May 2019

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; Valerie L. Williamson
Associate Editor: Paula Serratore
​Contributing Editors: Frank Schipani; Dan Packel; Clayton Romero; Oren Barbalat; Aissatu Diop; Jackie Thomas; Darlene De Lorenzo; Cheryl Flynn
Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis


In this issue:

President's Message

Hello everyone,
 
The Chapter year is off to a fantastic start.  On behalf of the board, I would like to thank all of you who have volunteered your time, your ideas and your energies to making it all possible.  I just returned to DC from a lengthy trip across the pond.  Like many of us experience from time to time, this was period of high stress and activity for me, working 14 hour days for three weeks straight.  But I’m incredibly lucky that so many of you stepped up to pick up my slack – hosting and presenting at meetings and events and filling in wherever needed.  If I only had such an awesome team to work with in other areas of my life!
 
Since the start of the Chapter year not even two months ago we have had an exciting slate of Chapter-wide, community and service events.  I was bummed that my work trip took me away from three that I was particularly excited about, but I have already heard from many of you that they were very successful.  The mini-expo, like last year, was a big success and we look forward to making this event better and better each year. 
 
Last week we had two events focused on leadership development, a subject that is near and dear to my heart.  On Wednesday Loeb Leadership presented at the Next Generation Leaders community meeting, and on Thursday Bridgette Theurer conducted a management success seminar.  Be on the lookout for more leadership-focused events like these.  We are putting extra emphasis this year on helping us all strengthen our leadership muscles.  The session with Bridgette was the first in a four-part series designed to give us the tools to become more effective leaders within our organizations.
 
All of this is not to mention the community meetings held in April and May, the design thinking lab in early April, two days of community service at DC Central Kitchen, and much more that makes our chapter strong and vibrant.
Frank Schipani

New and Returning ALA Capital Chapter Members

Allison Bostrom
Willkie Farr & Gallagher
HR Manager
1875 K St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
abostrom@willkie.com
 
Daphney I Sheppard
Sidley Austin LLP
Secretarial Supervisor
1501 K St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
dsheppard@sidley.com
 
Sherrice Diane Flowers
Sidley Austin LLP
Secretarial Supervisor
1501 K St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
sflowers@sidley.com
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Zeno Lantos
Sidley Austin LLP
Secretarial Manager
1501 K St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20005
zlantos@sidley.com
 
Andrew Johnson
Wiley Rein LLP
Director of Technical Operations
1776 K St., N.W.
Washington 20006
apjohnson@wileyrein.com
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Members on the Move

 Qeyana M. Hart
Alston & Bird LLP
Attorney Hiring Coordinator
950 F St., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Qeyana.Hart@Alston.com

Law Firms Are Relying More on Staff—and Treating Them More Like Lawyers

Dan Packel

It wasn’t long ago that attorneys could sit down to sumptuous lunches inside their firms’ private dining rooms. There, staffers—the paralegals, secretaries and other worker bees crucial to the smooth running of a firm’s operations—were nowhere to be seen.

​Nowadays, lawyers and professional staff—whose roles have transformed dramatically over the past two decades—find themselves brushing shoulders midday in firms’ open-access cafeterias. “I don’t know a firm that has a lawyer-only dining room anymore,” says Winston & Strawn chief talent officer Sue Manch.

That’s just one telling example of how traditional distinctions between lawyers and staff have collapsed in recent years, as firms have begun to rely on the latter more heavily, from management roles to technology and even litigation support.

“Law firms, and my firm in particular, see professional staff as integral to the entire system of our law practice,” explains Hy Pomerance, the newly minted CTO at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.

That’s a fundamental issue for any professional services firm with fee earners and non-fee earners, according to Manch. “These firms are designed to run around fee earners: recruiting them, making them happy and able to work with clients. It’s our business model,” she says. “You can live without a particular staff area for some time, but you can’t live without a practice leader or a person who’s handling a giant case for a firm.”

While that dynamic has not disappeared, it’s being altered by changes in how law firms operate. Lawyers leading firms are increasingly turning to professionals in C-Suite roles to make strategic decisions, not just execute on plans made by others. Further down the pyramid, legal administrative assistants have shifted focus from dictation and typing to partnering with attorneys in areas like billing, communications and client management. They’re handling more litigation support tasks traditionally handled by starting associates, like trial preparation and e-discovery.

“They’ve gone from 100 percent clerical to a much more strategic role,” Manch says. “They add value by making sure the client experience is high-value.”

On the IT side, professionals have been in the driver’s seat, identifying innovations for using data more efficiently that partners have likely not even contemplated.

“We’re not expecting attorneys to figure out what is the best way to do things when you have people who have made a science of process efficiency and process management,” Manch adds.

With staff members taking a more substantive role in firms’ operations, it only makes sense to treat them more like attorneys. That includes both phasing out restricted zones like lawyers-only dining rooms and also making perks and programs more inclusive.

“The movement at Cleary has been toward a blurring of the lines between the legal side of the house and the professional side of the house when it comes to professional development and benefits at the firm,” Pomerance says.

Cleary is investing in two separate tracks of professional development for staffers. One, the technical track, allows staffers to upgrade skills in areas including technology, project management, finance and human resources, so that they can advance in their careers. Employees are supported in their efforts to go outside the firm and gain advanced degrees or certifications to fuel their forward motion. The other, the management track, recognizes that professional staff are being asked to manage at more senior levels than in the past, as senior lawyers devote more attention to practicing law.

Winston & Strawn has similarly collapsed some distinctions in professional development between staff and lawyers. Its new staff curriculum shares the same three core competencies that are also a priority for the firm’s lawyers, even if the performance factors evaluated by the firm differ. And for the first time, senior leadership on the professional staff side is taking part in an intensive management conference focused on skill development.

“To stay competitive for the best people, we have to offer a deep and comprehensive curriculum so that people can get better at what they do and also add qualifications to move to the next level,” Manch says.

The walls are crumbling in other areas, too. It used to be that firmwide events welcoming summer associates were for lawyers only; now, those doors have been opened to staff. At many firms, affinity groups aimed at improving the experience of diverse attorneys were initially conceived for lawyers. Last fall, Reed Smith announced it was relabeling its version as “business inclusion groups” and opening them to all employees. When Dechert in October revamped its parental leave policy, doing away with the distinction between primary and secondary caregivers, it applied the change to staffers as well as associates. And as mandatory arbitration agreements are increasingly proving toxic to incoming ­associates, Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley Austin have garnered headlines for putting an end to the practice for staff as well.

Staffers are also being included as firms take steps to combat what some are calling a mental health crisis in the industry. As part of its 2019 “year of mental health,” Winston & Strawn is holding monthly activities for both lawyers and staff addressing topics like stress management, healthy eating and coping with the challenges that come from working in a high-pressure environment. It has trained more than 20 key staff leaders in mental health first aid. Cleary has embraced the Sibly mental health app for its attorneys and staff and brings in nutrition counselors and health care providers.

“We want to help keep physical and mental health on people’s radar. It’s a real important part of running a successful firm,” Pomerance says. “There’s a correlation between a healthy workforce and a productive workforce.”

Jamy Sullivan, executive director of staffing firm Robert Half Legal, has observed a slew of other perks, both in law firms and corporate legal departments: on-site amenities like fitness facilities and child care, greater telecommuting and compressed work weeks that allow for four 10-hour days, and paid leave for volunteer activities. And firms are likely just scratching the surface. With staffers becoming more crucial to firms’ operations, competition for top performers will intensify.

“You’re going to see organizations be forward-thinking and thought-provoking, not only to attract talent but also to keep talent,” she says.

Both Pomerance and Manch are the first to hold the CTO role at their firms. The proliferation of these titles demonstrates the increased attention being paid not just to the associate experience, but also to the staff experience. Historically, the latter has been an afterthought, creating what Dechert CTO Alison Bernard—who’s also the first to hold her seat—has called an “upstairs-downstairs culture.”
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Reprinted with permission from the January edition of the The American Lawyer© 2019 ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited, contact 877-257-3382 or reprints@alm.com.

May 2019 Diversity Observances

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the United States. The month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks on the project were Chinese immigrants.

May is Older Americans Month, established in 1963 to honor the legacies and contributions of older Americans and to support them as they enter their next stage of life.

​May is Jewish American Heritage Month, which recognizes the diverse contributions of the Jewish people to American culture.
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Click here to view the full list of May 2019 Observances

May Quarterly Networking Lunch & Mini Expo

Back by popular demand, our 2019 May Quarterly Networking Lunch​ was again transformed from a seated luncheon to a reception-style miniature expo featuring 48 of the Capital Chapter's Business Partners. 

Upon arrival, members picked up a bingo card featuring a selection of 24 partial logos representing the Business Partners in attendance. They then made their way down the aisles of high top tables to meet each Business Partner and match the partial logos on their bingo cards to the correct companies. Members who managed to match all 24 of their logos to the correct Business Partner were entered into a raffle drawing to win prizes donated by our Business Partners including wine, gift cards, and more! Congratulations to our raffle winners:
Adele Hook
Cherie Nelson
Emily Christianson
Josh Alecknavage
Shera Berini
Ginger Hannums
Janice Byrum-Jackson
LaVerne Anenia
Heather Boos
Joanna Hurt
Denise Johnson
Gabriella McKinney-Marshall
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Thank you to all of our Business Partners for sharing your time and expertise (not to mention all of the cool giveaways!) with our members to make this a fun and successful event. Thank you to all of the members who attended for your enthusiasm and attention in getting to know each of the fantastic companies that support our Chapter and allow us to host fun events like this one. Finally, thank you to Latham and Watkins for lending us your beautiful space for this event and providing a lovely lunch spread.

​We hope that everyone in attendance walked away with a few new contacts, and we're already looking forward to next year's event!

Industrial Revolution Comes to Legal

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Clayton Romero 
Technology Advisor, Hilltop Consultants

Who are your biggest competitors?

If you didn’t list one of these - RocketLawyer.com, LegalZoom.com, UpCouncel.com, LawDepot.com - then you might have a dangerous blind spot. To explain why we first have to understand a little bit about Industrialization.

The Industrial Revolution took hold in America in approximately 1820. In 1913 Ford installed his first assembly line and the process to build a model T, which took twelve hours to complete, was reduced to just two hours and thirty minutes. The next one hundred years saw hulking industrial robots taking over the dangerous or repetitive job, 3D printing developed for rapid prototyping, integration of safe and easy to interact with collaborative robots, and finally ubiquitous and consumer-friendly 3D printers. In two hundred years America’s industry went from fully artisanal to having industrial production safe and affordable in consumers homes.
Now let’s look at the profession of law. Hammurabi’s code was one of the first examples of a widespread code of law in 1760 BC. Athens gave birth to the first people who could be called Lawyers around 620 BC. People could argue in defense of the accused in a court of law, but it was forbidden for these “Proto-lawyers” to be paid for their services, so at that time it was a calling, but not a profession. 250 AD saw the first Law school established in Beirut. The American Bar Association was formed in 1878, and about one hundred years later Lexis Nexis was founded. Document Management Systems (DMS) started helping firms manage their data in the 1980s, but the two industry leaders didn’t show up until the late 1990s. Then suddenly in 2016, the first AI lawyer was hired by a firm.

In more than 2630 years the only major change to the practice of law was getting paid. Generally speaking, each case is still looked at as an individual and handcrafted. That is not only slow and inefficient, but also leaves lawyers, law firms, and their clients vulnerable to human frailties. People get tired, make mistakes, and frankly, are just plain bad at some tasks.
It's time for law firms to implement the tools of industrialization.

You’ll need four major components: A Factory floor, an Assembly line, Robots, and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Simply put: your DMS is your factory floor. Once all of your work product is in one place, you can start efficiently applying tools to it, banging it into shape and sending it off to satisfied clients. In addition to it being efficient to keep your work product in one place, it is also more secure, thus reducing your risk of breach and theft.

Next, you need to build your Assembly lines. Workflows are an essential first step not only toward efficiency but also to automation. Pick a process and write it down on paper from start to finish. Then draw the process out in a Process Map. There are plenty of powerful tools you can use for this, but in the beginning, you can get away with using PowerPoint, Word, or Paint.
Now you’ll have noticed repetitive tasks in your workflows that could be handled by a robot or RPA (Robotic Process Automation). Don’t be intimidated by the jargon; if you’ve ever set up a rule in Outlook, then you’re already a master. Microsoft Flow is free for anyone with an Office 365 subscription and has hundreds of RPA templates, connections, and helpful tips for the neophyte.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the final stop on your path to industrialization. It is important to note that AI and RPA tools do not eliminate work; they eliminate tedious, repetitive task, thus allowing the human workers to get more done, faster. There are a lot of mature AI products on the market to help with everything from contract review to eDiscovery and Litigation support.
So why are the four .Com’s I mentioned above your biggest competitors? They’ve applied all the tools I just described, thereby commoditizing simple everyday legal needs. Consumers can buy their legal needs at any time of the day or night without needing an appointment or fighting traffic. These companies have freed their legal staff from the dull and repetitive work that leaves people burnt out, bored, and careless so that they can focus on the more complex and exciting legal needs that their clients have.

Through Industrialization you will become more efficient, more consistent, able to support a larger client base, and more profitable. And that’s only the beginning…
 
Clayton Romero has provided legal IT consultative services for more than ten years and has been helping companies conform to the evolving regulatory compliances of our modern world throughout that time. In his role as a technology advisor at Hilltop Consultants, he has helped thousands of legal professionals stay informed of the security and compliance risks they and their clients are exposed to.

Whose Device is it Anyway?

Oren Barbalat
Employment and Contracts Lawyer, SpringLaw

Technology continues to blur the lines between our personal and work lives.  How often have you answered a client email on your work laptop, only to receive a follow-up question via text message on your personal phone?  

Many workplaces have adapted to the fluid use of technology and encourage their employees to use their own technology at work through bring your own device (BYOD) policies.
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BYOD can provide many benefits to workplaces and employees. It has been shown to improve efficiencies and worker engagement while powering a more innovative, productive and collaborative workforce.  

As the use of mobile devices increases relative to personal computers, and as organizations continue to embrace the benefits of remote working arrangements, we believe that BYOD will continue to trend upwards.

But what are some of the legal risks and best practices surrounding BYOD which organizations should be aware of?

Permitted Uses
Employers should define the acceptable uses of personal devices for work purposes.  An employee’s use of email, instant-messaging and the internet can be a vehicle for inappropriate, discriminatory or harassing behaviour, especially for employees who feel less inhibited using their personal device.  

For example, an employee who exchanges inappropriate images with another employee on their respective personal devices could be engaging in workplace harassment.  As such, employers should be clear about the acceptable uses of workplace technology, regardless of who owns the equipment.

Vicarious Liability and Security
Vicarious liability refers to a concept whereby employers can be held responsible for the negligent actions of an employee, which includes an employee’s use of technology.

What happens when an employee’s personal computer is stolen, yet is flush with highly sensitive client information and which has minimal security preventing access to the computer, company networks and applications?  What about an employee who uses their personal computer to visit questionable websites on their personal time and is then subject to a malware attack which places confidential company information at risk?

Employers should educate employees on the importance of security best practices, such as not storing any work product locally.  Organizational best practices can also include using a password manager like LastPass and using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to add security and privacy to private and public networks.

BYOD policies should also contemplate the security of confidential information on personal devices for departing employees.  The exit requirements should include a process for deleting data and proprietary information, as well as revoking access to organizational networks and applications.

Overtime
We have previously written about some of the issues surrounding constant connectivity, which can include claims for unpaid overtime to employees who are checking and responding to emails after work hours.  This is especially true for remote workers and workers who use their personal devices at work.  Employers should, therefore, have clear policies about the use of personal devices for work-related activities after hours.

Takeaways
While there may be some logistical hurdles in implementing an effective BYOD policy, we do not think it is something employers should shy away from.  Studies suggest that up to 67% of employees use a personal device at work, whether an organization has a BYOD policy or not.  You might as well embrace the fact that your top performers will check their work email on their brand new iPhone and access your cloud platform from their tablet in a trendy coffee shop on a Sunday afternoon. 

Organizations should therefore proactively devise and manage effective BYOD policies so that both employers and employees can reap the benefits of leveraging technology in the workplace.  

A Letter from 2018 Toni K. Allen Scholarship Recipient Aissatu Diop

Dear Capital Chapter,
 
I want to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to the foundation for making my trip to India possible [by helping me fund my attendance at the University of Pennsylvania]. My enrollment in a Penn Global seminar this semester allowed me to travel to Delhi, India over spring break and fulfill my writing requirement
 
My trip to India trip was amazing! In addition to seeing one of the seven wonders of the world: the Taj Mahal, I also visited many other historical sites around Delhi and Agra such as the Agra Fort and Humayun's Tomb. I met new people, experienced new cultures and learned so much during my time there.
 
It was a very new and unique experience for me and made me realize the importance of immersing in different cultures whilst in the pursuit of a global perspective. This experience has encouraged me to pursue similar abroad opportunities at UPenn. As a result, I applied to a Penn language summer study abroad program called Penn in Tours. I was accepted and received full funding for the trip, and will now be studying French for 6 weeks in Tours, France. During those 6 weeks, I will receive two advanced French credits that will help fulfill my Huntsman program requirements. Once again, I would like to thank each of you for helping make my India trip possible!
 
 
With gratitude,
Aissatu Diop

2019 ALA Annual Conference Recap

Jackie Thomas
DC Office Administrator, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Vice President-Elect Community Services
Newly self-titled Master Herder (thanks to Business Partner, Natalie Loeb, Loeb Leadership’s presentation at the Annual Conference, Five Roles  of the Master Herder)

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”
 
This quote by Henry Ford was an integral point to keynote speaker Nicole Malachowski’s presentation, Harnessing Headwinds, at this year’s ALA Annual Conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX April 14-18.  It couldn’t be more relevant with the trials and tribulations it took some of our members and business partners to get to the conference this year.  Despite the travel delays, 30 some Cap Chap members landed safely to take over the Lonestar State and the ALA Annual Conference in true Cap Chap fashion; making it a place where everyone knows our name.  
 
Not only did the Cap Chap represent in the classrooms as session leads, sit together as a chapter during the conference receptions and luncheons (guided by glow sticks (ingenious idea) so we all knew where the Cap Chap tables were), shared a drink (or two) as a chapter at the Silver Bar, received the Presidents’ Award of Excellence (thank you Jenna for representing us on stage), but we could also boast the incoming President as one of our own.  Steel sharpens steel as Nicole would say.
 
The Conference provided over 70 Educational sessions with over 75 speakers on topics such as Cybersecurity, Profitability, Partner Compensation and Pricing and ALT (The Association of Legal Technologists), allowing many members to earn credit for CLM and SHRM in the process.  The keynote speakers were engaging, the sessions were well-attended and members came home with a new arsenal of information and tools to share with our firms and the chapter.
 
Molly Fletcher, deemed the female Jerry McGuire, kicked off the conference with Inspiring Game Changers, reminding attendees to lean into change, to step into the moments that are tough and that the other side of the temporary discomfort is a greater you.  She also reminded us to be present.  People can tell when you aren’t and it matters.  Be more relational than transactional. 
 
Michelle Silverthorn of Inclusion Nation rounded out the keynote speakers with her presentation, Get Out of Your Silo.  Very similar to the tone of Nicole and Molly’s takeaways to be more relational and to choose an unscripted life, Michelle proposes that you begin to have a conversation and step out of your comfort zone.  Make people matter. Respect someone because of who you are, NOT who they are. See the person, NOT the problem. Realize you may have the same values, just different perspectives. Share about yourself with others and be curious about other people in return. Genuinely acknowledge what they’ve told you and try to understand why they come from a different angle. Agree on what you agree on. And thank them for listening.
 
It was also great to see the friendly faces of twenty of our Cap Chap Business Partners around the Expo Hall.  All-State Legal also hosted a fantastic reception Tuesday night to congratulate James Cornell as the new incoming ALA President. 
 
The conference concluded in grand Texas fashion Wednesday evening with the Awards Dinner and VIP Grand Finale replete with a silent disco, followed by an amazing cover band.  In spite of many reservations about the silent disco thing, we all reluctantly tried something out of our comfort zone and had fun in the process.  Not a bad way to end the Annual Conference after all. 
 
Next year’s conference will be in Salt Lake City, Utah May 3-6.  Hope to see you all there.

Positive Change Management Practices

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Darlene De Lorenzo
Proposal and Marketing Manager, JK Moving Services

Management in the office space constantly adapts to what is the most effective with the working generation. Gallup found that focusing on positive management is one way to be more effective and have more responsive, driven employees.

To achieve positivity in management during an office relocation, a change management approach should be considered. Many companies currently use models of change that emphasize centralized control, routine behavior, and predictable outcomes. While such models are appropriate in stable environments, they are ill-suited to turbulent environments.

The generational shift to Millennials in the workforce brings a focus on collaboration, resourcefulness, and transparency. And yet, all too often, vision creation and the ensuing communication tend to be a one-way street. Change often arrives as a top-driven mandate that is “cascaded” down as a series of guidelines, directives, and rules.

The solution is to include everyone in the process of change not just the notification of change, particularly when it comes to an office move. By doing this, companies can lead change toward a positive future, rather than merely avoiding a negative one.

Organizations Don’t Change – People Do
One of the biggest changes that an organization faces is moving—and this change in particular can be stressful. Organizations often find the need to relocate or restack in order to meet their needs. These moves require changes to spaces, processes, job roles, organizational structures, or use and types of technology. Corporate initiatives frequently impact how individual people do their work. Processes, job roles, workflows, reporting structures, behaviors, and even their identity within the company can all be influenced.

Change management drives adoption and usage to deliver expected results and outcomes. So, here are some reasons your organization needs change management during a relocation:
  • Adoption contribution; ROI
  • Equip individuals to adopt change and show their value
  • Increase the likelihood of project success; mitigate risk

A change management approach will help you to effectively manage the transition of employees during a relocation to enhance engagement. This ensures an energizing and positive start of the change to the new work environment. It also demonstrates that you have you have the emotional welfare of your employees, your most valuable assets, in mind. This in turn improves employee retention and employee buy-in to the changes.

Avoiding Change Management Road Blocks
Early and accurate communication is a key component to managing change. By engaging those impacted by an office relocation, you provide them an opportunity to understand the project, ask questions, raise legitimate concerns, and appreciate why certain decisions were made. It also provides you the opportunity to make adjustments to valid concerns. Showing your ability to listen and accommodate reasonable requests builds trust and promotes a more successful outcome.

Especially during a relocation, employees will be uncertain and resistant to change. The best way to gain employee buy-in is to include your employees in the process:
  • Hold planning sessions
  • Build a change team
  • Assign a Change Ambassador
  • Conduct office surveys to get their input
  • Establish a change team kick-off meeting and goals

Communicate the Expectations During a Relocation
Because moving is stressful and time consuming, emotions can run high, and employees need to feel supported. Most importantly, practical and timely communication should be at the heart of the change program. Ease the stress by communicating regularly and planning thoroughly.
Provide ongoing training and education. During a move, let your employees know where they are sitting and how to find their new location and any shared files or supplies they might need. Communicate specific expectations, timelines, and deadlines for any move-related activities. Finally, show them how to use new technology such as new phone systems, computers, and more.
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Prepare for the Unexpected
Very rarely does a relocation go completely as planned. There will be last-minute changes before, during, and after the relocation. For example, the furniture doesn’t fit right in the office; the computers don’t boot up properly; the phones don’t work properly. Whatever the problem, your professional mover is there to support you. Once the relocation is complete—celebrate. Celebrate the success to reinforce the change and make your employees feel welcome in their new workspace.

Member Diversity Spotlight

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Cheryl Flynn
Director of Human Resources, Wiley Rein
Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

How do you try to bring diversity/inclusion into your workplace and everyday life?
By sharing my life experiences and raising awareness. 

I share my story as an immigrant who came here in the US in 1981 at the age of 14 and was bullied for being different and looking different.  I often discover that people are just not aware how their words can inflict hurt because they were spoken without thoughts or awareness of their audience.  I thought it would be up to me not to take things personally but rather educate people so that they are more thoughtful with their words and actions.

I was once asked how it felt to be in an inter-racial relationship.  I found the question odd as I did not even think that I was in an inter-racial relationship until someone brought that to my attention.  Yet, the person who asked me did not think there was anything wrong with the question.  At a Chinese Restaurant, I was standing with a group of people waiting to be seated by a hostess.  A couple came in and immediately came to me to ask me to seat them.  My friends who were with me were mortified.  I turned the situation from awkward to funny when I asked the couple if they wanted the smoking or non-smoking section, and then followed up with, “I was just kidding.”  I then informed them that the hostess will be out shortly to assist them as I did not work at the restaurant.

What does diversity mean to you?
To me diversity means differences.  Individuals are different from each other.  However, when those differences are embraced and even respected, the world will be a better place.

What do you like to do outside of work?
​I like to spend time with my family, travel, read books and play Candy Crush on my phone! 😊

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, Cindy.Conover@Shearman.com; Valerie Williamson, valerie.williamson@bassberry.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: Cheryl Flynn (Chair), cflynn@wileyrein.com; Beth Fowler (Co-Chair), bfowler@robbinsrussell.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: Sheri Shifflett (Chair), Cheryl.Shifflett@saul.com; Valerie Williamson, valerie.williamson@bassberry.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: Dot Mooney (Co-Chair), dmooney@powerslaw.com​; LaVerne Anenia (Co-Chair), LaVerne.Anenia@dbr.com


Educational Communities

Branch Office Administrators
The Branch Office Adminsitrators Community focuses on a broad range of topics of interest to local adminisraotrs who must coordinate with other officees of their firms. The Community'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: Barbara Kernus (Chair), bkernus@gsblaw.com; Joanna Hurt (Co-Chair), jhurt@mccarter.com
Listserv: branch@lists.alacapchap.org
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Office Operations Management
The members of the Office Operations Management Community 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:  Kenia Garner (Chair), kenia.garner@pillsburylaw.com; Jacqueline Keener (Co-Chair), jackie.keener@threecrownsllp.com
Listserv: ooms@lists.alacapchap.org
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: Matthew Cichocki (Chair), mcichocki@cooley.com; Judi Heston (Co-Chair), jheston@nixonpeabody.com
Listserv: ipadmin@lists.alacapchap.org



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Small Firm Administrators
The purpose of the Small Firm Administrators Community 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 Community meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at host law firms.

Contact: Valerie Williamson (Chair), valerie.williamson@bassberry.com; Tabatha Harris (Co-Chair), tsh@dwgp.com  
Listserv: smallfirm@lists.alacapchap.org


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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: Tiffany Montgomery (Chair), tmontgomery@velaw.com; Cindy Schuler (Co-Chair), cindy.schuler@hugheshubbard.com

Listserv: hr@lists.alacapchap.org

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. 

Contact: Kate Fettrow (Chair), kfettrow@wileyrein.com; Amy Walkowiak (Co-Chair), awalkowiak@dcwhitecollar.com 
Listserv: nextgen@lists.alacapchap.org