November 2018

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: Jenna Carter; BlackBox IP; Adams & Martin Group; Cameron Gowan; Jackie Thomas; Matthew Cichocki; Monique Terrell; Mehrdad Assadi
Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis


In this issue:

President's Message

Jenna Carter

New and Returning ALA Capital Chapter Members

 Darcy Suarez
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Office Manager
1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
[email protected]

Members on the Move

Please join us in wishing the following member well in her new position:
Monique Terrell
Office Administrator
Fox Rothschild LLP
1030 15th Street, N.W.
Suite 380 East
Washington, D.C. 20005
[email protected]

Tech Evolution in IP

BlackBox IP 

​Technology has empowered and transformed multiple businesses and verticals.  Over the last few years, Intellectual Property has followed this trend at a rapid rate.  New players are getting ahead of the game and innovating technologies, which can potentially change the way we currently manage our business.  Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Block Chain technologies will also play a much larger role in the IP world.

What is driving this change?
Corporate in-house teams are constantly pressured for more output with less budget.  Law firms are seeing the pressure of fixed fee contracts and reduced margins at current operating models. Technology can help drive efficiencies, mitigate risks and reduce hard costs, e.g., extensions, late filing official fees, RCEs due to missing references, etc.

How will this change evolve?
Unlike other businesses, IP is very unique.  Law firms have their own way of doing things.  Even attorneys within the same organization follow different practices that are best suited to their industry vertical and clients.  In light of this, a “one size fits all” approach cannot work. 
The USPTO has taken the lead and significantly invested in upgrading their technology.  Global Dossier was created for retrieving foreign office actions.  Financial Manager has changed the way official fees are paid.  Patent Center is expected to go live in 2020, and there are discussions of an API further down the road.  Access to relevant prior art is another recent initiative.

Today, paralegals and administrative staff are spending many hours seeking patent data from multiple resources.  With improved technology, docketing tasks will be automated allowing resources to focus on manually reviewing exceptions. 

Day to day activities are typically driven by attorney instructions and docket reports.  Technology can change this – it can help identify urgent vs. “not-so-urgent” activities.  You no longer have to wait for a paralegal review of an office action to identify next steps.  With Artificial Intelligence, technology can identify this for you, thereby reducing the risk of missing a deadline or not having enough time for a critical filing. 

Blockchain / Collaboration frameworks will enable seamless sharing of information.  Workflows can be integrated.  A status change of a foreign filing may be automatically updated in your docketing systems.

What does this mean for IP Administrators?
As IP Administrators, you will be responsible for evaluating and driving these changes within your organization.  Below are some of the key decision making challenges:

1. Do I need to change?
  • This is a critical question.  One has to make a choice between “proactive” and “reactive” change.
  • Today, IP processes are vulnerable to human errors.  Head count doesn’t increase in the same proportion as work volumes.  Attrition also adds to the overhead of hiring and training new resources.
  • Technology can help you manage this risk.  Identify your high risk areas proactively.  Waiting for a major error event to consider a change can prove costly. 
  • Talk to your trusted partners to brainstorm ideas of how technology can benefit internal processes.  

2. How do I perform a cost benefit analysis?
A common challenge for IP Operations personnel includes:  “I like the product, it will absolutely help reduce risk within our organization. How do I get this approved by management?”
  • Perform a cost benefit analysis to quantify the efficiency gains and estimate hard savings.  Would this change help retain a key customer?  Will this change give you an advantage over your competition?
  • Seek help from your technology vendor.  Ask for models that are being used by other organizations including your peers or even your competition.  Is this change profitable?  Will it make your team more efficient?  Will it help you reduce costs?  Can it benefit your client?
  • Ultimately, profitability matters.  A detailed cost benefit analysis will not only help you seek your partners’/managers’ approval, it will also help you measure success at a later date.

3. How do I benchmark new performance metrics for my team? 
  • Today, law firm paralegals are incentivized for billable hours.  Technology will make them more efficient and will allow them to do administrative tasks faster.  How do we now benchmark their performance metrics?
  • Your cost benefit analysis can help identify new metrics for evaluating performance of your team.  You will need to re-align performance goals of the team to the “new” normal.

November 2018 Diversity Observances

November is National Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans.

Click here for the full list of November 2018 observances

Adams & Martin Group: Improve the “Candidate Experience” to Attract and Sign Top Legal Talent

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Adams & Martin Group

With the national unemployment rate at a 49-year low, finding and hiring the best legal talent is more challenging than ever. In this market, your organization must stand out above the competition in order to attract legal professionals. One of the ways you can accomplish this is by improving the experience of applying and interviewing for a position.
 
Salary and benefits remain the top reasons why job seekers accept or reject an offer. However, when a candidate is considering two offers with similar compensation packages, they will often opt for the company that provided the best candidate experience. What exactly is “the candidate experience?” It’s every part of the process the candidate encounters, from the job posting to social media interactions to the interviews. Your organization can improve the candidate experience by enhancing each of these steps along the way.
 
Start with a Strong Post
The job post is the very first touch point most employees have with your organization – it’s the first introduction to who you are, what you do, and how this role contributes to the overall purpose of your organization. Be sure to include your logo, easy-to-scan bullet points about essential responsibilities, and straightforward key words so that the post shows up in searches. Beyond the basics, make sure to include information about what makes your organization unique and why a legal professional would want to work there.
 
Create a Positive Social Media Presence
It’s no secret we live in a digital world. When a candidate first sees a potential career opportunity, the first thing they’ll do is browse your Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and any other social media pages. According to Glassdoor, 83% of job seekers research company reviews and ratings before applying for a job. Be proactive about establishing a positive social media presence through regular, informative posts that make your organization stand out. Across your social media channels, your organization’s culture and purpose should be your building blocks. All of your communication should express both.
 
Streamline Your Process
Take a hard look at your application and interview process from the candidate’s point of view. Does your interview process languish for weeks without decisions? Are there excessively lengthy forms for applicants to fill out? CareerBuilder reports that 60% of applicants have quit an online application because of the length or complexity.
 
See what you can do to condense the time frame of your interview process, including only those who are essential in the decision-making process. When you do begin your interviews, outline the process for your candidates. At Adams & Martin Group, we have found that we may lose a great candidate if an interview is not scheduled within three to five days. Keep your candidates engaged and show them courtesy by following up with emails to let them know where you are in the process. When you’ve made the decision to move forward with an individual, be sure your offer is competitive since today’s top candidates are receiving multiple offers.
 
To increase the number of top candidates who accept your offers, legal organizations should actively manage the candidate experience, creating positive interactions from the moment a candidate first encounters a job post to the moment an offer is extended.
 
Adams & Martin Group places temporary, temporary-to-hire, and direct hire legal professionals at every level within law firms and corporate legal departments. In addition, they have specialized divisions with expertise in Litigation Solutions and Attorney Search. Among numerous accolades, Adams & Martin Group has been recognized by Inavero for “Best of Staffing”® - Client and by Staffing Industry Analysts as a “Best Staffing Firm to Work For.”

Ed Ross Regional Scholarship Winner Recap

Cameron Gowan
Library Services Manager, Jones Day
Co-Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

I attended the West Regional Legal Management Conference held in Austin, Texas as the recipient of the Edward Ross Scholarship. Ed was a long-term, active member of the Capital Chapter as well as past-President. During his long leadership tenure, he avidly promoted educational opportunities in the legal administration field. Thank you to Ed for providing me with this unique opportunity and to his support of the Capital Chapter during his life.
 
Jean Pimental of the Jacksonville Florida Chapter and I attended the session: Does Gender Influence Negotiation Outcomes? Mary Redmond presented this session.  She is a fantastic presenter and author.  She authored “FearLess Negotiator” and has been in the legal and finance industry for 25 years.
 
The simple answer to the session title is a resounding “YES”, gender does matter.  To be a more successful negotiator Mary recommends a few suggestions:

  1.  Always say YES to opportunities.
  2. Never stop asking for more opportunities.
  3. Understand that everything in life is a negotiation (what time you set your alarm clock, what you wear in the morning, what space you park your car in…).
 
There are some adjectives that describe women and men that can be very different:
 
Women                                                      Men
Aggressive                                                Assertive
Emotional                                                 Logical
Submissive                                               Stands Firm
Manipulative                                            Direct
 
Mary suggests that just knowing these differences can help you to better understand individual biases and can get you closer to a more beneficial outcome to your negotiation.
 
Mary also recommends keeping in mind the mentality of Kenny Rogers: know when to hold them, know when to fold them, and know when to walk away.
 
A few other ideas that Mary mentioned are:
  • How critical is this relationship to you?
  • Give the other party some warning if you plan to walk away so as to give them a chance to be more lenient on their perspective.
  • Always leave the door open.
 
Everyone takes seven seconds to make a first impression and to sum up an impression for the other party.  We take seven seconds to sum up their education, economic level, trustworthiness, sex role identification, ethnic background, sophistication level and their social class.  Being consciously aware that we all make these assumptions will help us to be more self-aware and make better decisions based on facts.
 
The last tip that Mary gave us to be better negotiators is when not to apologize:
  • Right before you speak.
  • If you are in insecure or unsure.
  • Before delivering bad news.
  • When it is not your fault.
 
As a first time attendee, I attended many educational seminars and networking opportunities and met vendor partners throughout the conference.  I appreciated how open and friendly everyone was at the conference and it was great fun to be back in my home state, the great state of Texas.  Thanks, Y’all! 

D&I Panel: The Business Case Has Been Stated - Now What Can I Do to Contribute?

Jackie Thomas
DC Office Administrator, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Chair, Branch Office Administrators Community

On October 15, 2018, the Capital Chapter Diversity & Inclusion Committee presented a Diversity Panel: The Business Case Has Been Stated – Now What Can I Do to Contribute?  The panel consisted of Sophia Pilouras, President, MCCA Advisory Practice (former law firm attorney), Kimberly A. McKelvey, Director of Strategic Focus and Director of Diversity, Kutak Rock LLP, Dinesh Melwani, Partner, Bookoff McAndrews, LLP, William J. Barrow, Associate, Mayer Brown LLP, and Kendal Tyre, Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP.  Manar Morales, President and CEO of Diversity & Flexibility Alliance moderated the panel discussion. 
 
With such a varying population on the panel, it was no surprise that a multitude of topics were covered by the panelists, and each panelist brought a different perspective than the next.  Some believed in formal processes and affinity groups to gain inclusiveness, others believed to advance we must meet people where they are, and therefore if the business plan is the way to make the case for D&I, then do the diversity, while still others felt we should not make diversity “a thing” because of the business case alone.  The “why” needs to be because it is important to us all.  We should live D&I. 
 
Attendees got a better picture of the overall problem by being given statistics like 1/4th of attorneys are minorities, but only 1/10th ever make partner.  What is not measured, is not managed.  Also, firms typically hire from the top 10% of law schools, and the top 10% of the class.  If you look past pedigree and hire from schools not in the top 10% or those not in the top 10% of the class, you may find that grades aren’t always indicative of performance. 
 
One firm treats diversity initiatives similar to pro bono hour requirements and provides attorneys a set amount of hours a year they can bill to diversity events and they make it a part of their year-end evaluation.   One panelist said initiatives are born and then they die, so you need systemic changes for it to stay.  Another suggestion you could implement is to have a meeting monitor to make sure that every voice is heard at a meeting.  It was also clear that most firms struggle with inclusion of staff among diversity programs and affinity groups and that we all need to do better to include staff in these activities. 
 
Here are a few substantial takeaways on how staff supervisors and management can advance the needle on a personal level.  Consider your role in the law firm first.  What is your connection to recruiting and hiring?  Can you infuse simple best practices into how your firm recruits?  Do you send office or group emails and can remind people about national days that are coming up?  Do you go to meetings and can talk about upcoming MLK Jr. events or Pride parades or opportunity to volunteer?  Include the staff in these events.  In Verna Myers words - Diversity is being invited to the party; Inclusion is being asked to dance.

Impending USPTO Changes:  A Brief Introduction to MyUSPTO.gov

Matthew Cichocki
Patent and Trademark Services Manager, Cooley LLP
Co-Chair, IP Administrators Community

​The USPTO’s systems for electronic filing and viewing patent applications, namely EFS-Web and Private PAIR, are critical and used daily by all organizations, individuals and vendors in the IP community. A new combined filing and viewing system called “Patent Center” is being developed and under alpha testing at the time of this writing and is expected to replace legacy systems in 2020. While this is exciting news, there is a very major and important change underway for how people will access EFS-Web and Private PAIR in mid-December 2018.
 
Boiled down to a very simple process, current access to EFS-Web and Private PAIR is accomplished by registered practitioners applying for digital certificates (aka PKI’s) that are utilized in conjunction with a password. Certainly there are challenges with the PKI’s when they randomly expire, not to mention there are “new” and “old” methods of authentication depending on what browser is used, but let’s digress since PKI’s are going away.
 
MyUSPTO.gov: In October 2016, the USPTO moved to a new payment platform called Financial Manager which was the trigger for many folks to create a MyUSPTO.gov account. EFS-Web (and other systems) prompt a filer to login with their MyUSPTO.gov account to pay fees with a stored payment method (deposit account, credit card, etc.). It was well established that these accounts would be how the future system (“Patent Center”) was accessed and would replace PKI’s. Further, for those that pay with deposit account, registered practitioners that sign papers should have established a MyUSPTO.gov account and be an authorized “Fee Payer” to avoid payment rejections.
 
Fast forward to the USPTO accelerating the timetable for establishing these accounts and retiring PKI’s, causing the community to scramble and work through all of the kinks. If you are a registered practitioner, staff member, independent inventor, essentially anybody that uses EFS-Web or Private PAIR, there are some critical steps you need to know about and act on.  Below is a brief outline and the USPTO has a terrific page that explains all of the changes and what you need to know (link).
 
  1. Create a MyUSPTO.gov account.  These are needed for all (not just registered practitioners) that pay USPTO fees in general (patent, trademark, PTAB) and those that access EFS-Web or Private PAIR.  Account creation is pretty straight forward and bear in mind these accounts are portable and tied to the individual, not the organization.
  2. Associate your MyUSPTO.gov account with a stored payment (credit/debit card, deposit account, or EFT) method for ease of paying fees.  If not establishing a new deposit account, an administrator of the current deposit account controls setup and assigns appropriate permissions.  An administrator can see everybody associated with the stored payment method and has the power to add and remove people as needed.
  3. Setup your MyUSPTO.gov account for dual-factor authentication to be required upon login.  You can either have the unique code sent to your email upon each login, you can use an authenticator app on your device, or you can receive a phone call with the code.
  4. Migrate your PKI.  This is a step for practitioners only that requires them to login with their PKI, login with their MyUSPTO.gov account, and apply their s signature.   Some common issues or things to be aware of about migration:
    • PKI login error?  Typically calling the USPTO and having them refresh something on their end will do the trick.
    • Login to MyUSPTO.gov account is not doing anything? You likely did not check the correct box in step 3 above indicating you always want to use dual-factor and/or you did not scroll to the bottom of the page during the process and save your changes.
    • The signature page is a great time for the practitioner to review all customer numbers they are associated with and detect potential issues, such as still being associated with a prior firm’s customer number.
    • Any stumbling block requiring a call to the USPTO’s Electronic Business Center (EBC) can take 10+ minutes which is less than ideal for any practitioner.
  5. Practitioners sponsor staff to work on their behalf.  The USPTO is holding information sessions this month about this and many questions remain, but here are some basics that we know to be true. Practitioners enter the email address of the staff person they want to sponsor (said staff member must have their own MyUSPTO.gov account). Practitioners cannot sponsor other practitioners and the connection with them lies with customer numbers.  Once a staff person is sponsored, they can make additional suggested sponsorships for the practitioner which may be very useful for larger organizations. However, the practitioner has to physically accept each sponsored person on their end and they should be able to accept 50 at one time.
 
This is an incredibly major change for the IP community that certainly has advantages (e.g. increased security).  It also presents challenges and areas to consider (e.g. sponsorship and practitioners role in the process as well as not having visibility into all sponsorships that exist at an organizational level).  It is important that all that interact with USPTO systems prepare for this major change.  It is also important to keep an open line of communication with the USPTO’s eCommerce Modernization (‘eMod’) team on these and future changes and you can learn more about eMod here.    

Extraordinary Businesses, Extraordinary Relationships 

Monique Terrell
Office Administrator, Fox Rothschild LLP
Vice President-Elect Business Partner Advisory

As the Capital Chapter celebrates 45 years of successful service to our members and partnerships with our business partners, we also want to celebrate the successful business partner relationships that play a key role in the success of the Chapter as well as helping us become effective leaders in our firms.  We have members and business partners who have thrived on long-term relationships since the inception of our chapter and as we grow and evolve, new relationships are developing. I recently interviewed long-time business partner Joanna Davis of Legal Placements to find out three key factors on how she has maintained her long-standing partnership with the Capital Chapter.

What are three key factors that have contributed to your long-term, successful partnership with the ALACC?

1) The Capital Chapter is very inclusive to the Business Partners which is something that has been very beneficial.  They ask for ideas and feedback from the Business Partners, which speaks to their encouragement to have the Business Partners actively involved in the program. 

2) There are also the educational programs that we are able to attend as a Business Partner.   The Chapter is committed to their investment in these programs and we are grateful to be able to attend and participate.

3) One of my favorite parts of the program is the Chapter’s commitment to the community.  Over the years’ I have watched this section develop and grow.  The Community Service Section has made significant contributions to our community.  

I also interviewed long-time member Kristine Miller, Administrator at Wenderoth regarding her successful partnership with new business partner Patriot Shredding.

With tons of options in the marketplace, what are three key factors that contributed to your decision to partner with Patriot?

1) Reliability

2) Competitive rates
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3) Professionalism of entire Patriot team

The Capital Chapter continues to thrive through these valued relationships and invite each and every member to join in this success by partnering with our Business Partners. 

45th Anniversary Celebration Video

Time flies when you're having fun - the Capital Chapter is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year! To mark the occasion, some of the Capital Chapter's Past Presidents, along with current President Jenna Carter, got together to reflect upon their experiences and celebrate what makes the Capital Chapter great. Take a look:
​Thank you to all of the members, Business Partners, and volunteer leaders - both past and present - who have helped to shape the Capital Chapter into the robust and thriving community that it is today. We look forward to the great things we will continue to accomplish together, and the continuation of the Capital Chapter's 45 year legacy of commitment to education, community, and service. Happy 45th Anniversary Capital Chapter!

IP 24/7 – Are You Prepared?

Mehrdad Assadi
Chief Technology Officer,Patrix IP Helpware

Law firms that aren’t able to provide clients with easy and secure access to their IP records aren’t just behind the technology curve, they risk being completely outpaced by the speed of change. It’s time to embrace data management technologies, writes Mehrdad Assadi, Chief Technology Officer at Patrix IP Helpware.
 
It’s not news that law firms are under pressure from clients to provide round-the-clock access to their data, and yet many firms are still not set up to do so. Lack of IT resources or expertise, concerns over data security and liability, anxieties over data quality and accuracy, lack of time or appetite, and reliance on multiple legacy systems are just some of the biggest barriers to change.
 
Handling large volumes of sensitive and valuable data for multiple stakeholders is demanding. However, rather than shy away from that challenge, firms should be looking to capitalize on the technology and tools that exist to drive efficiencies and profitability, without compromising security or accuracy.
 
Clients are asking firms to lower their prices for routine back-office work. The stark reality is that you can’t do that if you’re still entering, validating or reporting on data manually.
 
Benchmarking your business
Do your clients think your firm is old fashioned? These days that’s also likely to mean they think you’re charging them for work that could or should be automated, or otherwise made more efficient.
 
Of course, client pressure on costs or demands for 24/7 access to their data shouldn’t be your only prompt to change. Any ambitious and forward-looking law firm will want to streamline and modernize its business to ensure its current and future success. Without the right systems and technology in place, however, you could be missing opportunities to effect that change.
 
Such has been the speed of technological development, it’s no longer simply a question of selecting and implementing the right IP management software however. This kind of business transformation should not be approached as a one-off project; instead, it needs to be viewed as an ongoing process of evolution and adaptation. Your firm may need to completely revisit the ways it manages and processes data if it is to fully embrace the opportunities offered by the digital age.
 
The modern face of IP: automation and data standardization
Gone are the days of the law firm as the sole data owner of its clients’ IP assets. Modern IP management systems and workflows enable greater collaboration between firm and client, and key suppliers and stakeholders, such as agents, inventors or patent and trademark offices.
 
This in turn reduces duplication of effort and labour-intensive data entry; minimizes the headaches of correspondence and document management; and streamlines the process of acquiring and protecting IP assets. Rather than dedicating time to manually docketing data or downloading reports for clients, staff can be redeployed onto more strategic tasks, such as verifying data quality or on data mining, for example. Facilitating ‘communication’ with patent and trademark offices also enables the automatic verification of records.
 
This last point should be of particular interest if data accuracy is hampering your attempts to give your clients access to their records. The key to triggering the value inherent in all data is confidence in data quality. By embracing the collaboration and data standardization tools that are now being offered by modern IP management systems, those old anxieties can easily be overcome.
 
Machine learning, the first steps towards AI
Although not in itself a new technology, machine learning (ML) has recently come to prominence as a key technology trend in the IP sector. It comprises techniques for handling large volumes of data intelligently, and opens up new and exciting opportunities for data analysis and problem-solving across a range of industries, including IP.
 
Simply put, computer systems use designs and algorithms to learn from, and develop behavior based on, empirical data. This can help organizations to streamline risk management by anticipating events and outcomes, and supports and informs decision-making and data mining. These algorithms are already being applied to a wide variety of IP tasks, from document review to risk prediction, including predicting the outcome of IP legislation. Vendors are also putting ML-based modules into IP management systems, and this trend looks set to explode in the coming years.
 
Technology is continuing to evolve
It is not scaremongering to state that the window is closing on the time firms have left to embrace technology, even in an industry as traditionally slow moving and protectionist as the legal sector. If you are lagging behind the technology and your competitors, now is the time to act, but where should you begin?
If lack of time and resources, or a reliance on multiple legacy systems, is your biggest barrier to change, then the best place to begin is by scoping out the project and the time and effort that will be required to implement it. By documenting the process, it naturally becomes less daunting, and will enable you to properly schedule and organize the work.
 
Lack of appetite at the top of the firm is most easily addressed by setting out clearly the business case for change (and the likely impact of not doing so). Despite the effort that may be required, there are major financial benefits for your firm in automation and data standardization.
 
Concerns over data security, as well as lack of internal IT specialists, can be overcome with the right supplier. Be sure to partner with an IP management vendor, however, that not only delivers the technology and ongoing support you need, but also one that is also continuing to invest in the development of its own technology and services. (This is rarer than you might suppose.)
 
Ultimately, the goal for all organizations is to use technology to organize, understand and make better use of data. Here, the right platform can be a game changer. By structuring, verifying and quality assuring data, you will be better able to analyse your clients’ assets, provide them with 24/7 access to accurate records, and use machine learning to help them to budget and plan future activity. This brings great value both to a business and its legal advisors.

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, [email protected]; Valerie Williamson, [email protected]; Paula Serratore, [email protected]

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: Ellen Clinton (Chair), [email protected];  Cameron Gowan (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Salary Survey
The Salary Survey Committee is responsible for maintaining, updating and running the local survey each year. They review the positions listed, the job descriptions, and the benefits questions to ensure that the survey remains relevant to the end users. The members of the committee also promote the survey within the Chapter to stimulate participation. 

Contact: Julie Tomey (Chair), [email protected]; Sheri Shifflett (Co-Chair), [email protected] 






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: Sarahi Estrella (Chair), [email protected] ; Dot Mooney (Co-Chair), [email protected]​


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: Jackie Thomas (Chair), [email protected]; Anjanette Milladge (Co-Chair), [email protected] 
Listserv: [email protected]
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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:  Linda Padron (Chair), [email protected]; Janice Byrum-Jackson (Co-Chair),  [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
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: Astrid Emond (Chair), [email protected]; Matthew Cichocki (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]



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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: Wilmara Guido-Chizhik (Chair), [email protected]; Jo Jo Ruby (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]


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Next Generation Leaders
The mission of the Next Generation Leaders Community is to support our next generation of leaders and close the gap faced by our association and the legal industry as a whole by providing a community for Millennial legal managers and new managers in the legal field with a focus on mentoring, education, and networking. To accomplish this goal, the section hosts monthly meetings, pop-up events, and educational sessions, and provides 2-way mentoring opportunities. 

Contact: Danielle Smith (Chair), [email protected]; Tania Jose (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
Human Resources
The Human Resources Community operates as a venue for educational information on global human resources issues.  While the Community is mostly comprised of HR professionals, any member is invited to participate in the meetings which typically take place on the second or third Wednesday of each month.  The meetings feature industry speakers or roundtable discussions on topics such as recruiting, benefits, strategic planning, performance management, career pathing, retention and other matters of interest.

Contact: Jasmine Stribling (Chair), [email protected]; Tiffany Montgomery (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]
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Technology
The Technology Community is looking for members to join the group for lively discussions about practical situations we all face daily in the information technology world. With ever-changing IT needs and issues, we will look at our firms' policies and procedures and help develop best practices and speak of the many concerns we all have. Even if you are not in the IT field,  your experiences and opinions will help us in bringing all departments of a law firm together and working on the same page.

Contact: Kenny Mitchell (Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]