if group members already know each other, if they haven’t worked together as a particular group before, the group will still begin as a Stage 1 group. Behavior is so tentative in Stage 1, and group members play it so safe in this Stage, that very little independent thinking takes place. For this reason, it is quite common in law firms for a strategic planning process to fail when the partners are a Stage 1 group: Typically the partners will achieve perfectly pleasant, yet perfunctory, agreement on a plan, but in the ensuing months, no one implements it. The reason? The ostensible “agreement” of the partners was polite and had no emotional commitment behind it. The capacity to achieve this kind of commitment rarely emerges in a workgroup until it has reached Stage 3. In Stage 1 most group members give up some of their autonomy and individuality in order to become a valued member of the group. But over time, the need for autonomy reasserts itself and the individual gradually gains an increased comfort operating in the group. Eventually, typically within the 6 to 8 weeks after forming, some group members will begin stating their viewpoints in a more assertive way. In this way, differences begin to emerge among group members, often around what goals the group should aim at. Many of them will seek allies who share their viewpoint in order to fortify their own views. In this fashion, factions will begin to form, and a “we vs. they” mentality may emerge. The emergence of factions generally signals a group’s transition from Stage 1 (Forming) to Stage 2 (Storming). A group that has newly entered Stage 2 will devote an increasing amount of energy to staking out positions, testing to see if they can maintain their individual autonomy and still work together, and slipping into conflict with each other and the leader. The transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 is often triggered by a discussion about what the group’s goals should be. Efforts to speed up Stage 1 are generally unsuccessful, no matter how frequently the group meets. It seems that it’s just human nature to take about six to eight weeks to become familiar enough with each other to begin to assert strong differences of opinion. Poor leadership, skeptical members, infrequent face time—all can extend the length of time that a group takes to work through these Stage 2 issues. While it may initially seem counterintuitive, the emergence of conflict in Stage 2 groups actually serves a positive purpose. Effective groups that are cohesive and lasting are groups in which the members have a high level of trust and respect for each other and in which conflict is dealt with in a healthy way. It is human nature to test the boundaries of a relationship by using conflict. If we disagree about a point, and we can still remain in relationship, then the relationship feels stronger after we make up and realize that there is room for each of us to be an individual, while at the same time being part of the group. During Stage 2, in addition to the factional conflict described above, there is also usually some increased criticism and other forms of “attacks” on the leader. Some “dependent” group members take the leader’s side and defend him or her, and some “counter-dependent” group members typically join in the attack on the leader. If you happen to be the leader of a group during this stage, it’s helpful to know that “attacks” on the leader are common and that there’s a good chance that the attack is not against you personally, but rather against you in the role of leader. If you realize this, then you can more easily deflect the attack and guide the group into accepting their differences and agreeing to disagree. On the other hand, if you get defensive, take it personally, and start attacking the critics, you’re bound to exacerbate the situation and prolong Stage 2. Because of the high levels of conflict in Stage 2, strategic planning projects (and other change initiatives) often fail in this Stage too. Unlike Stage 1, the cause here is the inability of partners to agree on the elements of the plan. In Stage 2, the partners are all too willing to assert their differences, and if not managed well, this can doom a planning or change process. The typical group finds the tension and conflict of Stage 2 to be awkward and uncomfortable. This discomfort propels them to resolve their conflicts, thus moving them into Stage 3 (Norming), a more mature stage during which three fundamental tasks take place. First, the members of the group begin to build a higher level of interpersonal trust among one another. Second, supported by the increasing trust, the members can now begin to agree on the group’s common work goals, and third, the members can agree upon a division of labor and identify clear roles. Since trust is high, members do not protest when an important function is delegated to a small subgroup. In a law firm, however, it is frequently the case that groups of lawyers – practice groups, client teams, committees, task forces, etc. – are so used to the adversarial model that the conflict of Stage 2 does not seem uncomfortable or out of place, and thus it is insufficient to motivate them to move out of Stage 2 and into Stage 3. Hence, many groups composed of lawyers get and stay stuck in Stage 2, devoting large amounts of energy to preserving fiefdoms, fighting, bickering, attacking managing partners or practice group leaders or committee chairs, and generally not getting along. Moreover, when conflict is high, trust is low, and these same groups have difficulty agreeing on common goals as well as in successfully delegating tasks to smaller subgroups. We are often called in to help groups work through the conflict brought about by Stage 2 tensions and navigate into the more productive Stage 3. Finally, once a group has established high levels of trust, it then becomes possible to re-visit the “goals” discussion, only this time it is possible to gain emotional buy-in from the partners and build true commitment to those goals. It also becomes possible to assign clear roles to group members. And members often more willingly tolerate the delegation of important tasks to specific individuals at this Stage. This frees up billable time for all the other partners who, in a lower-trust environment, would have had to spend their own time making sure their interests were protected. Once all these tasks have been mastered—overcoming the tentativeness of Stage 1 by answering members’ questions, working through the natural conflict of Stage 2, and creating the structure (goals and roles) of Stage 3—a group can now turn the majority of its attention to the work of the group. This shift in a group’s collective energy to “work” marks the entry into the final Stage of group dynamics, Stage 4, the “Productivity” Stage. So, what lessons can be learned from the preceding principles that can help you manage the groups you work with in your firm? First: Groups develop through four stages and it is not possible to short-cut these stages, as they are part of the natural life cycle that all groups go through. This also means there is likely to be a varied performance pattern throughout these stages. Second: There are different roles that group leaders and members need to play to most effectively contribute to teamwork and move the group through the stages, ensuring that it does not become stuck in any particular stage. This also emphasizes the fact that both group leaders and group members have critical roles to play in bringing about effective teamwork. Third: The most effective groups spend about 75% of their time on accomplishing their task (determining their goals and action steps) and the remaining 25% of their time on what organizational psychologists call “group maintenance” – behavior that helps the group “maintain” the relationships in the group (such as fostering open communication, ensuring everyone is heard, checking roles). Fourth: In the early stages as a leader your role is to reduce levels of anxiety and uncertainty by providing direction. Seeking consensus too early on will be counter productive as it raises uncertainty levels. Fifth: When conflict emerges recognize that it is a healthy stage of group development and avoid taking challenges personally or trying to quell the conflict. Sixth: Watch out for when the conflict has gone on for too long – you may be stuck. Seventh: Remember that leaders and members have different roles to play as the group develops – flexibility is key. Eight: Stage 4 groups have high levels of trust and this produces an economic payoff for the firm. We’re using this term in the sense of “a belief that others will act in my best interest”. When trust is high, we can allow one or two individuals in the group to take responsibility for tasks and decisions that affect our interests; when trust is low, all the members of the group have to spend their own non-billable time protecting their interest. The extra billable time that becomes available on an ongoing basis in a high trust environment can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. Some closing tips:
Pay attention to these principles and you can harness the incredible synergy of collective action and produce a more satisfying and profitable work experience. Larry Richard, J.D., Ph.D., is a lawyer-psychologist based in the Somerset, NJ, headquarters office of Hildebrandt International. Dr. Richard heads the company’s Leadership and Organization Development Practice. He is a leading expert on law firm leadership practices and group dynamics in law firms. Julia Hayhoe is a lawyer by background and heads the Leadership and Organizational Development Practice at Hildebrandt International in London. She focuses on professional and client development, helping lawyers to adopt new ways of working to compete more effectively. This article has been reprinted with permission from the author May Quarterly Networking LunchOn February 10th, Capital Chapter members and Business Partners gathered at the W Washington and "rocked the red" in support of DC sports teams. Guests networked in POV lounge before heading into Altitude ballroom for a delicious build-your-own tortilla meal.
After lunch, David Hemperly of Hilltop Consultants drew the winning ticket for our Nationals vs. Padres ticket raffle - congratulations to Amy Pluebell of Royal Cup Coffee on her win! Thank you to Gold Business Partner Hilltop Consultants for generously donating the tickets. All proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Toni K. Allen scholarship fund. As a final treat, guests enjoyed a popcorn bar with DC-themed selections including "Smithsonian Salt & Pepper," "Beltway Old Bay," "Congressional Cheddar," "K Street Kettle Corn," and "Capitol Caramel." Attendees left the W with smiles on their faces and bags of popcorn in hand to take back to the office for an afternoon snack! 
The Post-Conference Mind/Body Cleanse
Lance Breger
CEO and Executive Wellness Coach, Infinity Wellness Partners I love conferences. It doesn't matter if I'm attending or presenting they are always a highlight for me. But there is a very predictable paradox when professionals attend a conference or convention. The majority leave completely filled with collaboration, education, innovation and inspiration, but totally empty from the alcohol, caffeine, heavy meals, hotel-living, sugar, sitting, travel, early-mornings, late-nights, lots of learning and non-stop networking. And after all of that, they have to dive right back into the middle of an intense workweek or face a mighty scary Monday followed by a full week without any down time. This killer combination leads to more stress, reduced health, worse performance and a big increase in the chance of getting sick! It is on each individual attendee to accept the responsibility for their choices on how they want to live and experience the event. To help myself and clients rebound quickly from a conference or convention I've put together The Post-Conference Mind/Body Cleanse. I can't wait to share 13 strategies that refresh the mind and revitalize the body through activating the five main detoxification pathways (breathing, defecation, skin, sweat and urination) and more.
When your physical, mental and emotional cups are overflowing there is zero room for anything new, better or more...let's cleanse!
7-Day Post-Conference Cleanse Challenge I wrote this article for something waaaaay beyond information...transformation is my end game. It's not enough to learn and not apply something to your life. You now have a list of 13 different ways to cleanse your mind/body post-conference/convention, but how will your life be different after reading this article? What change will you make? What inspired action will you take? I recommend choosing no more than four of the tips and apply them for the next seven consecutive days. If you like them, continue. Follow what feels good. I encourage you to make a promise to yourself that you can keep for the next seven days and then consider trying different tips or just keep them handy for the next conference or convention this year. Your mind and body are so worth it! Lance Breger is the CEO and Executive Wellness Coach of Infinity Wellness Partners, a comprehensive corporate wellness company that prepares executives and organizations for the most productive and healthy work-life. Lance has led online/on-site training programs for thousands of professionals through his company’s four pillars of wellness: fitness, nutrition, mind/body and ergonomics.Lance was named a Top 25 Health Promotion Professional in the nation by the Wellness Council of America, serves as a Master Instructor for the American Council on Exercise and is a recipient of the IDEA Health & Fitness Association Program Director of the Year award. This article originally appeared on LinkedIn on April 10, 2017 and has been reprinted with permission from the author 
Are You Difficult? … It’s a Matter of Perspective
Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP
Sanow Professional Development While most people don’t describe themselves as "difficult" (although some actually find pleasure in doing so!) difficult behavior can nonetheless come from anyone, anytime, anywhere; we all have the capacity to express it. What constitutes difficult or prickly behavior is very subjective, shaped by our personal perceptions. We each define individually what annoys or frustrates us; it’s our own perception as to what causes our negative reaction. For instance, a person may irritate us incessantly, while someone else gets along with him just fine. Likewise, we may have an easy going relationship with someone else’s Prickly Person. It’s a matter of perspective that determines what behaviors we consider to be difficult, and how well we manage them when they surface. Like beauty, a Prickly Person is in the eye of the beholder. A person becomes prickly to us when they push one or more of our buttons, derail our desires, put up barriers to our goals, or have agendas different from our own. It’s an interesting revelation that everyone is eventually somebody’s "Prickly Person." "Who, me?" you might ask. Probably so. Even if you typically go out of your way to get along and have excellent interpersonal skills, some situations arise that simply get the best of you and bring out a bit of the beast, transforming you into someone else’s thorn! We usually don’t see ourselves as the problem, or understand how we might be contributing or causing the difficulty. When we get angry and frustrated, our emotions can provoke our own prickly behaviors, which irritate others. Our behaviors might actually be triggering reactions in others, who see us as the troublemakers. To avoid being a thorn, it’s valuable to regularly monitor how people respond to you. Do they appear intimidated? Do they avoid talking to you? Do you get a regular stream of defensive reactions? Do people stop talking when you’re around? These are often telltale signs signaling their discomfort and the desire to avoid contact with you. Some thorny behaviors that quickly earn the label of "difficult" include being easily riled, argumentative, impatient, unreliable, critical, inattentive, harassing, and verbally abusive, as well as behaviors such as interrupting others, spending more time talking than listening, and blaming others. Keep in mind that prickly behavior can range from wild to mild and all the way to idle, since another annoying variation is more mild-mannered but nonetheless irritating: being lazy or slow to respond. If an honest self-assessment reveals that you have any of these behaviors, they can be disruptive to building and sustaining productive relationships. If people aren’t connecting with us, our behavior may be making connection difficult. People judge us by what they see and believe to be true about us—but their perceptions can change. When we change what we say and what we do, they notice the difference and respond to us differently as a result. With getting along as a goal, taking personal responsibility for our connections is critical to our success—as is making any necessary behavior modifications to enhance the quality and quantity of our relationships. Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP is a keynote speaker, workshop leader, facilitator and coach. He is the author of 6 books to include, “Get Along with Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere” and Present with Power, Punch and Pizzazz.” He was recently named as one of the top 5 best “bang for the buck” speakers in the USA by Successful Meetings Magazine. www.arnoldsanow.com – speaker@arnoldsanow.com - 703-255-3133
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Administrative Committees
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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, jam@carmaloney.com; Paula Serratore,pserratore@alacapchap.org 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: Cindy Schuler (Chair), cschuler@skgf.com; Monique Terrell (Co-Chair),mterrell@stradley.com |
Salary Survey
The Salary Survey Committee is responsible for maintaining, updating and running the local survey each year. They review the positions listed, the job descriptions, and the benefits questions to ensure that the survey remains relevant to the end users. The members of the committee also promote the survey within the Chapter to stimulate participation. Contact: Emily Christianson (Chair), echristianson@relmanlaw.com; Julie Tomey (Co-Chair), tomey@thewbkfirm.com 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. Contact: Cheryl Flynn (Chair), cflynn@wileyrein.com; Sarahi Estrella (Co-Chair), sarahi.estrella@arentfox.commailto:sarahi.estrella@arentfox.com |
Educational Sections
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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: Danita Ellis (Chair),danita.ellis@nelsonmullins.com; Jackie Thomas (Co-Chair), jackie.thomas@agg.com Listserv: branch@lists.alacapchap.org 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: Kevin O'Hare (Chair), kohare@nixonpeabody.com; Greg Fudge (Co-Chair), gfudge@bakerdonelson.com Listserv: ooms@lists.alacapchap.org |
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. Contact: Kimberly J. Potter (Chair), kpotter@sgrlaw.com; Astrid Emond (Co-Chair), aemond@bakerlaw.com Listserv: ipadmin@lists.alacapchap.org 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 fourth Tuesday of the month at host law firms. Contact: Wilmara Guido-Chizhik (Chair), wguido-chizhik@bomcip.com; Marion Baker (Co-Chair), mbaker@wilkinsonwalsh.com Listserv: smallfirm@lists.alacapchap.org Finance
Based on member feedback the Capital Chapter has formed a new Finance Section. We are seeking active members to helps us get this group up and running in 2016! As we get started, we will be focusing on what issues members are facing within their firms that we may be able to help address together. Topics may range from reviewing new time and billing systems to tax filings and matter budgeting solutions and anything in between. Your input is needed! Please consider adding Finance section meetings to your monthly educational schedule. Contact: Andy George (Chair), andrew.george@finnegan.com; Evan Kettig (Co-Chair), kettige@gotofirm.com Listserv: finance@lists.alacapchap.org |
Human Resources
The Human Resources Section operates as a venue for educational information on global human resources issues. While the Section 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: Aryn Blanton (Chair), aryn.blanton@bracewelllaw.com; Jasmine Stribling (Co-Chair), jstribling@bsfllp.com Listserv: hr@lists.alacapchap.org 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: Frank Schipani (Chair), schipanif@gotofirm.com; Kenny Mitchell (Co-Chair), kmitchell@wbklaw.com Listserv: tech@lists.alacapchap.org |
