October 2017

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. Links to Capital Connection may not be shared without permission from the Chapter. ​

Editor: Jacqueline Moline 
Associate Editors: Paula Serratore; Cindy Conover
Contributing Editors: Richard Gibson; John Quinn; Jackie Thomas; rand* construction; Kevin O'Hare; J. Blythe Peelor; Cindy Schuler, PHR, SHRM-CP; Claudia M. Baragano; Matt Flemings; Frank Schipani; Astrid Emond
Newsletter Designed By: Jessica Davis


In this issue:

President's Message

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Last month I highlighted the generosity of the Chapter in support of community service, whether in our own city at the recent DC Central Kitchen event, or further afield in Texas, Louisiana and Puerto Rico.  Writing about how we recognize and respond to the needs of others reminded me of the ways in which we give of ourselves to meet day-to-day needs and interests.
 
Many of us give time, experience and knowledge to fellow Chapter members in a broad variety of ways.  The Chapter’s Ambassadors volunteer to be the first impression that a new member receives.  Assigned to a new member upon them joining the Chapter, the Ambassador’s role is to ensure that the new member feels welcomed, knows how to find information on the Chapter’s events and resources, and is encouraged to participate in education, section and social activities.  Our Ambassadors represent all levels of tenure as a member, management position and size of firm, but they all demonstrate a passion for the value that membership and participation can bring.
 
Just as valuable as the formal Ambassador program are the informal mentoring relationships built between members.  Career progression in legal management in Washington often means that we will be interested in learning more about a particular firm or role.  The member-to-member connections where we can share our knowledge and experience are invaluable in navigating the career opportunities presented to us.  Such exchanges of knowledge are valuable not just for administrative career opportunities but also for the lawyers we support.  Over the years I have frequently benefitted from a connection with another member with regard to lateral attorney moves.  Being able to assure a departing attorney that the administration of their transfer is in good hands because I can easily reach out to the receiving administrator is very valuable, as is the ability to learn about the administration at a firm from where a lateral hire of ours originates.
 
The listserv communities provide a forum for us to give each other knowledge and experience of long-term value, such as recommending a Business Partner who has impressed us with their service, or shorter-term value, such as whether today’s snow storm will cause us to close the office.  These communities provide an almost instant channel to reach tens or hundreds of fellow members who collectively possess decades of relevant knowledge to meet our challenges, issues and decisions.  And, for many questions the originating member pays it forward by offering to share the results of their inquiry with the entire community.
 
Beyond a specific question or topic, Chapter members give to their fellow members in most every interaction, whether as a leader of a section, member of a committee, Chapter officer or attendee of an event, in many ways simply by our participation we give our expertise, experience and knowledge to build the strength and depth of the Chapter.  I encourage each member to find and enjoy opportunities to participate, and through that participation benefit from what each member brings to the Chapter.
Richard Gibson

New and Returning ALA Capital Chapter Members

Sanjay Kulkarni
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
Accounting Manager
1800 M St., N.W.
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036
​Melissa Smith
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
Secretarial Manager
1800 M St., N.W.
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036

Members on the Move

Please join us in wishing the following member well in her new position!
Erin D. Ross
Human Resources Generalist
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
[email protected]

A Salute to Our ALA Capital Chapter Business Partners

John Quinn
Operations & Facilities Manager, Latham & Watkins LLP
Vice President Business Partner Advisory

On the evening of Thursday, September 14 the ALACC celebrated with our esteemed business partners at our annual Business Partner Appreciation event.  Each year we make time to gather our membership and our business partners together to show our appreciation for our business partners and acknowledge the important role these folks play in our professional lives.  It is through our relationships with our business partners that Chapter members can learn from subject matter experts, provide “best in class” services for their firms and successfully manage our law firms.  The resources our business partners provide ALACC  members are numerous and include educational opportunities, competitively priced services and trusted partnerships.  Our business partners provide a vast array of resources for members and in doing so make our jobs easier and help our firms to prosper.
 
This year’s event was hosted by ALACC  member Barb Topel in the new Miller & Chevalier Chartered space on 16th Street.  It was the perfect venue for this late summer evening event complete with a rooftop terrace where guests could mingle and take in the sights.   We showed our appreciation for our Business Partners  by wining, dining and toasting them.  To add to the celebratory mood of the evening we arranged special event appearances by One Eight Distilling and W. Curtis Draper Fine Tobacconist.  One Eight Distilling is a DC based spirits distiller whose name derived from Article One Section Eight of the US Constitution, which among other things provided for the establishment of a land district to serve as the nation’s capital.  We enjoyed a tasting of three spirits by the One Eight Distilling staff who were clearly enthusiastic about headlining our Business Partner Appreciation Event.  The tasting included One Eight’s signature Rock Creek Whiskey, Ivy City Gin and District Made Vodka, all three of which were solid hits among the crowd.  Our cigar roller for the evening, Socrates of W. Curtis Draper, is a true craftsman using the finest blends of tobacco primarily extracted from world famous Cuban tobacco strains.  Socrates sat at his work bench the entire evening discussing his craft with guests and rolling cigars for guests to take home with them.  Many of these cigars were as much as three years in the making from seed to mature plant to curing and finally being fashioned into a hand-made cigar. 
 
Before the night ended we had shared camaraderie  and good cheer with our business partners and given away about a dozen raffle prizes including, One Eight branded flasks, One Eight fifths of booze and a cigar and whiskey pairing donated by W. Curtis Draper for a group of four friends to enjoy.  This was an important night for the Chapter to show our appreciation for our business partners and to let them know personally how much our relationships with them mean.  It is always a pleasure socializing and getting to know our business partners.  Events such as this build on that fundamental goal of the ALA.  We look forward to planning next year’s annual Business Partners Appreciation Event and we are looking for a way to top this years’ experience.  Thank you ALACC  Business Partners!

October 2017 Diversity Observances

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This observance was launched in 1945 when Congress declared the first week in October as “National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1998, the week was extended to a month and renamed. The annual event draws attention to employment barriers that still need to be addressed.

October is also LGBT History Month, a U.S. observance started in 1994 to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and the history of the gay rights movement.

October 1: Ashura, An Islamic holiday commemorating the day Noah left the ark and the day Allah saved Moses from the Egyptians.

October 4 - 11 (Evening): Jewish Holiday of Sukkot is a seven day festival giving thanks for the fall harvest.

October 9: Canadian Thanksgiving. It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.

October 9: National Indigenous People’s Day is an alternative celebration to Columbus Day, promoting political correctness in giving recognition to the indigenous populations affected by colonization.

October 11 - 12 (Evening): Shemini Atzeret is the day after the Sukkot festival where gratitude for the fall harvest is deeply internalized.  

October 11: National Coming Out Day. For those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, this day celebrates coming out and the recognition of the 1987 march on Washington for gay and lesbian equality.

October 12-13 (Evening): Simchat Torah marks the end of the weekly readings of the Torah.  The holy book is read from chapter one of Genesis, to Deuteronomy 34, then back to chapter one again, in acknowledgement of the words of the Torah being a circle; a never ending cycle.

October 19: The Diwali, Hindu, Jain and Sikh five-day festival of lights celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, lightness over darkness.

October 20: The day Sikhs celebrate Sri Guru Granth Sahib who is their spiritual guide.

October 20: The Birth of the Bab, a holiday celebrated by the Baha’i recognizing the birth of the founder of the Baha’i faith. This celebration starts on October 19 and ends October 20.

October 22 marks the beginning of Dussehra (Dasera), a ten-day festival celebrated by Hindus to recognize Rama’s victory over evil.

October 23: Ashura, a holiday recognized by Muslims to mark the martyrdom of Hussain. It also commemorates the day Noah left the ark and Moses was saved from the Egyptians by God.
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October 24: Shemini Atzeret, “The Eighth (Day) of Assembly”, which is the observed on the day following Sukkot.

September Lunch & Learn: Emergency Preparedness

Jackie Thomas
DC Office Administrator, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Co-Chair, Branch Office Administrators Section

On September 12th, the ALA Capital Chapter in collaboration with OOMS and Branch Office Administrators sections hosted “Emergency Preparedness: Is Your Firm Prepared to Shelter in Place?” held at Mayer Brown.  115 Capital Chapter members attended this event.  The first 25 attendees even received their own personal safety emergency packs.  This is a very important topic of discussion especially in our location in the Washington, DC area.  The presentation was in three parts and focused around how prepared your firm is for an emergency, in particular, being prepared for a shelter in place situation.  We heard the perspectives of shelter in place from the law enforcement, security systems and physical office space/architecture sides.  Pat Powell, Director of Operations and Preparedness at Golden Triangle spoke to the business and law enforcement side of shelter in place – when to evacuate and when to shelter.  He covered reasons to shelter in place, as well as providing us with tips on items to keep around the office for such an occurrence and how to create your own emergency action checklist (you can find copies of these handouts on the ALA Capital Chapter website).  Tom Radigan, Chief Customer Officer at Kastle Systems, delivered his perspective on the security element of offices, shelter in place, as well as active shooter scenario information.  He broke down more specifics on Run.Hide.Fight  and 5 minutes of chaos and how to take control of your environment with deterrence as well as knowledge of what to do in these situations.  The third piece of the presentation was a panel discussion between Tom Radigan, Steven Martin, a principal at Gensler, as well as Tonie Davis, who is the DC Office Operations Manager of Mayer Brown.  Steven provided attendees with visuals of safe places for shelter in place within offices, highlighting the use of floor plans to find your best exits.  This is a growing issue given the move away from traditional designs like solid walls and wooden doors to more modern features like glass and open floorplans.  Tonie provided attendees with real world perspective on how he handles certain situations within Mayer Brown and what his emergency preparedness plans are for shelter in place.  He spoke to ways to make seemingly unusable spaces for shelter in place to usable spaces simply by adding locks to a few doors, looking at items that can be used for barricading purposes, as well as simple snacks, water and games for employees should the need for shelter in place arise. 

rand* construction Spotlight: Understanding, Using and Managing Construction Schedules

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Overview
Construction projects are complicated, costly, and full of risk for the firms involved in them.  Managing the time needs of a project is one of the most significant ways to manage the risks of any project.  Identifying, understanding, managing, and reporting on project timelines is a critical function of project management teams.   The level of detail to which one goes in these tasks is often a predictor of how well the project turns out.  Not all projects are similar in scope and scale, but all projects have a timeline, and a skilled manager understands and makes use of the timeline to manage the project.

Construction Schedule Basics
A construction schedule is a breakdown of the project into smaller activities and the durations they will take to complete.  Construction schedules also outline the order by which the project participants will complete their tasks in order to meet the end date.  Full construction schedules take into account all activities for a project, from the inception of the project to its final completion.  Full construction schedules should include the activities of all project team members.  For example, if the Owner or Architect is required to make a decision within 5 days on any issue, the schedule needs to reflect the decision period.  If the Contractor needs 2 weeks to second side the drywall, then the schedule should indicate this.  If it takes 10 weeks for the Mason to procure the marble from Italy, the procurement time needs to be indicated on the schedule.  Segment schedules are portions of an overall schedule that are pulled out of the master schedule often to identify in greater detail the activities within that segment of tasks.  When one begins to imagine all of the activities necessary to complete a construction project, the task of assembling them in a way that makes sense can seem daunting, and the resulting schedule can seem overwhelming to the uninitiated.   The use of Critical Path Methodology or CPM, is essential to developing clear schedules, and is an important concept to understand when reviewing and managing schedules. 

Critical Path Method
The Critical Path is defined by scheduling experts as the sequence of scheduled activities that determines the duration of the project.  The critical path as defined identifies not only the activities themselves and their duration, but most importantly, it establishes the order or “sequence” the activities must be completed in to achieve the desired end.  The critical path, then, is the identification of the shortest duration possible to complete the project.  As a manager, the importance of the critical path is that any delay in a critical path activity will delay your project.  Thus the critical path must be watched carefully to avoid time and or cost overruns on projects. 

Development of the Critical Path
There are six basic steps to creating and understanding a critical path schedule; those are 1) activity identification, 2) establishing dependency, 3) estimating activity time, 4) creating a diagram, 5) identifying the critical path, and 6) updating the diagram to show progress.  Each step is essential in order to develop and manage the critical path of a schedule.
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Activity identification means exactly what it sounds like.  For every project there are activities that need to be accomplished in order to complete the work.  Identifying these activities is the first step in making a critical path schedule.  Activities can be identified in broad strokes at first, and then as they are further developed, subactivities can be added in to further detail the work.  As an example, your schedule may include the activity “build walls”.  Broken down into subtasks, the activity “build walls” might include such subtasks as; 2) lay out location of walls, 3) install framing for walls, 4) rough in electrical outlets, 5) install insulation, 6) install data cabling, 7) one side drywall, 8) inspect walls, 9) second side drywall, 10) finish drywall, 11) paint walls.  In the example above, the single task “build walls” was broken down into 10 subtasks.  It is easy to see how construction schedules quickly become complex when the “simple” activity of “build walls” is broken down into its component parts.
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The second step of developing a critical path schedule is establishing dependency.  This step is critical to the effectiveness of the schedule as a management tool.  When managers refer to “schedule logic” they are referring to the dependency of the schedule activities.  Activities are given dependency in terms of predecessor and successor relationships.  In other words, what has to happen before the current activity can be completed (predecessor), and what cannot occur until the current activity is completed (successor).  In the “build walls” example here, the subactivities 2-11 are laid out in their precedent arrangement.  That is to say, the layout location of the walls (activity 2) must occur before the framing of the walls (activity 3).  As an illustration of dependency, consider that you could certainly frame the walls (activity 2) before laying them out (activity 3), but you would stand a very good chance of putting them in the wrong location.  As a schedule manager, that failure would mean costly rework and a time delay.
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Time is the third step in developing your critical path.  All activities take a defined amount of time, and establishing the timeframe for every activity is critical to developing a good schedule.  The common scheduling term for time is duration.  When managers talk about the task duration, they are referring to the time it will take to complete the activity.  The duration of each activity is essential to critical path scheduling because the combination of predecessor and successor relationships with duration is what creates the critical path itself. 
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The fourth and fifth steps to creating a critical path schedule are to create a diagram of the critical path.  Project Managers will use software to develop and display the critical path diagram.  To the left  is a diagram of the “build walls” example.  It shows the name of each of the subactivities as well as the duration of each activity.  It shows the relationship of the tasks being predecessor successor one after the other in consecutive order.  Based on these relationships, the schedule will take 33 days.  Often times the critical path of a schedule (as shown here) will be identified in red on the schedule diagram. 
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In our “build walls” example above, if the duration of layout wall location (activity 2) is 3 days and the duration of install framing for walls (activity 3) is 5 days, then together the tasks take 8 days.  Identifying layout as a predecessor to framing creates a dependent activity.  However, in reality not all activities are predecessor activities to the activity below them.  Consider the fact that subactivities 4,5,6, and 7 can all occur at the same time.  Each of these tasks, then, is dependent on subactivity 3, but not on each other.  When the diagram is adjusted to indicate this relationship, a new critical path and project duration emerges.  Subactivities 4,5,6, and 7 are now concurrent activities; and the longest of them, subactivity 7, becomes the most critical of them to completion timing therefore remaining on the critical path.
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Subactivities can also overlap and all remain on the critical path.  This is illustrated in the example here where subactivities 9, 10, and 11 are overlapped and yet all remain on the critical path.  This happens when the subactivities are both dependent and have durations long enough to overlap.  Again, while all of these subactivities remain on the critical path, the overall duration of the schedule is shortened again by the overlapping of the activities. 

Through understanding the subactivities in the examples above and identifying their durations and their relationships, we have shown that we can reduce the overall duration of “build walls” from 33 days to 23 days.  In so doing we have also identified what items are critical and what the manager will need to focus on in order to minimize the risk of delay.  Non critical items such as data cabling will not be as important to the manager as will be the framing and painting of the walls. 

Step 6 in the development of the critical path schedule is updating the critical path as activities are completed or delayed.  We’ll agree here for brevity that that can be the topic of a future article! 

Advantages of Understanding Critical Path
The Administrator who understands the critical path schedule will recognize completion and delay, and be able to manage the mitigation of delay and communicate the schedule clearly to firm management.  It is important to recognize that construction project schedules require input from many sources, not just the Contractor.  The Architect, the Owner, separate contractors, the landlord, and indeed many others may need to provide inputs to the construction schedule.  Each of these activities and subactivities will impact the critical path in some way.  As an Administrator charged with managing complex construction projects, understanding the makeup and management of the critical path of the project will enable you to focus your efforts to maximize your project success.  rand* has partnered with ALA members for 28 years to increase project success by managing critical path schedules.  The Administrator should begin early on to gather input from all parties on their activities and durations to assemble the outline schedule.  To find out how rand* can assist you in your next project, please contact us:

David Fletcher
Principal
rand* construction corporation
703.553.5511
[email protected]
www.randcc.com

Trolley Tour 2017

Kevin O'Hare
Chair, Office Operations Management Section

A perfect fall morning provided the setting for the 2017 Trolley Tour, a chance to see the latest trends in Washington, D.C. design and space use.  This year’s tour offered a wide variety of design concepts and allowed us all to see the recent achievements of our vendor partners in our legal community.

The tour kicked off at the new Venable space at 600 Massachusetts Avenue.  A continental breakfast on Venable's rooftop deck provided the perfect start to our tour.  Everyone enjoyed viewing the bocce ball court and the spectacular views of the city.  Venable’s state of the art 300,000 SF of space was built out by Diamond Partner HITT Contracting, and was designed by Alliance Architecture.   The new space makes extensive use of glass to bring light into the space for both attorneys and support functions.  Other notable features include a dramatic internal stairway that connects floors 4 through 10.  There was also a large multipurpose room, comfortable break areas which foster communication and collaboration.  The firm also has a fully built out moot court room which doubles as a training room.  The space allows many opportunities to display the firm’s expansive collection of distinctive art.

The tour moved on to regional firm Murphy & McGonigle at 1001 G Street.   Feedback from last year’s tour indicated a desire to visit a locally based firm instead of a national firm or a branch office of a national firm.  Vendor partner, HYL, was tasked to design Class A space yet conscious of opportunities for cost efficiency.  Two words: Mission Accomplished.   Partner Thomas McGonigle and HYL Principal Whitney Loke led the group through the 29,000 SF of new space.  The space exhibits of high level of design and finish.  Cost savings were realized by using some interesting alternatives to typical finishes, including a porcelain tile identical to a more costly marble and a vinyl floor board which looked and felt like actual wood.   

The group then travelled to the Three Crowns space Washington Harbor in Georgetown.  The Three Crowns space, also designed by HYL and built out by Business Partner rand*, is innovative and unique.  HYL Principal Anthony Yen led the group touring the space.  Clients and outside visitors are buzzed into the main entrance which is enhanced by a unique free standing art piece.   There is not the traditional reception desk as visitors come into the conference center.  The conference center is separate from the working area.   Three Crowns employs an open plan space for administrative and paralegals surrounded on the exterior with attorney offices.   Attorney offices employ glass fronts which bring light and spectacular riverfront views into the space.   The space plan emphasizes open space with an open ceiling plan.  There is a ping pong table which adds to the “not your typical law firm space” feel Three Crowns was clearly looking for.

The last stop on the tour was Drinker Biddle at 1500 K Street.  The 80,000 SF of space was a renovation in place project.  These renovations were done by vendor partner, Peris Construction and design firm Mancini Duffy.   Drinker is located in an older building and in space that had not been renovated in over forty years.  The challenge for design and construction was to maintain elements of the older building which they valued, yet achieve the modern update that they wanted.   The new space emphasizes use of outside light throughout the space with handsomely appointed works areas and public spaces.  The modern conference rooms, accented by the original fireplaces, give the space a unique “old meets new” flavor and make it stand out in the local market.   

All in all, the 2017 Trolley Tour was an enormous success and gave us all an exceptional flavor of the current office designs in the DC market.  Many thanks to our hosts at Venable, Murphy & McGonigle, Three Crowns and Drinker Biddle for their hospitality in allowing our group to come in on a Saturday.  Also many thanks to our Business Partners HITT, rand*, HYL, and Peris for making this event possible and for allowing us to see the valuable services they bring to our Capital Chapter members.

October Diversity in Action

J. Blythe Peelor
​Office Manager, Shipman & Goodwin LLP​

October is Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual History Month as well as National AIDS Awareness Month, National Depression Education and Awareness Month and National Collegiate Alcohol Awareness Month. Additionally, a variety of cultures are also recognized and celebrated: National Hispanic Heritage Month; National Italian-American Month & National German-American Month, to name a few. Lesser known celebrations include; Cook Book Author Month: Country Music Month, and National Popcorn Poppin’ Month.
 
The ALA Capital Chapter Diversity and Inclusion Committee is highlighting National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) this October. The American Bar Association recognizes the contributions lawyers and judges with disabilities make to the legal profession and seeks to encourage law firms, judiciaries, and other legal employers to make disability diversity and inclusion a priority. The ABA website (americanbar.org) is a great resource for more information about ways that your law firm can help recognize NDEAM. A specific way to help raise awareness is to sign the ABA’s “Pledge for Change: Disability Diversity in the Workplace”, also found on the ABA website.
 
Sixteen years ago the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) helped to create NDEAM which celebrates individuals with disabilities and their contributions and achievements to the American workforce. The 2017 theme is “Inclusion Drives Innovation”. ODEP created this year’s theme with input from a wide variety of its partner organizations, including those representing employers, people with disabilities and their families, and federal, state, and local agencies. Alexander Acosta, the U.S. Secretary of Labor states: “Americans of all abilities must have access to good, safe jobs. Smart employers know that including different perspectives in problem-solving situations leads to better solutions. Hiring employees with diverse abilities strengthens their business, increases competition, and drives innovation.” (www.dol.gov)
 
In the spirit of “Inclusion Drives Innovation," the ALA CapChap’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee recently concluded an extensive collaborative program with Gopinath Bloch, an American University graduate student who is enrolled in the Master of Science Organizational Development program. I had the pleasure of participating in Bloch’s practicum and helping us, as a team, fine tune our goals and create some concrete tools that will help us achieve those new unified goals. A more detailed summary of the practicum summary can be viewed here. It was determined in our final meeting that we want to not have to exist as a committee. In other words, we will hopefully have no reason to meet because diversity and inclusiveness will eventually be industry standards. Bloch introduced us to a new methodology of organizational development which helped us stay focused throughout our process. The committee will be utilizing some of the tools we’ve acquired through this study. We won’t know the success of his work for years to come, but the committee does feel as though strides have been made in the right direction for more diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.
 
Although there are a variety of communities to celebrate and commemorate this month, I hope that you would consider participating in NDEAM by taking action to support employees with disabilities. Signing the ABA’s Pledge for Change is just one way you can do that. Another is to peruse the websites mentioned above to find out the ways in which you can make your work environment a little more inclusive.  

Diversity & Inclusion Commitee Research Project Summary

Cindy Schuler PHR, SHRM-CP
Chief Human Resources Officer, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.
​Chair, Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Dear Members,

As you know, the ALA Capital Chapter formed a Diversity & Inclusion Committee in 2014.  Since its inception, the Committee has provided our members with programs and resources surrounding diversity and inclusion (weekly tips, monthly articles, lunch programs, and resources on our Cap Chap D&I page).  In an effort to meet our members’ needs, we are interested in identifying ways to continue to attract Capital Chapter members to participate in D&I programs and initiatives.  As such, we partnered with an American University Student, Gopinath Bloch, who conducted a focus group, one-on-one interviews, and an on-line survey to help us determine how best to achieve this goal. 

First and foremost, thank you to those who participated in our study. We found this to be a very powerful exercise. The feedback from our members was that we provided a wealth of information in 2015, 2016 and 2017, such as weekly tips and monthly articles, lunch seminars, a trivia game, a resources elevator pitch card that was handed out at section meetings, and a plethora of resources on the Cap Chap website, but our members are not sure how to use the information, specifically if their firms are not focused on diversity and inclusion.

After many hours of meetings with Gopinath regarding how to set the direction of the Committee moving forward and what we should be providing to our members, we explored Gopinath’s model, called The Journey Model (which is a modified version of the Five Factor Model by Richard Hackman) and includes the following factors:

  1. Compelling Direction – Where are we headed in the future?
  2. Real Team – Who is committed to riding this train with us?
  3. Enabling Structure – How is that going to happen?

We then identified the desired outcomes of the committee which were to satisfy internal and external clients, develop capabilities for the team to perform in the future, and that members find meaning and satisfaction within the group. We then participated in several exercises where we came up with this one simple goal:  That we would like to have more diversity within our law firms at every level and in order to achieve this goal, we must change our mindsets by exhibiting certain behaviors such as listening and talking to each other as humans and seeing each other as individuals. 

Now that our overall goal and the means by which we will attempt to reach that goal are identified, we can work on creating our “real team” and putting an “enabling structure” in place.

​Again, thank you to those of you who participated in our study, thank you to Gopinath who spent many hours with the Committee, and thank you to the members of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for spending hours with Gopinath to set the path for the Committee moving forward.

ALACC Volunteer Day at DC Central Kitchen

Claudia M. Baragano
Human Resources Manager - DC, Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Vice President Community Services

DCCK Motto: As You Would Cook for Your Own Family!
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​As part of the 3rd quarter community service initiative and in conjunction with the Branch Office Administrators section leadership team the Chapter sponsored an “ALA Volunteer Day” on Wednesday, September 27th.
 
The Chapter had around 70 members and business partners volunteering throughout the day covering the morning, midday and evening kitchen shifts at the DC Central Kitchen. Volunteers handled hundreds of pounds of potatoes and carrots and assisted in the kitchen with many different tasks.  The DCCK team was extremely efficient and hardworking making the volunteers job easy – we all had a great time!
 
As the nation’s first and leading community kitchen, DC Central Kitchen develops and operates social ventures targeting the cycle of hunger and poverty. The organization’s life-changing ventures provide culinary training to jobless adults, turn wasted food into balanced meals for shelters and nonprofits, expand access to healthy food, and provide healthy, scratch-cooked meals in low-income schools. These efforts have been recognized with the leading national award for healthy school food innovation: The Golden Carrot; the Washington Business Journal’s Green Business Award for Innovation; and the DC Chamber of Commerce’s Community Impact Award. To learn more, visit www.dccentralkitchen.org or follow @dcck on Twitter.
 
Many thanks to all the members and Business Partners that volunteer their time and efforts to make this event a total success – see you next year!!

Hilltop Consulting Spotlight: Are Law Firms Ethically Obligated to Report a Security Breach?

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Matt Flemings
Systems Security Engineer, Hilltop Consultants, Inc.

Whether a firm is ethically obligated to report a security breach of attorney-client documents to its clients is a question that many security professionals have bandied about.

Model Rule 1.6(c), on the confidentiality of client communications, acknowledges that disclosures can happen by providing: (c) A lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client.

Commentary on the Rule notes that [18] Paragraph (c) requires a lawyer to act competently to safeguard information relating to the representation of a client against unauthorized access by third parties and against inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure.

Thus, Rules 1.1 and 1.6 may allow a law firm to avoid an ethics violation stemming from a breach if it has acted in a competent manner to protect its client data from disclosure.
Rule 1.6(c), however, does not address whether attorneys have to tell their clients about such an incident occurs.

A strong security program may help shield a firm from an ethics violation caused by not appropriately protecting client data, and it may help them beat a negligence charge, but it has no impact on the Rule’s requirement to inform clients of security incidents.
 
Failing to update and patch known vulnerabilities almost always leads to breaches.
Failing to update and patch for known vulnerabilities is the leading cause of breaches in any organization. So, what is patching? Patching is a software update comprised code inserted (or patched) into the code of an executable program. Ten years ago, in some cases even longer, patching was a big issue in organizations and sadly, it still is today. Failing to patch leaves networks open to attack. It is not surprising that hackers have noticed these vulnerabilities and the trends of failing to patch. Ensuring that your “security program is aligned with best practices”, patching, patching and more patching is one of the easiest and fastest best practices to automate in any organizations. 

A few examples below are cases where hackers used known vulnerabilities and/or missing best practices against law firms:
  • Oleras - Feb. – 2016 - 46 law firms in the United States and two law firms in the U.K. that Ukraine-based hacker Oleras was advertising phishing services on a Russian website. 
  • Cravath/Weil – Mar. - 2016 - Wall Street Journal reported that hackers had broken into the files of some of the biggest law firms in an insider-trading scheme that involved planned mergers.
  • Thirty-Nine Essex Street – Feb. – 2014 - Booz Allen Hamilton, a technology consulting firm, reported that the attack was most likely from the Russian state-sponsored group Energetic Bear. 
  • Wiley Rein – 2012 one of the largest law firms in Washington, D.C., was hacked, assumed by many to be Chinese state-sponsored operatives. According to Bloomberg News, the hackers wanted information related to SolarWorld, the German-based manufacturer that produces solar panels. SolarWorld’s computers were hacked around the same time.
  • Trust Accounts – Dec. 2012 - Toronto-based law firm was hit with a computer virus, which stole a six-figure amount from the firm’s trust account. The hackers installed a Trojan horse virus to get access to passwords to the firm’s bank accounts
  • Panama Papers – 2010 - 11.5 million documents from Mossack Fonseca, Edward Snowden leaks and the 2010 WikiLeaks documents.
 
How firms can move forward with Cyber security:
Basic Security Practices – The firm should have a mature process for the blocking and tackling aspects of information security not just patch management but, malware protection, firewall configuration (hardened), web and email gateway monitoring/security.

Access Controls - Firms should be able identify and classify client data within its environment and that it restricts access to client data according to a need-to-know policy.

Intrusion Detection and Log Aggregation – Firms should have security software in place to actively hunt for indications of compromise and is retaining sufficient system logs to recreate attacker behavior and determine the scope of exposure in the event of a breach incident.

Use of Encryption and Two-Factor Authentication - Demonstrate extensive use of encryption of data in transit and at rest and show that the firm employs two-factor authentication (Free in Office 365) to secure remote connections to the firm's infrastructure.

Threat Intelligence - Describe how the firm creates and consumes internal and external threat intelligence. If the firm participates in information sharing, describe how the firm derives benefit from such arrangements.
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If you need assistance ensuring your firm’s data is secure, or with any questions regarding security issues, please feel free to contact us.

The CapChap Gives Back: Donating to Hurricane Victims

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the Capital Chapter's Executive Committee made the decision to donate $2,000 to the American Red Cross to support relief efforts. We challenged our members to contribute further, and received an additional $880 in donations. 

Shortly after we closed our donation drive, Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in the U.S., causing further devastation and stretching emergency response resources extremely thin. In particular, the island of Puerto Rico suffered catastrophic damage. In light of those developments, the Chapter decided to reopen our donation collection to support United for Puerto Rico, a charitable initiative brought forth by the First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló to provide aid and support to those affected by the hurricanes.

The initial $2,880 raised in early September has been donated to the American Red Cross; the additional $575 raised will be donated to United for Puerto Rico. Thank you to everyone who contributed for embodying the Capital Chapter's commitment to serving our community both in our own backyards and across the country.

​Friends of Puerto Rico Amazon Registry - Click Here to Donate Emergency Relief Goods. All Items Donated Will be Shipped Directly to Relief Centers to Help Those Affected by Hurricane Maria.

IT Section Lunch & Learn: Legal Technology Trends - The Law Firm of the Future

Frank Schipani
Director of Information Technology, Gilbert LLP
Chair, Technology Section

As technology continues to shift within the legal industry at an unprecedented pace, it has become tough to stay in touch with relevant legal technology trends. Marco Maggio of All Covered joined us for a discussion of how applicable technologies will impact the way we practice law today. The themes shared ranged from efficiency increases, improving the economics of law, and what firms can do to enhance the predictability of outcomes in our daily endeavors. 

Click here to view the presentation slides

Moving From Tolerance to Acceptance to Inclusion

Astrid Emond
IP Prosecution Manager, Baker & Hostetler LLP
IP Section Co-Chair

I earned my graduate degree in a program based on experiential learning in a cohort setting. We were eight students and spent a lot of time together over the 2-year program. I was the only white person in class, which brought experiences I had never had encountered before. I had never felt what it is like to be in a minority for an extended period of time, and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.  Let me say, I now understand my privilege as a member of a dominant demographic much better than before, though I am still learning. Anyway, that experience is a topic for another day.

In class, we were discussing diversity, and one of the students shared their dislike of the word “tolerance” and that we should all move towards “acceptance.” I was perplexed; the words seemed to mean the same to me. Maybe, because English is my second language and maybe because of my ignorance; I just didn’t hear the difference. And so, I really tried to listen to my colleague. Afterwards, I researched the topic to understand the meaning of the words. Now, the difference appears somewhat obvious. I am not sure whether those of you reading this will find the article unnecessary because you understand the difference already, or whether some of you, like me, just hadn’t thought about it much before. My research started with the definitions of the two words.

Tolerance, according to Webster’s, refers to “the act of allowing something” and “the allowable deviation from a standard.” To me, this implies that those meeting the standard have the power to allow a deviation; allowing what is different. Wow - this brings up all sorts of negative emotions for me and I can see where my classmate was coming from. I feel uncomfortable to assume I have the power to allow someone to be tolerated. It also made me think how I might have been intolerant of others for being who they are.

Acceptance, according to Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English, is “to regard as normal, suitable, or usual.” This is the definition I like and where it clicked for me. Accepting goes beyond “allowing a deviation from the standard” and seeing it as part of the standard; to “regard it as normal.”

As I get deeper into my passion for diversity and inclusion, I strongly believe that we must accept one another to be able to practice inclusion. Let’s reflect: if I merely tolerate different thoughts and beliefs, am I really open to understand and include them? I don’t think so.  I believe it is the acceptance of diverse thoughts, cultures, beliefs, and people that is required to truly appreciate and celebrate our differences. And, I can invite these differences into my life, at work, and in my personal life.

And this is where I believe we all have the power to make a difference, even if we are working in a law firm without being in a position of power, are not part of a diversity and inclusion committee, and might be unable to share with our leadership how important this is. We still have the opportunity to practice acceptance and inclusion where we are today. In order to do that, we have to uncover more of our unconscious biases - in other words a bias that happens automatically and of which we are not even aware of - and don’t be afraid here, we all have them, and we can all work on them. Here are some examples of things we all can do:
  • Raise our own self-awareness. There are plenty of self-assessment tools that can help.
  • Mingle at the next staff meeting or firm event, and sit with someone we have not had a chance to interact with much.
  • Be mindful in meetings of who is quiet and encourage them to share their voice.
  • Be curious rather than judgmental when we experience something (or someone) new.
  • For those of us who interview, let’s invite a diverse group of candidates.
  • When a different opinion or point of view is shared, ask questions out of curiosity to understand, rather than put down the other person for having a different perspective.
  • Check out a book or documentary on a different culture, or about diversity and inclusion.

In short, inclusion takes work.  Maybe it pushes us out of our comfort zone; but, it is possible to become more inclusive. We can all work on it by interacting and learning more about others. Then, reflecting on our interactions and experiences and finding the beauty in them and seeing how they lead to our own growth.

I also want to point out that acceptance, to me, does not mean I have to agree with everything and everyone. There are many thoughts and beliefs that go against my own; however, I strive to accept them as being different and still valued. They are; just as I am.

To wrap this up, I ask all of us to commit to move from tolerance, to acceptance, to inclusion. And while we will make mistakes along the way, we will commit doing our best to appreciate and celebrate all of us.

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: Jacqueline Moline, [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: Cindy Schuler (Chair), [email protected]; Monique Terrell (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: Emily Christianson (Chair), [email protected]; Julie Tomey (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: Cheryl Flynn (Chair), [email protected]; Sarahi Estrella
(Co-Chair), [email protected]mailto:[email protected] 


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

Contact: Aryn Blanton (Chair),  [email protected]; Jasmine Stribling (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 operations related hot topics. We welcome all members to join the section, especially if you are an administrator in a small law office and you have to wear multiple hats. We can provide you with many best practices to run your operation smoothly.

Contact:  Kevin O'Hare (Chair),  [email protected]; Greg Fudge (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 fourth Tuesday of the month at host law firms.

Contact: Wilmara Guido-Chizhik (Chair), [email protected]; Marion Baker (Co-Chair), [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]


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Finance
Based on member feedback the Capital Chapter has formed a new Finance Section. We are seeking active members to helps us get this group up and running in 2016! As we get started, we will be focusing on what issues members are facing within their firms that we may be able to help address together. Topics may range from reviewing new time and billing systems to tax filings and matter budgeting solutions and anything in between. Your input is needed! Please consider adding Finance section meetings to your monthly educational schedule.
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Contact: Andy George (Chair),  [email protected]; Evan Kettig (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: Frank Schipani (Chair),  [email protected]; Kenny Mitchell (Co-Chair),  [email protected]
Listserv: [email protected]