October 2014

Capital Connection is published monthly for members of the Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators to provide information for the education and benefit of legal administrators, law office managers, managing partners of law firms, and other law related associations. Capital Connection is not engaged in rendering legal, financial, or tax counseling or advice through this publication.  The contents of all articles, letters, and advertisements published in Capital Connection should not be considered endorsements by the Capital Chapter of ALA nor the opinion expressed therein of any products advertised.   Contributing authors are requested and expected to disclose financial an/or professional interests and affiliations that may influence their writing position. Articles and materials accepted for publication are subject to editing by the editorial team and become property of the Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. 

Editor: Paula Serratore; Cindy Conover   Contributing Editors: Joe Berger; Michelle Carnabuci; Jenna Carter; Scoti Dodson; Elizabeth West; Cheryl A. Shifflett Newsletter Designed By: Scoti Dodson


In this issue:

President's Message

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It has been another busy month within the chapter and I hope you took advantage of our programs and special events. Through the end of the year we continue to have some first-rate programs, so certainly do not forget our annual meeting and luncheon…or the Angel Tree program…or our Lunch & Learn…or the Happy Hour…or our all-day program divided into four great segments…and on and on. Look at the calendar. There must be at least a couple of programs of interest to you.

We had a great time hosting the Association’s Executive Director, Oliver Yandel, this past month as well. High on his list and always on his mind is how to make the ALA a stronger, more professional and a more widely recognized legal organization. He eagerly listened to our members and heard their ideas. Thanks to all of you who took the opportunity to meet with him.

I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event.

Joe Berger

New ALA Capital Chapter Members

Sophia C. Smith, PHR
Human Resources Manager
McDermott Will & Emery LLP
500 North Capitol Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Jason Kirby
Director of Office Services
Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll
1100 New York Ave NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
Vaughan W. Butts
Chief Risk Officer
Stinson Leonard Street
1775 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20006

On The Move

Janeanne R Gorman
Executive Director
Norris McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A.
721 Route 202-206 
Suite 200
Bridgewater, NJ 08807-5933
(908) 252-4298
[email protected]

Gunlocke Spotlight: Tucker Ellis Jettison's "Old School Law Firm" Look

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By: Michelle Carnabuci

ALACC Gold Partner, The Gunlocke Company, helps create new-generation lawyer offices with furnishings selected to reflect sleek efficient space…and attitude

When the renowned Tucker Ellis law firm outgrew its original offices in a venerable building in the heart of downtown Cleveland, management knew two things for certain when it came to a move. 

First, Tucker Ellis wanted to remain downtown. Second, it wanted to be an active contributor to the city’s redevelopment efforts.  
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So, since June 2013, the firm’s 128 lawyers, 109 administrative staff members and 39 paralegals have  served clients from  all new offices in Cleveland’s redeveloped Flats East Bank The firm’s new HQ, which spans four floors and 108,000 square feet, marks more than just a change of address. It also signifies a dramatic change in tradition and style.

“Moving to these new offices is like a switch between night and day,” notes David Hargis, Tucker Ellis’ chief operating officer. “Our old space was quintessential ‘old-school law firm’ in design and function, featuring a lot of dark wood and heavy furniture.”

In the former headquarters, offices varied in size. Some were as large as 20 by 12 feet, depending on a lawyer’s rank within the firm to connote a sense of hierarchy, with partners boasting larger spaces than associates. The firm’s design committee, in conjunction with architecture firm, ASD Architects of Atlanta, changed the game with the move. All attorney offices in the new HQ measure 10 by 14 feet – even the corner offices.

 “We fielded concerns about the reduced office sizes before we moved in,” recalls Denae Wunderle, Tucker Ellis’ director of office administration and human resources. “Those concerns vanished when our lawyers saw the new space.”

Compact office design drove furniture selection, as the new spaces couldn’t hold the traditional, heavy wood “lawyer” desks, credenzas and bookcases. The firm selected office and conference room solutions from ALA VIP Vendor The Gunlocke Company, the iconic 112-year-old private office furniture manufacturer based in Wayland, New York   which specializes in furnishings for government and the legal community, and features a recently remodeled showroom at 1331 F Street in Washington.  

Gunlocke’s forward-thinking casegoods collection, Silea, provided customizable flexibility and allowed the firm to maintain consistent on-trend design from office to office, thanks to the collection’s scalability of footprint and sleek, modern aesthetics.

All Silea configurations also feature easy-to-access, integrated power and data features for clean, simple wire management, giving the lawyers the ability to place technology anywhere on the worksurface.  The casegoods also are constructed from Gunlocke’s signature, durable and attractive engineered wood.

Because the Silea line can be configured in many ways, attorneys could choose from four different office layout options. The firm also offered, for each option, the choice of a standard work surface or an adjustable sit-to-stand feature. Three of the four options were u-shaped. Storage size and options varied among the layouts, combining mixes of overhead and lateral storage.

In order to let the attorneys try out the layout choices, Tucker Ellis set up makeshift vignettes of each configuration in the firm’s old space for two months. This gave the lawyers a chance to sit in each before they selected one for their own offices, a choice dependent on if they wanted to capitalize on storage, their work style or a floor-to-ceiling view out the window vs. a solution that wrapped around the window base.

“The most popular option has been the sit-to-stand solution,” Hargis says. “Now, those who didn’t initially choose it are asking if they can switch to it.”

Gunlocke’s contributions to this new, modern space didn’t stop at private offices. The company also installed Converge conference tables, featuring custom granite or glass tops, including a large, centerpiece table with a tapered granite top in a videoconferencing center. And, side side seating came from Gunlocke’s Camille line.

ALA Capital Chapter Business Partner Program

We have had another exceptional year with our Business Partners (BP) Program and it all stems from the enhancements we made to the program beginning in 2014.  It was our desire last year to increase the value of our BP program and I can honestly say we have successfully accomplished our goal. Some of the key changes consisted of consolidating our sponsorship levels, upgrading our website, and providing better newsletter advertisements for our BP’s.  We also implemented an ALACC signature card game named the ALL IN with ALA Capital Chapter.  Essentially, this year-long poker game is a fun and rewarding way to encourage our members to boost their participation in the Chapter by attending Chapter events, recommending new members, and participating in the annual salary survey. The most significant component, however, was to allow for BP introductions into law firms where their services or products are not in place and could be utilized. It’s not too late to play - you still have a time! The ALL IN game finale will be hosted at our Annual Meeting/Holiday Lunch in December where members with the best hands will have chances to win prizes.

 Heather Boos. an Administrator at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, recently raved about the ALL IN game. She told me how she has built so many new BP relationships this year from having to source services needed by her law firm.  She has collected a great deal of ALL IN cards and said that if it were not for the BP program, she "didn’t know where she would have turned to” to find the services she needed. She would have otherwise spent an enormous amount of time searching the internet and calling on other firms for referrals and recommendations. She said she didn’t have to do any of that “because the ALA Capital Chapter has a well trusted Business Partner Program made up of reliable experts, products and services.” It made her job so much easier. We’ll have to see what kind of poker hand Heather is holding come December and wish her the very best of luck in the ALL IN game.

My role as the VP of Partner Advisory is to foster the BP relationships and I recently had the pleasure of speaking to David Portalatin, VP of Client Services for Williams Lea, a global outsourcing company.  David shared with me that the partnership between his company and the ALA Capital Chapter provides them with multiple and diverse opportunities to engage the legal community in many mutually beneficial ways. Through our program, they have been able to leverage several relationships in ways that may not have been able to occur otherwise.  They enjoy the strategic networking opportunities that the chapter provides and look forward to continuing the relationship for many years to come.  

These testimonials prove the strength and necessity of our Chapter and how vital the ALA Capital Chapter is in the legal community.  We appreciate our members and thank our Business Partners for their continued support in making the Capital Chapter a leader in our association.

Very best to all,

Tracy Morris
Vice President, Partner Advisory

Our Community, Our Kids: Workshop #1

On Saturday, September 27th, President-Elect, Beth Fowler, VP of Community Services-Elect, Jenna Carter, and ALA Foundation President, Alana Harder-Washington held the first ever Our Community, Our Kids workshop on Business Etiquette at H.D. Woodson High School.

October Quarterly Networking Lunch

On October 2nd, Chapter members and Business Partners gathered at the W Hotel for the final Quarterly Networking Lunch of the year. Members were able to see the newly renovated POV Rooftop Lounge before entering Altitude Ballroom to choose a table. This time the tables were labeled with fun topics such as “Wine Snobs” and “Foodies” and attendees were instructed to choose a seat based on their interests. Looks like next time we may need to add a second table for the “Chocolate Addicts”! After lunch, members enjoyed a fresh zeppole station which sent everyone home happy. Julie Tomey left with the biggest smile after winning $300 from the 50/50 Raffle!
Mark your calendars for the 2015 Quarterly Networking Lunches: 
January 29th
May 7th
July 9th
October 8th

2014 Salvation Army Angel Tree Program

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So far 1200 Angels have been adopted, but we still have 1300 more left for adoption in order to meet last year's record.   Sign up today to adopt your special Angel(s)!

Invite your colleagues, family and friends to participate in this 30+-year tradition of providing holiday assistance in the DC community.

N Street Village Gifts For Mom

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We are also looking for your help and support with the 2014 N Street Village Gifts for Moms Program.  The Gifts for Moms Program collects gift cards and distributes them to their clients.  Please help make the holidays happy for these families in need.  With these cards, women are able to shop for their families and to enjoy the excitement of selecting the perfect holiday gifts for their children and grandchildren.  Last year 75 women selected gifts for over 200 children.

 What you can do:   Give a gift card of $25 to one of the following stores:  Amazon, Bath and Body Works, Best Buy, CVS, Foot Locker (Kids and Women’s), Gap, Kohl’s, Marshall’s, Old Navy, Radio Shack, Target, The Children’s Place, Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart.  All Gift Cards should be $25.  If you choose to give more, you can purchase multiple gift cards in increments of $25.  Please include the activation receipt with the gift card.

Gift cards should be sent to Helen Woideck, Leydig, Voit & Mayer, 700 13th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.  20005, and should arrive no later than Monday, December 12th. 

Cyber Security Lunch & Learn

On September 24th, the Capital Chapter hosted a Cyber Security event that provided members an opportunity to learn how we could protect our firms from becoming victims of a data breach.  The workshop began with George Leloudis from Region II honoring the Chapter for our 41st year – happy birthday, ALACC!  We also received praise for being one of the largest and active chapters in the U.S. 

At this workshop, our business partner, BeachPro, pointed out that we are at risk EVERY DAY.  They reminded us of the living nightmares of Target and Home Depot.  These gentlemen, some of which included former recreational hackers (that have had near run-ins with the Men in Black), explained how easy it is to access the sensitive information our firms hold dear.  A lot of us were unaware of how valuable this information is to others and its dollar amount on the Black Market.   BeachPro’s expertise has been called upon by the feds, and we are lucky enough to be able to tap into their resources.

Those in attendance left the workshop more aware and prepared with the tools they need to protect their firm from an attack.

Did You Know?

True or False:  Green Cleaning will cost your firm more money than the traditional approach.

Answer:  False.

DID YOU KNOW: Many green cleaning initiatives have an extremely fast payback period or, in some cases, going with the green cleaning route will actually cost less money.  For example, let’s consider paper towels.  If multi-fold hand towels are currently being used, switching to large rolls and automated, hands-free dispensers will reduce consumption by approximately 30%.  This is a simple, practical change that is not only the right thing for the environment, but can also save the firm considerable money right away.

If you are interested in learning more about green cleaning or other sustainability questions, please contact Elizabeth West.

MiliCare by EBC Carpet Services
Elizabeth West
(301) 461-4544
[email protected]

Emergency Preparedness Lunch & Learn: Is Your Firm REALLY Prepared?

By: Cheryl A. Shifflett, Saul Ewing LLP                  

The Chapter sponsored an educational luncheon on Tuesday, September 10, at Mayer Brown.  The workshop was broken down into two sessions.

The first session featured SSA Jacques Battiste and IA Melissa Rogers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and covered an active shooter scenario.  

SSA Battiste emphasized to always be aware of your surroundings.  Take note of nearest exits and alternative means of exit if you should have to leave a room or building.  Active shooters are unpredictable and events unfold quickly.  If possible, try to gather as much information as you can.  Silence your phone if at all possible and call 911.  Familiarize yourself with what gunshots sound like.   IA Brown mentioned that You Tube has several video clips that are available.

A tabletop exercise was conducted as well involving an active shooter scenario.  Several attendees did a great acting job and gave each person something to consider when involved in an active shooter environment.

The second session was conducted by Janet Clements of the All Hazards Consortium and Pat Powell of Golden Triangle Business Improvement District.    Ms. Clements and Mr. Powell discussed shelter in place and emergency preparedness. 

Ms. Clements reviewed various resources available to obtain information for emergency situations, such as alerts provided by the DC and Capital region.   She and Mr. Powell also informed the group how to identify credible information - who can provide the best information early on in an emergency situation.  It was noted that it is important to have an emergency plan in place for your office, as well as ensuring that employees are ready if shelter in place should need to occur.    

Ms. Clements and Mr. Powell both advised that they were available to provide training on these topics to individual firms and office buildings.  

Lawyers Have Heart Dinner Reception

On Tuesday, September 30, 2014, President-Elect, Beth Fowler, VP of Community Services-Elect, Jenna Carter, and Beth Jeffries attended the First Annual Lawyers Have Heart Celebration of Leadership Dinner.   Honored guest, Justice Samuel Alito, shared stories about the physical activities of current and former Supreme Court Justices.  The event took place at the Society of the Cincinnati in the Anderson House in support of the American Heart Association’s commitment to the mission of funding heart research.  The ALA Capital Chapter is a longtime supporter of the Lawyers Have Heart race and we are honored to have shown our continued support.
Communications and Media Relations
As members of the Newsletter and Media Relations Committee, Chapter members participate in producing the award-winning Capital Connection. Members gather to brainstorm new ideas for editorial themes for upcoming editions. The newsletter reports Chapter business activities such as Section and Committee news and provides information about upcoming educational and other events. It also includes articles of interest to members and other legal management personnel, collected, authored and/or edited by members of the committee. This committee also works with other legal associations and the media to ensure that ALA and the Capital Chapter are represented in the legal industry. The Newsletter Committee welcomes new members.

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

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

Administrative Committees

Educational Sections

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

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

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

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

Office Operations Management
The members of the Office Operations Management Section represent a cross section of legal expertise from functional administrators to branch office managers. The Office Operations Management Section (OOMS) meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month to discuss operation0related hot topics. We welcome all members to join the section, especially if you are an administrator in a small law office and you have to wear multiple hats. We can provide you with many best practices to run your operation smoothly.

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

Listserv: [email protected]

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

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

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

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