May 2022

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: Emmanuel Adedigba, Tabatha Harris
​Contributing Editors: Destiny Graham
Newsletter Published By: Aubrey Silverman, MPA


In this issue:

President's Message

Spring has sprung! Along with April showers bringing beautiful May flowers, I’ve noticed a buzz around town with people returning to the office on a regular (although hybrid) basis.  Indeed, we are seeing the return of traffic jams, but it is a welcome sight to see people out and about again. 
In March and April, we welcomed tourists back to our city for the Cherry Blossom Festival, and once again, we are seeing chartered buses filled with students on class trips to the Nation’s Capital, which reminds us of how unique it is to work in Washington, D.C.  In late April, we celebrated Administrative Professionals’ Week to a huge success at our firms, many of which were celebrated in person for the first time in several years.  It’s been a long while, but things are actually beginning to feel “normal”, and it is exhilarating for many of us.
Unfortunately, the excitement of emerging from the doldrums of winter and the pandemic is not felt by all.  A number of our colleagues, friends and family members struggle with feelings of isolation and depression, which were exacerbated by the stresses of the past two years.  We all know it is important to an individual’s quality of life to maintain a balanced sense of emotional and psychological well-being. Therefore, in recognition of this need and in honor of Mental Awareness Month, the Chapter has provided numerous resources on our website under the “Mental Health Matters” link.  The organizations and information listed under Mental Health Matters are designed to provide tools to those that might be struggling.  Please share these resources with your personal and professional network, and encourage your contacts to reach out to anyone who may need help.
Just as you are doing so much for your firms and families, Chapter leadership wants you to know how much we appreciate you. We understand the importance of reconnecting with each other and with our Business Partners, and we are dedicated to creating opportunities for our ALA community to come together throughout the year.  Listed below are meetings planned for the coming weeks, and don’t forget to check the Chapter calendar for updates and additions.
Upcoming Chapter events:
  • June 8: Networking Happy Hour for Chapter members and Business Partners at Bar Deco
  • July 13: Quarterly Networking Luncheon and Business Partner Mini-Expo, location TBD
I hope to see many of you at these events, and I am available to meet with all of our members and Business Partners at any time.  

​With sincere thanks for your support,
Janeanne R. Gorman
​President, Capital Chapter

Legal Operations Return-to-Office Checklist

Legal Operations Community

The Legal Operations Community formed a subgroup to draft a Return-to-Office Checklist.  The Checklist we came up with is listed below. As firms return to the workplace, we thought sharing the checklist would be helpful.  A special thank you to Christina Albert (Van Ness Feldman LLP), Kenia Garner (Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP), Virginia Hannums (Spiegel & McDiarmid LLP), Angela Tyson (Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP), Sarahi Estrella (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP), Carmen Barboza (Crowell & Moring LLP), Linda Padron (Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP), and Stephanie Sears (Thomas Eye Group). 

1. Health
  • What is your policy on vaccinations?
  • Will you collect vaccination cards?
  • What is the mask policy for employees?
  • Will you require employees to social distance when in the office?
  • Will you ask all employees to complete a health attestation form, or only non-vaccinated employees?
  • Will you require non-vaccinated employees to take COVID Test?  What frequency?
  • Will you ask employees to find their own testing vendor or will you hire a COVID testing vendor for the employees to utilize? Who pays for testing?
  • Given the variant, will you require intermittent COVID testing even for vaccinated employees?  If so, how often and who pays?
  • Do employees need daily pre-approval to come into the office?
  • What is your telework policy for employees?
  • Will you allow employees to work alternate schedules?
  • Will you allow employees to use public transportation?
  • Will you provide lunch to employees to keep them from leaving the office after arriving in the office for the day?
  • Will you acknowledge the tough year each employee has endured?
  • Will you/the landlord hire a vendor to perform electrostatic cleaning?
  • What is your policy and procedure for when an employee working in the office exhibits signs or becomes COVID positive?
 2. Visitors/Events
  • What is your mask policy for visitors?
  • Will you ask visitors to complete a health attestation form?
  • Will you limit visitors to visit only certain portions of your office?
  • Will you provide food in meetings with visitors?
  • Will you provide only “take-away” meals at meetings to encourage employees to unmask and eat separately at their desk/other areas?
  • Will you allow in-office events?  Up to how many attendees?
  • Will you provide masks to visitors?
  • Will you have different policies for client visitors vs. vendor visitors?
  • Will you require vendor visitors to be vaccinated and/or masked at all times?
 3. Space/Equipment/IT
  • Will you set up PPE supply areas throughout your offices (wipes, sanitizer, gloves and masks)?
  • Should IT survey each workspace to ensure all equipment is set up and ready for work?
  • Does IT need to be in the office daily during the RTO transition?
  • Should facilities survey each workspace for missing furniture?
  • Should you install Plexiglas at the receptionist desk?
  • Should you install Plexiglas at employee workstations?
  • Should you provide webcams for certain workstations? all workstations?
  • Do you need to test each printer and change the toner?
  • Are your conference rooms ready for Zoom/Teams access?
  • Will you encourage the continuation of hosting meetings using Teams, Zooms, etc. even when returned to the office rather than in-person?
​4. Signage and Other
  • Do you need to put up signage to notify employees/vendors of current COVID-19 policy (masking, etc.)?
  • Do you need to develop an employee communication plan?
  • Do you need to re-do your new hire orientation in person for those employees who started during the pandemic?
 5. First Day
  • Will you send a welcome email to employees upon their return to office?  
    • Include photos of the office in that message?
    • Bring your key fob
    • Bring a mask
  • Send employees a map to find PPP stations set up throughout the office (wipes, hand sanitizer and masks)?
  • Will you provide employees a “welcome back swag bag” on their first day?
  • For any new hires during COVID-19, have you made arrangements to verify in person the required I9 paperwork?
  • Will you provide employees advice regarding parking?
  • Will your building’s parking vendor allow two employees to share the same parking contract?
  • Turn back on/remind employees about your firm’s transit benefits?
  • Do employees need to sign up again for transit benefits?
  • Do employees need to wear a mask in the building’s lobby and only remove the mask once in the firm’s space?
  • If the employee can’t find their key fob, how do they get a new one?
  • Will you have a special summer dress code?
  • Provide employees parking advice?
  • Will you provide/continue to provide a COVID transportation benefit?
 6. Employee Events
  • Will you plan a welcome back event/lunch(s) for employees?
  • Will you encourage practice groups and departments to host events/lunches for employees?

High Hygiene Expectations at Work: Are You Meeting Them?

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

Employees Look for Pandemic Hygiene Protocols to Become Permanent
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans were made keenly aware of the significance of hygiene. Seemingly simple, everyday actions—frequently washing hands, using sanitizers, cleaning surfaces and the refraining from social norms (such as shaking hands)—had to be adapted almost religiously to guard against contagion.

We can safely say such practices went a long way in helping contain the spread. What is interesting, however, is that after 18 months of incorporating these practices into our daily lives, they’ve become habits. A diehard habit.

Enhanced Hygiene is Here to Stay 
Revealed in a survey by Essity, a leading global hygiene and health company, 84% of Americans are likely to continue the enhanced hygiene protocols—even after the pandemic has long receded in the rearview mirror. Beyond the homestead, 86% of Americans are expecting these hygienic practices to be maintained at all the public places they are starting to revisit: Healthcare facilities. Restaurants. Hotels. Theaters. Fitness centers. Retail stores. Sports arenas. Museums. But after having worked remotely for more than a year, 65% of employed Americans remain concerned about the cleanliness and hygiene of the office when they return.

What Employees Want
Getting employees back to the workplace has been presenting a challenge in industries and facilities across the board. Whatever concerns employees may harbor, a hygienic work environment need not be one of them.

Fortunately, that is one of the easiest concerns to overcome. It’s a matter of mindfulness: understanding what employees are expecting, continually staying in touch with them about those expectations, addressing them to their complete satisfaction, and always being open to suggestions. 

The heartening news is, 84% of Americans who’ve worked in an office previous to the pandemic have good faith that their employers will be creating a clean, safe environment for them. Even so, 58% would like to see an increase in the implementation of cleaning and sanitizing practices. Taking their cues from COVID-19, here are some of the measures employees would like to see:

Increased cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting.
The differences are important to note:
  • Cleaning removes dust, debris, and dirt from a surface by scrubbing, washing, and rinsing.
  • Sanitizing reduces the bacteria identified on the product’s label on surfaces.
  • Disinfecting destroys or inactivates both the bacteria and viruses identified on the product’s label (like influenza and rhinovirus) on hard, non-porous surfaces.

Hand sanitizer stations. These could be placed outside restrooms, in breakrooms, near elevators, in kitchens, at cafeteria entrances, near cash registers, at building entrances, and in lobbies—to name a few.

Hands-free restroom fixtures. Think motion-activated paper towel and soap dispensers. Employees and guests also appreciate the placement of an open trash receptacle by the restroom door when exiting, so they can touch the door handle with a paper towel and then easily drop it in the trash.

Increased communication and signage on safety and cleanliness protocols. Straightforward or expressed with humor, informing employees of what is being done in the name of safety will allay concerns. Also, gentle reminders of how employees can maintain a clean, safe workplace help to reinforce best practices and ensure that everyone is doing their part.

Higher-capacity paper towel dispensers in common areas and in bathrooms. Spills and messes can happen anywhere in an office, from the bathroom to the conference room, to one’s own desk space. Having enough paper towels handy means having one less stressor.
 
Yes, old habits can change!
Of the many things COVID has spotlighted, it’s one’s own pre-pandemic behavior. Personal hygiene habits, for better or for worse, were brought into sharp relief. Changing those old habits may have been a bit of a nuisance at first, but it was quickly realized to be a very small price to pay if it meant preventing not only oneself from contracting the virus, but also family, friends, and colleagues.

 In the aftermath of the pandemic, most reassuring is how those good habits are being carried through into the workplace. As employees return to the office, they take notice of positive changes in their co-workers’ behavior, engendering an “all-in-this-together” vibe as everyone does their due diligence in maintaining a healthy, safe environment for one another. Impressive stats support this:  
  • 57% are using hand sanitizer more often
  • 53% are washing hands more frequently
  • 51% are not engaging in the once “automatic” gesture of shaking hands
  • 41% are sanitizing and 37% are washing their hands after coughing or sneezing
  • 36% are washing or sanitizing their hands after touching public surfaces, with 35% washing hands for a longer duration 
  • 34% are wearing gloves to touch public surfaces 
  • 31% are drying hand with a towel/paper towel vs. air drying 
  • 30% are using other objects to touch public surfaces (elevator buttons, keypads, etc.)

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Originally appeared in AT ALA New: What's Happening at Headquarters March 2022

This aims to raise awareness and educate the public about mental illnesses and reduce the stigma that surrounds mental illnesses.  

For more support, please visit our page full of mental health resources: ALA Capital Chapter : Mental Health Matters (alacapchap.org)
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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 Community 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.

Contact:  Emmanuel Adedigba (Chair), EAdedigba@zuckerman.com; Tabatha Harris (Co-Chair), tsh@dwgp.com
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The mission of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is to advance the concepts of inclusiveness and acceptance in every organization by providing all Chapter members with information so that they can merge these concepts with their firm's policies, procedures, culture, and relationships to be more equitable and inclusive.  We not only strive to raise awareness, but also to increase our sensitivity in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion 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’ workforces and respond to our clients’ requirements for diversity. The DEI Committee meets on the first Wednesday of each month and we welcome all members to join us for discussion on how to further our mission in our firms and in our Chapter.  
 
Contact:  Tania Jose (Chair), tjose@kleinhornig.com, Angela Tyson (Co-Chair), atyson@axinn.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: Herb Abercrombie Jr. (Chair), HAbercrombie@jenner.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. If you would like more information and/or are interested in becoming an Ambassador, please contact the Chair or Co-Chair.

Contact: LaVerne Anenia (Chair), LaVerne.Anenia@dbr.com; Kim Santaiti-Potter (Co-Chair), kim.potter@alston.com


Educational Communities

Small Firm and Branch Office Administrators
The Small Firm and Branch Office Administrators Community focuses on a broad range of topics of interest to local administrators who must coordinate with other offices of their firms, as well as to provide administrators of law firms with 35 or fewer attorneys educational opportunities through vendor presentations, idea sharing and open forums specifically designed for those who work in smaller firms.. The Community's monthly luncheon meetings, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 12:30 pm, provide a venue for members to discuss issues of common interest, share ideas, and network. Members are encouraged to raise topics and to recommend speakers. 

Contact: Starr Pratt (Chair), spratt@ftlf.com; Lodora Barnes (Chair), lbarnes@sheppardmullin.com
Listserv: branch@lists.alacapchap.org and smallfirm@lists.alacapchap.org
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Legal Operations
The members of the Legal Operations Community represent a cross section of legal expertise from functional administrators to branch office managers. The Community meets on the second Thursday of each month at noon. We welcome all members to join the section, especially if you are an administrator in a small law office and you have to wear multiple hats. We can provide you with many best practices to run your operation smoothly.

Contact:  Janelle E. Rynes (Chair), janelle.rynes@arentfox.com
Listserv: legalops@lists.alacapchap.org
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: Brenda Simoes (Chair), bsimoes@reedsmith.com;  Julie Hooper (Co-Chair), jhooper@gibsondunn.com
Listserv: hr@lists.alacapchap.org

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Next Generation Leaders
The mission of the Next Generation Leaders Community is to support our next generation of leaders and close the gap faced by our association and the legal industry as a whole by providing a community for Millennial legal managers and new managers in the legal field with a focus on mentoring, education, and networking. To accomplish this goal, the section hosts monthly meetings, pop-up events, and educational sessions, and provides 2-way mentoring opportunities. 
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Contact: Ana Sobalvarro (Chair), asobalvarro@bomcip.com; Beth Fowler (Co-Chair), bfowler@robbinsrussll.com
Listserv: nextgen@lists.alacapchap.org