42818 jan-03 tloma

President’s MMessage

Imentioned some time ago that we would look for another opportunity to see NickBonits who spoke at our 2002 Conference, to rave reviews. He is participating in

a two-day conference on Measuring and Benchmarking the HR Function that isscheduled for March 18th & 19th 2003 at the Hilton Hotel in Toronto; I can forwardthe details to anyone interested. One day is priced at $1200. Nick's presentation is1.5 hours long followed by other speakers and case studies.

What great value TLOMA membership is. This has reminded me how much the gen-erous support of our Vendors and advertisers, assists us in offering top-notch speak-ers like Nick Bontis. For those advertisers reading this, thank you.

I enjoyed Brian Thwaits "Train Your Brain" presentation at our General meeting inJanuary. Now I know I am normal when I forget day-to-day details. I don't feel sobad when I see someone and can't remember his or her name. I am constantly search-ing for a clue as to how I know a person. Could it be TLOMA, the GO train or aninterview? The list is endless and the clues sometimes don't come. There should bea rule of etiquette, whereby we are required to announce who we are when we seean acquaintance. It would save a lot of anxiety. I am no longer at the mercy of aging.I am training my brain!

Carole PaskinPresident

Director of Operations Torkin Manes Cohen Arbus LLP

January 2003

Inside this Issue

❖ Editor’s Corner

❖ Email Management And

Retention

❖ Dealing With Deadlines

❖ Digital Dictation

❖ Microsoft Volume Licensing

❖ President’s Message

❖ Recruiting Trends In 2003

❖ Technology @ Home

❖ The Hildebrandt Process And

Technology survey

❖ Message Received and

Understood - Say What You

Mean - S.I.R.

Schedule of Events

February 4 – Executive Meeting

February 6 – HR SIG

February 11 – Finance SIG

February 13 – Technology SIG

February 20 – General

February 25 – Facilities SIG

Single issue: $5.00Yearly Subscription: $25.00

www.tloma.on.ca 2 January 2003

Well, here we are well into the New Year, in the midstof reviews, budgets and plans. I believe we all find itequally hard to find the time to get together withfriends and colleagues.

Our TLOMA Special Interest Groups are a great wayto quickly bring yourself up to speed on the many andvaried topics we deal with on a regular basis. There issomething to be learned at our various SIG meetings,whether you work as a sole administrator or with ateam of administrators.

It also does not hurt us to step outside our sphere ofinfluence to join our fellow legal administrators in dis-cussing the issues they face. While we may not be thepeople in charge of facilities or technology, there aremany crossover topics. Attending a SIG that is notyour specialty may also give you a little more insightinto why decisions are made. It will also provide youwith more appreciation for the challenges your col-leagues face in their daily roles.

During my time with a previous firm, I had the uniqueand exciting opportunity of working as ProjectManager for a firm Word Conversion. This was con-current with my role as Human Resources Manager.My involvement with this successful rollout, (alongwith the assistance of our Technology Manager andmany support staff) was possible because of what I hadlearned at Technology SIGs and from my fellowTLOMA members who had previous experience.

It was after taking a university technology course andattending a SIG on Project Management that I gainedthe confidence to proceed, (and the generously shared information) that I realized that I could handle theproject management for the conversion. We are in aunique position in TLOMA. Rarely does a profession-al organization share and assist their colleagues in theway we do. Get out, take advantage of the knowledge, and meet some great people who are happy to help.

As it not always possible to attend meetings, we doprovide some reviews of our SIGs in our newsletter.This month we have a full report from one of our HRSIGs in the fall. Thank you to the member who wrotethe article and the member who presented us with thevaluable information. However, nothing beats beingthere.

Thank you to our contributors and advertisers for theirsubmissions this month. I hope you enjoy this issueand rest of the winter!

Audrey IsenorDirector of Human Resources

Lerners LLPContinued on page 3

CORNEREDITOR’S TECHNOLOGY@HOME

Homeland Security

By now, many of you have some connection to theInternet from home in the form of:

1. Rogers@Home

2. Bell Sympatico High Speed

3. Dial up through an Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Both Rogers and Bell provide a high-speed service that isfast enough to make using the computer to connect to theoffice just like being at the office. The edge for raw speedgoes to Bell because each customer has a dedicated link tothe Internet rather than a link that is shared with other cus-tomers in the neighbourhood as with the Rogers model.

Rogers wins for convenience, as there is no need to installany software or log in. You simply connect your computerto the Rogers high-speed modem and you are ready to go.With Bell, you must install connectivity software thatauthenticates you as a valid user and you must install a linefilter at every voice phone used in the house to prevent back-ground noise on the phone line. Bell supplies three such fil-ters with every installation.

ISP's such as AOL and Pathways Communications providedial up accounts for accessing the Internet. You must have amodem inside (or attached to) your computer to use theseservices and a certain amount of software set up is required.These services are usually much cheaper than high-speed,but you will wait over ten times as long to get informationdownloaded from the Internet or the office. This type of con-nection is only practical for casual users of the Internet or forsomeone who rarely needs to connect to the office becausethey have a Blackberry.

No matter how you connect, your computer could be at riskif you do not take the proper precautions to protect it.Hackers are the culprit. They run programs that traverse therange of IP addresses assigned to users of high-speed servic-es looking for unprotected computers. When found, thehacker sends a program to that computer which remains dor-mant until needed by the hacker. The program can be used totake complete control of your computer or to monitor activ-ity on your computer. Information typed at the keyboard canbe monitored by someone outside of your home without


your knowledge! Your computer can also be used to partic-ipate in Denial of Service attacks on unsuspecting Web sites.Essentially, the computer is asked by the hacker to bombarda site with several erroneous requests. When the attack iscombined with hundreds of computers, the web site beingattacked is overwhelmed and legitimate users cannot access it.

There is much less risk with a dial up account because it isonly connected on a temporary basis and the speed of theconnection is not useful enough to a hacker to make it worth-while for them to compromise your system.

Hardware Security - The First Line of Defense

You can protect your system from outside intrusion by usinga hardware based firewall. Responding to the growing num-ber of people with high-speed connections, companies suchas D-Link and Linksys have developed specialized hardwarethat combines a multitude of functions into a single device.With my direct exposure to Linksys products, I can recom-mend them without question and will discuss Linksys for theremainder of this article.

Carolyn Berger [email protected] Linds [email protected] Ford-Willis [email protected] Kolev [email protected] Smith [email protected]

Tel: (416) 368-2051 Fax: (416) 628-7435

www.zsa.ca

Legal Assistants • Law Clerks Support Staff • Temps

Contact ZSA Support Services to find out how we can help you find the support you need.

Continued on page 4

Depending upon the model purchased, a Linksys router cancontain:

1. Firewall - software written right into the hardware thatrestricts access to the "ports" available within your com-puter.

2. Sharing - up to four computers may share your high-speed access by connecting them to the router.

3. VPN Tunneling - a technical term for a software compo-nent that will allow you to establish a secure connectionto your office, without the need for specific VPN soft-ware. Once established, the connection is always on andalways secure, giving you instant access to the office.

4. Switching - Computers may share files and printingresources with each other.

5. DHCP Server - The router will hand out IP addresses tothe computers in your home so they are not directly con-nected to the Internet. This increases security.


Continued on page 5

Time and billing; contact & practicedevelopment; knowledge & casemanagement; workload & workflow;accounts receivable & collection;performance & productivity analysis; financial, trust & costaccounting; foreign currency…

A myriad of administrative functionssimplified by Dexco for the efficient andeffective management of your firm.

As a leader in the development of financial management and informationapplications, Dexco’s primary goal is toassist you in organizing the operationsof your workplace in the most efficientmanner with effective, adaptable, parameterized and intuitive work tools.We understand the intricacies involvedwith selecting and introducing the righttechnology and methodology into youroffice, and how these changes affect personnel and productivity.

Investigate your options. DiscoverDexco’s total enterprise multi-lingualsolutions for professional firms…

cuminThe value of time

For more information or a demonstration of how we can add value to your firm,please call us at 1-800-349-7371 or e-mail us at [email protected]

6. Internet Screening - If desired, certain computers on yourinternal network can be denied access to the Internet eventhough they are connected to the router.

How does it Work?

This diagram best explains how the Linksys connects to yourcomputer system(s) at home.

Rogers or Bell will supply a modem that provides access to thehigh-speed service via an Ethernet cable. Instead of pluggingthe cable into your computer directly, you plug it into the WANport of the Linksys Router. It is then possible to connect up tofour other computers to the same router to share the high-speedservice.

The ports on the router are shown below:

The Uplink port allows you to connect another Linksys router toget up to eight ports of firewall protected service. Once theLinksys is connected to your computer and virus software isinstalled, the chances of your computer becoming infected arevery slim.

The recommended model of router is the Linksys BEFSR41,4-port Ethernet Cable/DSL Router. It is available for purchase

Connecting the Router at Home

From Rogers

or Bell

Supplied Modem

Router supports up

to 4 computers

Computers share the high

speed access point


on-line at popular electronic stores for approximately$130.00. If you do not have a hardware firewall on yourhome computer, I urge you to get one soon!

If you live in an older house, or your computers are too farapart to consider running cable, you can purchase a wirelessversion of the Linksys router, the Wireless Access PointRouter with 4-Port Switch (BEFW11S4). You will need toalso purchase a wireless Ethernet card for each computerthat will communicate without wires. Wired and wirelesscomputers can be connected to the Wireless Access PointRouter.

Virus Protection - The Second Line of Defense

In addition to the router, which can prevent hacker access toyour computer, I also recommend a solid virus protectionsystem. Virus software protects your computer from virusesdistributed through Internet pages, email and external media.They can render your computer inoperative, or worst, sendthe infection to other computers by email or through docu-ment transfers. You can purchase and download any of thefollowing products directly from the corresponding web site:You can try each product and then decide which to purchase!

Arming your computer with these two tools will ensure thatit will not be compromised.

Charles Bennett is a Lifetime Member of TLOMA. If youhave questions on other aspects of home computing pleasesend them to [email protected].

Charles Bennett - Lifetime Member

COMPENSATION - DEMYSTIFYING THE PROCESS

Presented by Susan HodkinsonDirector, Human ResourcesGoodman and Carr LLPNovember 27, 2002

Susan Hodkinson gave a lively, energetic presentation oncompensation and salary administration. Susan is the

Director of Human Resources at Goodman and Carr. She isalso on the faculties of the business schools at HumberCollege in Toronto and Niagara College in Barrie, and teach-es Human Resources and Marketing Management for theGolf Management Institute of Canada. She has been in thehuman resource field for approximately twenty years.

Continued on page 6

Product Web Site Price in USD

Trend PC Cillin 2003 www.antivirus.com $49.95

McAfee VirusScan 7 www.nai.com $59.99

Norton Antivirus www.symantec.com $49.95


Susan described at our meeting some of the compensationchallenges in the legal field.

Having a formalized compensation system in place is veryhelpful in assisting law firm managers to meet the manychallenges inherent in recruiting and retaining strong staff,and justifying to the staff and the lawyers with whom theywork the compensation assigned to each position. Somemethod of logically grading jobs and assigning pay ranges isalso essential in order to ensure compliance with employ-ment-related legislation such as Pay Equity, which requiresthat jobs of equal value to the organization are paid in thesame ranges, and focuses specifically on the relationshipbetween male-dominated and female-dominated jobs in theorganization.

Contrary to what some consultants would have us believe, itis possible for a Manager to draft a solid compensation sys-tem within a law firm, particularly a small- to medium-sizedfirm, through the application of some straightforward think-ing and common sense.

Before taking the first steps to create a structure, it is oftenContinued on page 8

helpful to think about philosophically where your firmwould like to place itself in relation to the compensationmarket. Firms who lead the market tend to be able to recruitmore easily than others, and staff will often stay in theirpositions because they can't make more money elsewhere.This means that salary expenses can be higher than neces-sary, however, and can even lead to poor morale if peoplefeel "golden-handcuffed" to their jobs. Paying behind themarket can make recruiting and retention difficult, for obvi-ous reasons. It is all of these issues that generally lead firmsto decide to pay in step with market, or a little behind interms of base salary if there are other perquisites and/or lifestyle issues that make the firm in question a good one towork for.

Individual salaries in the firm also need to be analyzed interms of internal equity - individuals in the same positionshould be paid similarly, and different jobs that are of thesame value to the firm should also be compensated in thesame range.

Establishing a pay plan will assist in creating salary ranges

• web design and development• website maintenance• search registration• corporate identity design• network maintenance & support• 4 hour on-site response• e-business consulting

Visit us at parador.com for latest TLOMA promos!

FROM

BLUE SKYTHINKING

TO

E F F E C T I V E

E-BUSINESSSOLUTIONS

416.PARADOR 1.888.PARADOR [email protected] WWW.PARADOR.COM

www.

kent

lega

l.com

www.

kent

lega

l.comKentKent


Kent Legal is proud to introduce Sheri Walter as Manager,Temporary Division. To learn more about Sheri, please visit

our website at www.kentlegal.com. Sheri's email is [email protected]."Kent Legal has great temps!"

Kent LegalRECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS WITH INTEGRITY

Management ♦♦ Legal Administrative Staffing Law Clerks ♦♦ Legal Assistants ♦♦ Temporaries

(416) 363-7227


and placing individual salaries within those ranges. Thisproject can be broken down into five basic steps:

1. Determine the worth of each job in the organization -evaluate the jobs. Job evaluation is a formal and system-atic comparison of jobs. Formal and systematic can bepretty straightforward in a small firm, however. If thefirm has seven positions, for example, the title of eachposition can be noted on an index card and managementcan simply order the cards in what they perceive as hard-est to easiest. Once you have agreement on the order - youhave a ranking! Simple as that. In organizations that arelarger and more complex, compensable factors such as theskill required to do the job, the effort involved, the com-plexity of decision-making and the impact of error shouldbe identified and "graded" for each position, fine-tuningthe information one would use to put the index cards "inorder". Point plans are complex systems used in largeorganizations, which identify several compensable factorswith varying grades and weightings. For this kind ofmethod, you should likely call in the consultants.

2. Group similar jobs into pay grades. It might be thatseemingly dissimilar jobs, such as junior legal assistantand accounts payable clerk are of the same value to thefirm, and therefore should be paid in the same range. Thecommon sense of your proposed pay grades can be test-ed by listing all jobs in the firm in the suggested order ofworth to the firm and creating a hierarchy by listing theaverage salaries of the incumbents in the position besideeach job. The salaries should ascend (or descend) rela-tively evenly. If there are anomalies, it might be that oneparticular incumbent is paid incorrectly due to seniority,or simply historical error. Or it could mean that there issomething amiss with your hierarchy.

3. Survey your market. Use formal or informal surveymethods to determine how your pay grades and salariesrelate to those at your competitors. Be very aware thatsurvey data is not perfect - inaccurate job matches andless than perfect entering of data can create skewedresults on occasion. Industry surveys such as the

Continued on page 9

Creative Training & Development Inc.30 Woodrow Avenue, Toronto ON Tel: 416-691-6636

Since 1997, firms across the c ity have used our array of

services to assist in implement ing document production

change. Specializing in bot h conversions from CorelWordPerfect to Microsoft Word and Microsoft Wordupgrades, we are pleased to become t he first Canadianpartner for Microsystems, THE document experts.

Our reputation is based on t he ability to focus on t herequirements of your needs. Our goals are to exceed yourexpectations.

To find out how Creative Training & Development canassist your lawyers and staff in attaining your documentcreation goals, please cal l 416-691-6636 to arrange anintroductory meeting.

�

Project Management including situationanalysis, preparation for implementation andvendor liaison

�

Program needs and analysis includingcurrent standards analysis, document reviewand training requirements

�Course delivery that fits your needs, both forlawyers and staff

�On-site floor and telephone support toaugment your existing help desk personnel

�Post-training support services, lunch andlearns and post user and help desk upgradetraining

WordPerfect to Word or Word to Word upgrades, Creative Trai ning & Developmen t can makeyour document production t ransition a smooth one.

Call today for more information.

Since 1997, firms across the city have used our array ofservices to assist in implementing document productionchange. Specializing in both conversions from CorelWordPerfect to Microsoft Word and Microsoft Wordupgrades, we are pleased to become the first Canadianpartner for Microsystems, THE document experts.

Our reputation is based on the ability to focus on therequirements of your needs. Our goals are to exceed yourexpectations.

To find out how Creative Training & Development canassist your lawyers and staff in attaining your documentcreation goals, please call 416-691-6636 to arrange anintroductory meeting.

Project Management including situationanalysis, preparation for implementation andvendor liaison

Program needs and analysis includingcurrent standards analysis, document reviewand training requirements

Course delivery that fits your needs, both forlawyers and staff

On-site floor and telephone support toaugment your existing help desk personnel

Post-training support services, lunch andlearns and post user and help desk upgradetraining

WordPerfect to Word or Word to Word upgrades, Creative Training & Development can makeyour document production transition a smooth one.

Call today for more information.


Lawyer No Longer Prepared To Tolerate Secretary

You may get a lawyer who decides she no longer wants towork with her secretary. A good way to handle this scenariois as follows. Inform the lawyer that she must speak with hersecretary. Lawyer informs her secretary that she has 30days to improve. Usually after 30 days the problem issolved. However, if the problem continues then it is prefer-able to move the secretary. This can be done easily in a largefirm, but may be difficult in a small firm.

Anonymous Feedback

An anonymous feedback box may be beneficial in your lawfirm. This can be used for secretaries and service providers(I.T. Personnel, Records Management, etc.). You may wantto know if your staff has competency issues. This is a resultsoriented system. You may learn something from this system.Possibly a particular secretary is not following a certain pro-cedure. This system can alert you to the fact that this personneeds further training.

TLOMA survey can be very helpful, since there is a highlevel of understanding of the positions and the industryby the participants.

4. Set each pay grade. Your current wage curves can behelpful in setting pay grades. Create a simple graph withyour grades along one axis and salary levels along theother and plot your current salaries along with the gradesof the jobs to which they apply. Connecting these identi-fied relationships provides a rough average salary foreach grade, and you can build a minimum and maximumon either side of the average. After your pay grades aredrafted, you can supplement them with market informa-tion.

5. Fine-tune your grades. Generally with more junior posi-tions the spread between minimum and maximum is only20% - 25%. The most senior positions can have spreadsof up to 50% between minimum and maximum. Eachgrade overlaps the grade above it, so that someone in agrade 2 job, but at the upper end due to performanceand/or seniority, could be being paid more than someonein the lower end of the range for a grade 3 job. Someorganizations are using a broad banding approach, whichcollapses salary ranges, reducing the number of rangesand making the ranges even broader.

Most particular law firm challenges can be met by educatingstaff to a certain degree on compensation matters. De-per-sonalizing compensation matters is helpful: stress that theworth of the job to the organization is a business issue, not apersonal one in terms of the individuals in the positions.Each job has a value to the firm, and there is a limit to whatcan be paid for any job. No organization can be competitiveif it pays much more for its resources than its competitors.Firms have no obligation to increase salaries to deal withcost of living increases to their employees, particularly ifperformance or market data does not support increases.

Compensation matters can be made complex and difficult tomanage by the personal attachment people have to theirsalaries. The establishing of a defensible and logical payplan, and the communicating of it to staff, can go a long wayto simplifying this part of the job of the law firm manager.

Interesting General Tips for Personnel Managers

At the end of the meeting a general discussion took place aswell. Below are some appealing concepts.

Specializing in the Recruitment of Qualified Legal Professionals

Senior Corporate Executives*Law Clerks*Legal

Assistants*Accounting*Administrative*Office Services

PERMANENT*CONTRACT*TEMPORARY

Please Contact: Sharon Page, Theresa Zarek or Mary Anne Divjak

1235 Bay Street, #1000, Toronto Ont. M5R 3K4Phone: 416 934 5564

Fax: 416 515 1273 email: [email protected]

www.trafalgar.to

Continued on page 10



Law Clerk Positions - 1st year vs. 10 Year Experience

A question was raised with respect to law clerks. Is there adifference from the contribution of a first year law clerkcompared to a ten-year law clerk? We know that there is acertain time frame to learn the position. A first year lawclerk has less to contribute then seniors. As a rule of thumb,it is probably safe to say that between 5-15 years there is notmuch of a difference.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Susan Hodkinson fora stimulating and helpful presentation.

Submitted by: With the kind assistance of

Josephine M. Schembri, Susan Hodkinson,

Manager Director, Human Resources

Willms & Shier Goodman and Carr LLP

Environmental Lawyers

RECRUITING TRENDS IN 2003

More than 200 years ago, Benjamin Franklin declared,"in this world, nothing can be said to be certain except

death and taxes." Were he alive today, and watching the rev-olutionary pace of the North American technology industry,Mr. Franklin might well amend his maxim to reflect anoth-er certainty: change. One thing is certain: e-recruiting ison the rise. The worldwide e-recruiting market will exceed$13 billion by 2005, and every recruiter sees how e-recruit-ing has slowly, but unavoidably, encroached on more andmore parts of the recruiting cycle. It is impossible today notto incorporate the Internet into your recruiting efforts. Overthe past two years, we have noticed several trends, which webelieve will continue to unfold and evolve into 21st centuryrecruiting. They are the linkage of systems, the increasingcollaboration between old foes, and the convergence of func-tions and roles.


Linkages

The first trend is toward the creation of linkages betweenwhat were disparate systems. Just two years' ago in Canada,Workopolis was virtually the only player in the Internet-basedtalent relationship management space. They were the first topromote email communication with candidates, the first toadvocate the development of an online talent community andthe first to use web-based screening. There are now manymore recruiting websites that have talent relationship manage-ment capability and screening. Many software companies areforging linkages to provide screening, applicant repositories,communications, database administration and contact man-agement. Alliances and partnerships are more common.

For example, PeopleSoft and SAP were working to developintegrated e-recruiting solutions linked to their HRIS tools.AtKent Legal our recruiting software allows us to post jobsdirectly to Workopolis and our website simultaneously uponopening the job order on our internal system. The Toronto Starprinted classifieds automatically posts the ads on Workopolis.Look for more movement toward single solution systems andmany more linkages between providers.

Collaboration

The Internet has also made collaboration a necessity. Hiringmanagers, recruiters, candidates, and current employees areall working more closely together than ever to identify, attract,and retain good employees.

A few years' ago it was pretty common (and completelyexpected) for a hiring manager to give a job order to arecruiter whom they barely knew and expect good candidates

to follow. Now, a good hiring manager may have alreadysearched the Internet for possible candidates or asked theiremployees for referrals. They may present a short list to therecruiter for follow up, reference checking, testing and screen-ing, or may confer on the results with those of the recruiter'sto identify the best candidates. Employees are participatingthrough referral programs that encourage them to act asrecruiters and influence friends to consider positions in theirorganizations. Some firms are paying $1,000.00 or more toemployees who participate successfully in their referral pro-gram. Candidates who have been identified as exceptionalmay be presented numerous possible positions and allowed to"shop" for the one they feel fits them best.

Much of this did not happen before the Internet. Candidatesnow have more complete information about organizations andjobs and recruiters and hiring managers can get exposure toand identify more candidates than ever before.You will findthat collaboration - not competition - is a cornerstone of 21stcentury e-recruiting.

Convergence

The third trend is a move toward convergence, or the blurringof boundaries and distinctions that used to be so clear. It isincreasingly difficult to separate the impacts and responsibili-ties of third-party agencies, internal recruiters, job boards, andInternet based recruiters.

Each helps the other and none can work independently and beas effective as they can be as a team. It is likely that the can-didate a third party presents may already be in a firm's data-base, on a job board, or easily found by means of email com-


PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEWEST MEMBERS TO TLOMA:

Name Firm Title

Christina Barnett L.A. Liversidge Office Manager

Mary Connolly Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP Director of Operations

Glenn Cook Miller Thomson LLP Director, Facilities

Mark Davenport Torys LLP Supervisor Development

Ann M. Ragobar Falconeri Strype LLP Administrative Co-ordinator

Ted Sinton Simmons, Da Silva & Sinton Administrator

We look forward to seeing you at the meetings.


munication. At first some believed the Internet would elim-inate recruiters or reduce the need for third-party searchfirms altogether. After all, if an internal recruiter can findthe same person on the Internet, why pay an agency?

What has happened, however, is almost the opposite. Theagency can assist in negotiating the details of the position, itcan ensure that the position reaches a wide audience throughtraditional and Internet based advertising, and it can test theskill set of applicants to ensure that they meet a firm's stan-dards, among many other services. The real synergy comeswhen firms and recruiters converge and work toward a com-mon goal of getting the best person in the right job and of theright cultural fit for the firm. There are issues over what thebusiness model will look like as this convergence continues,but as with all new technologies, business processes willadapt to take advantage of them. Recruiters, when coupledwith the Internet, are more useful to firms than ever before.The tools for communicating with candidates, for screeningthem and keeping them interested in organizations are onlyuseful when orchestrated by an experienced and specializedrecruiter.

And while the pressure grows to overcome the increasingskills shortages that law firms are facing, fill key positionswith exceptional people, and keep placement costs undercontrol; it will be a simple survival strategy to use linkedtools, collaborate with everyone, and embrace the conver-gence of many different people and roles. Stephen R. Coveyasks, "When do we compete, and when do we cooperate?…”The essential principle to create effective interdependence issynergistic cooperation: Think win-win.

We firmly believe recruiting is a people business and it'sabout building relationships with clients and applicants.Technology can, and will continue to, widen the scope ofrecruiting, but it can't completely replace one of the key ele-ments in successful recruiting - qualified, knowledgeablerecruiters who understand the culture and staffing needs oflaw firms and corporate legal departments.

Susan Bennett is a former law office manager, lifetime member ofTLOMA, and senior vice-president of Kent Legal, Toronto's lead-ing legal recruiting specialist. Visit our website at www.kentle-gal.com or email [email protected].

Susan Bennett______________________________1 Stephen R. Covey is chairman of The Covey Leadership Center andauthor of Principle-Centered Leadership and the 7 Habits of HighlyEffective People

DEALING WITH DEADLINES

An author told me this interesting story. His book wasnearing completion and he was casting around for

endorsement quotes for the cover. He was given a deadlineto obtain these quotes, but was having trouble getting suit-able material. The deadline got closer. His publisher keptcalling. He got one excellent testimonial, which took someof the heat off, but they needed one more and he was runningout of time and luck.

Then something interesting happened. A best-selling authoragreed to review his manuscript and, maybe, endorse thebook.

Suddenly, the deadline wasn't so rigid - in fact, it wasextended by more than a week. Magically, they were able tofind an extra 10 days in their printing schedule! When pub-lishers can say "Stop the presses" it gives us a message thatdeadlines may be more flexible than we thought.

“ ”

MindBytes Consultants has

proven to be a very reliableand capable technology

support and consulting firm.

They have definitely earnedour trust and confidence.

– Peter R. Greene, Managing Partner,

Kelly Affleck Greene

Technology Support Services for Law Firms.

Call Jim Cinq-Mars, Director of Sales and Marketing

905-415-7274 ext. [email protected]

w w w . m i n d b y t e s . c a / l a w



Do more better fasterDo more better faster

XEROX, The Document Company and the stylized X are registered trademarks of XEROX CORPORATION and XEROX CANADA LTD. is the licensee of all the trademarks.

To compete in today’s business, you need to do more. Handle moreinformation. Use more technology. Be more productive. At Xerox weunderstand this. Which is why we have the innovative documentservices you need – the systems, solutions, products and people – to

make your business more productive.

Our solutions let you spend more time running your business rather than havingyour business run you. And as the acknowledged world leader in digital printingsolutions, Xerox can help you customize any document to meet the ever changingdemands of your business. Not to mention the demands of your client.

You can see the digital revolution in action by visiting our website at www.xerox.caor by calling us at 1-800-ASK XEROX. We’ll give you more information, and more details.More of what you need to do more better faster.

TMMD

Most of us find deadlines a source of pressure,even intimidation. But most deadlines arearbitrary. I find it fascinating that they holdsuch power over us. One reason might be con-tained in the word itself. Webster's Dictionarytells us it was originally a military term: "Aline drawn around a prison, to cross whichinvolves for a prisoner the liability of beinginstantly shot. Hence, a fixed limit, beyondwhich disaster is imminent." If that doesn'tscare you, you're made of tougher stuff than Iam.

Apparently, the word was coined during theAmerican Civil War. Soldiers were on themove, so there were no jails in which to putprisoners. The custom was to assemble prison-ers in one place and to draw a line on theground to mark the perimeter of the detain-ment area. The captives were told if theystayed within the designated area they wouldbe protected, but if they crossed over the"dead" line, they would be fired upon. Thiswas serious stuff.

The word was later borrowed by the publish-ing industry, as noted in Webster's: "The hourat which the printing forms of a newspaper arelocked, after which no copy can be inserted.Hence, the time set as a limit for completion ofany operation. The latest time by which some-thing must be done." Doesn't that soundalmost benevolent compared to the militaryusage? The point is that we seem to think ofdeadlines as if they still hold potentially fatalconsequences for us if they aren't met. I thinkit's time to tone down the language and torethink the concept in general.

Here are some guidelines to help us dealwith deadlines.

1. Use more moderate language. I preferphrases such as: "time frame," "time limit,"or "target date" in preference to the omi-nous "deadline."

2. Don't accept or promise what you can'tdeliver. Communicate your concerns andnegotiate a time that is realistic. If you areunsure whether you can meet a target date,

accept the work only on condition and express your reservation.

3. Only set or accept realistic time frames - and then add a cushion. Don'ttry to cut your schedule too fine. Leave yourself room for interruptionsand unforeseen events like computer glitches.

4. Plan ahead. Organize. Break the task into component parts with timeframes for each.

5. Start early. Don't procrastinate.

6. Work smart, not hard. Be strategic and efficient. Avoid perfectionism.



Bring in Pitney Bowes and you bring in a

valuable partner. One who won’t undermine

your authority. They handlethe details so you can

concentrate on bigger issues.

“

”Outsource your business support services with Pitney Bowes and bringin maximum efficiency. PBMS assures you permanent, tangible improvements in mail center, copy center, electronic document management, records management-all vital support functions. You’llhave more freedom to manage instead of being caught up in the operational details. And you’ll benefit from Pitney Bowes’ 75 years ofextraordinary experience, knowledge and commitment. For more information, call at 416-484-3920, or visit our website atwww.pb.com/pbms

7. Work when you're fresh, not when you're tired. Taketimeouts.

8. Avoid distractions. Stay "on task."

9. Delegate and ask for additional resources if needed.

10.If you're running behind schedule, inform people as soonas possible. Brainstorm alternatives with them such as:

* Getting extra help.

* Relieving you of other duties.

* Scaling back the scope of the project.

* Reprioritizing the task to find out which elements areessential and which can wait.

* Determining what is the preferred delivery date andwhat is the real point of no return. Then keep them up-to-date with regular progress reports.

Deadlines are almost always more flexible than we think.I've seen theatre performances start late because important

people are not yet in their seat; and I've recently been onplanes where the departure was delayed because of late-boarding passengers. Even the Middle East peace processlooks like it will have to be extended beyond the originalSeptember 13, 2000 deadline that was set long ago.

Obviously, we need time limits and target dates to keepthings in order, but we need to stop living as if these dead-lines were literal swords hanging over our heads. And in thecase of my author friend, the delay was certainly worth thewait. He got a glowing endorsement from the celebritywhich helped to launch his new book. Everyone was happythat the deadline wasn't as firm and fixed as had first beenstated.

Reprinting kindly approved by Dr. David PosenAll material copyrighted, David B. Posen M.D.For more valuable articles please see www.davidposen.com


flicts system is integrated with their accounting system.

48.5% indicated that their firms used a commercial document assem-bly program to build standard form documents.

Elite was the accounting software in use in 40 of the 117 participatingfirms.

74% indicated that their firm had an intranet; most frequent functionsof the intranet being directory/employee information (35 responses),firm news and information (34), policies and manuals (33), links (32),and research (27 responses).

Concerning client communications, 44% indicated the firm has anextranet, and 38.8% said sensitive documents are encrypted beforebeing emailed via the internet. Very few (3 respondents) had a secureweb site where clients could obtain account balance information orstatements.

Billing is significantly automated: 70.3% of respondents indicated thatprebills were generated centrally; 55.4% indicated that bills are pro-duced directly from the accounting system into word processor format.

Knowledge Management:

37.4% of respondents indicated their firms had assigned primaryresponsibility for leading KM to an individual but 47.6% indicatedOther when asked for that individual's title (i.e. CKO, TechnologyPartner etc.)

42.6% said they had a library of notable forms and documents separatefrom other documents.

PAYING TOO MUCH FOR DICTATION EQUIPMENT & REPAIRS?

GO DIGITAL WITH PHILIPS & OLYMPUS!

Why Digital?• No More Lost or Broken Tapes!• No More Expensive Repairs!• Email Your Dictation Anywhere, Anytime!• Works with Speech Recognition!• 3 Portable Digital Recorders to Choose From!• Complete Systems Starting at $500.00!

For Further Information:• Call us at 1-800-518-2552, Ext 320.• Email: [email protected]• Visit us at www.talk2me.com

Talk 2 Me Technology Inc. is Canada’s Authorized Distributor for:Philips, Olympus, Dragon NaturallySpeaking & Dictaphone


THE HILDEBRANDT PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY SURVEY -

TLOMA TECHNOLOGY SIG MEETING,DECEMBER 9, 2002

Hosted by Richard van Dyk Gowling LaFleur Henderson LLP

Kurt Canfield of Hildebrandt presented anexecutive summary of the survey results

remotely from Hildebrandt offices, followed bya Q&A with the meeting attendees.

This survey differs from most law firm tech-nology surveys in that it focuses on the types oftechnological processes in use and the degreeof adoption of technology rather than thebrands of software or vendors used by law firmparticipants. The survey results are presented infour topic areas: Participants (staffing ratios,governance), technology/organization, technol-ogy/workflow and knowledge management.

Participant demographics: 117 total partici-pants, 27 Canadian firms, 52 of the firms hadless than 100 lawyers, 35 firms in the 100 to250 lawyer size category.

Overall, annual I.T. investment averaged 5.8%of gross revenue. This number is a decreasefrom both of the last two years.

Average staffing ratios:

Lawyers to Secretaries, 2:1 in bothfirms<100 and the largest (500+ lawyers),slightly lower in the middle size categories.

Lawyers to IT, average 19.6:1 in the under100 lawyer firms down to 9.9:1 in the over500 lawyer firms.

End Users to IT; average 53.6:1 in the under100 lawyer firms down to 29.5:1 in the over500 lawyer firms.

A significant portion of the survey examinesprocess automation:

Client/matter intake where 47.1% ofrespondents reported that where their intakeprocess is electronic, it is routed automati-cally via e-mail to appropriate recipients.

67% of respondents indicated that their con-

• PC and MAC Compatible


Only 19 respondents said that their firm had a process tomotivate and reward individuals for participating in KMinitiatives.

Attendees at the SIG meeting felt that the information con-tained in the survey was quite useful. Suggestions weremade to include questions about cost recovery, client rela-tionship management, future trending, case management,application outsourcing, PDA policies, standards and guide-lines in future surveys.

Wendy WiltshireBlaney McMurtry LLP

Manager of Information Technology

MICROSOFT VOLUME LICENSINGTLOMA Technology SIG Meeting, October 31, 2002

Hosted by Torys LLP

On October 31st, Michelle Fursman of 3-SOFTCorporation attended our meeting to provide informa-

tion and answer questions regarding Microsoft VolumeLicensing.

The principal change to the program is the addition ofSoftware Assurance (SA) and the elimination of UpgradeAdvantage and Upgrades in the Application and Serverproduct pools, as of July 31st, 2002.

There are 3 alternatives to purchase Microsoft licenses,Open License (MOL), Select, and Enterprise Agreements.

The Open License program is targeted at customers with 1-250 PC's and comes in two versions, Open Business andOpen Volume. Neither requires the signing of a contract, butextends for a period of 2 years each. The advantage of theseprograms is with a minimum of purchase (5 units, or 500points respectively) and a minimum of commitment you

The right placement makes all the difference.

First Canadian Place

Permanent and Temporary LegalSupport Staff

tel: (416) 359-9000 fax: (416) 359-9500 email: [email protected]


Philips would like to add one more reseller to the list ofdealers for the Digital Product line which was previouslynot on the reseller list given as part of the materials at thepresentation on November 13th, 2002.

Supon Enterprises Ltd.3950 - 14th Avenue, Suite 102Markham, Ontario L3R 0A9

Phone: 905-479-9245


It’s really very simple... It’s really very simple...

For more information on IKON Management Services and the value-added solutions that we have provided to our clients, please contactMichael Rutledge, IKON’s Strategic Account Executive for the GreaterToronto Area at 416.777.9797 or at [email protected] www.ikon.com

■ Networked and HardcopyReprographic Services

■ Centralized Facsimile Services

■ Mail Services Management

■ Courier Services Management

■ Office Supply Management

■ Imaging and Records Management

■ Reception/Reception Relief Services

■ General Office Support Services

I K O N M a n a g e m e n t S e r v i c e s

There is a reason why over 80% of Canadian law firms that

have pursued an outsourcing strategy have selected

IKON Management Services as their On-Site Facilities

Management provider. It’s really very simple...Our commitment to Complete Customer Service & Support.

No organization manages information and administrative

functions more efficiently and cost - effectively than IKON

Management Services. Your strategic outsourcing partner.

The Way Business Gets CommunicatedSM



by Helen Wilkie

SAY WHAT YOU MEAN —S.I.R.

You’re attending an important meeting, where you wantto make a good impression, and someone asks you for

information. You’re making a sales presentation to a valuedprospective client, and you need to give answers to somevery pointed questions. You’re interviewing for a job youwant very much, and you need to describe your past suc-cesses. In these situations, too often we give way to thestress of the moment, offering our responses in hesitant,unimpressive, even garbled speeches.

Why is it though, that some people have the knack of some-how mustering their resources in these situations, collectingtheir thoughts and giving organized, cohesive responses?Well, you can learn too, by following a simple formulawhose initials form the the acronym “S.I.R.” The lettersstand for “Statement—Information—Re-statement”.

Statement— I can’t complete the monthly report yet,because some information is missing.

Information— • Eastern Region has not submitted its sales figures;• There were errors in the Southern Region figures and

I am waiting for correction; and• I am waiting for clarification of the new reporting for-

mat.Re-statement— Although I still expect to complete the

report on schedule, I wanted you to knowwhy it is not ready for your approval yet.

When your manager asks for a report you are not ready topresent, can you see how this way of saying so puts you in abetter light than simply mumbling that you don’t have thenumbers yet? Let’s look more closely at the structure.

The initial statement is your basic position.

Take a moment to decide the main point you want to make,then express it simply and clearly.

Next is the information. One of the factors that makes thiswork well is the provision of three pieces of information. As

receive additional discounts on your software purchases,sometimes up to 10% off Retail box product. It is an easiermanner to manage and support your licenses, as you onlyrequire one installation CD.

For those customers with 250+ PC's there is the Select orEnterprise Agreements (EA) available. These programs arecontractual in nature extending for 3 years and allow the cus-tomer to standardize on Microsoft product by committing toeither all three pools (Applications, Systems and Servers) orjust one pool at a time. The offering like the MOL programconsists of License only or License and SA, (under the EA,License and SA is the only offering). Features and benefitsstill exist for local representation by licensing experts, FreeCD Kits that allow for 20 seat internal training labs, 60-dayevaluations on 10PC's, and even deeper discounts on theprice of the software up to 45% off Retail box product.Benefits of these programs are the newly introduced Pro-ration of SA and the annualized payments over the 3 yearsalong with ease of budgeting and license management.

Written by Michelle Fursman, Account Manager, 3-Soft.For further information please feel free to contact Michelledirectly at (905) 502-3487 ext. 4485 or email at [email protected].

EMAIL MANAGEMENT AND RETENTIONTLOMA Technology SIG Meeting, November 7, 2002

Hosted by Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP

Companies put limits on desktops to control the storagegrowth and the total cost of ownership of Exchange.

End-users are frustrated that they must always delete infor-mation in order to have enough space to send or receiveemail messages. The end-user in effect is deleting corporateintellectual property (IP) which is not in the best interest ofthe company. End-users are creating .PST files in order tosave information to their hard drive which is usually notbacked up, can become corrupt, and the company loses sin-gle instance storage offered by Exchange in effect increasingthe size of their information store. Corporations are realiz-ing that they must keep their corporate IP and just as impor-tant, must have easy access to all archived data.

Written by Allan Jeffrey, Sales Manager, Corporate SalesDepartment, EDUCOM. For more information contactAllan at tel: 613-234-9950.


GROUP FOUR - SILVER PARTNERS

MICHAEL L. COOPER

JOANNE SILVER

JENNIFER MEYER

SHARA STONE

ERIN GOLDBERG

KARYN RINGLER

CAROLYN TAYLOR

HANNAH COOPER

ROSALIE ROBERTO

LET OUR TEAM HELP CREATE YOURS

SECRETARIES - LAW CLERKS - FINANCIAL - MARKETING - MANAGEMENT

1200 Bay Street

Suite 903

Toronto, Ontario

M5R 2A5

Tel: 416-961-4555

Fax: 416-961-3223

www.groupfour.net

GGRROOUUPP FFOOUURR

GROUP FFOUR


human beings, we have a psychological affinity for the num-ber three. We like things expressed in threes: I came, I saw,I conquered; red, white and blue; Tom, Dick and Harry. If wegive only two, the listener is left hanging, waiting for num-ber three. So, figure out a way to make three statements ofinformation, and you might even count them off on three fin-gers for emphasis. You can have more than one sentence foreach, but you should clearly enumerate the three points.

When you make your re-statement, take the opportunity toadd something. In this example, I reassure my manager thatI still expect to complete the report on schedule even thoughI don’t have it now. By stating my case in this way, I deflectthe manager’s questions about why I don’t have the report,instead sounding as though I have the situation under con-trol.

You can easily practise formatting information in this way.Just ask yourself some questions: What do you think of thegovernment’s position on a current issue? What do you likeabout living in your home city? If you were the president ofyour company, how would you improve relations withemployees? Take a moment to frame your answers in theS.I.R. format, and make the questions increasingly complexas you learn the technique.

Remember, when someone asks you a question, you don’thave to spit out the answer without hesitation. It’s perfectlyacceptable to take a moment to think before speaking.Politicians are experts at making time to frame their respons-es. “That’s an interesting question” is simply a device thatbuys time to decide what to say. You can do the same thing.

Body language, such as placing the forefinger over pursedlips and looking towards the ceiling for a moment, clearlysays “I am thinking”. You might even choose to say some-thing like, “Give me a moment to think about that” beforeframing your statement. We often feel we must respondimmediately, even though we are not sure of what we wantto say. As a result, we stumble over the words and even saysomething other than what we meant—only to think of theperfect answer after the meeting is over!

If you have a trusted colleague or friend, work together sothat you can both perfect the S.I.R. technique. When I was inthe early years of high school, I used to walk to school witha friend every morning. We developed the habit of speakingFrench as we walked. Even though our fractured “French”would probably have horrified our language teacher, it didforce us to think about the words and even consult the dic-tionary for those we didn’t know. I am sure it helped usunderstand the value of the language and, in the long run,increased our knowledge.

TLOMA TodayAdvertising Rates & Information

The Toronto Law Office Management AssociationNewsletter is published ten times a year from Septemberto June inclusive.

RATES AND COPY SIZEBack page 7w x 10h $750.00Full Page: 7w x 10h $500.00Half Page: 3w x 10h or 7w x 5h $300.00Quarter Page: 3w x 5h $175.00Specific Page Additional: $30.00

Volume discounts are negotiable.

All ready-to-print copies should be submitted no later thanthe 15th of the month to be included in the followingmonth’s publication. Contact:

Liz BarringtonTel: (905) 472-2002

You can use the same technique to perfect the S.I.R. method.Make a habit of throwing questions at each other on a vari-ety of topics, and see how long it takes you to come up withthe appropriate S.I.R. answer. You’ll find it becomes easierwith practice, and before long you will surprise yourself withthe fluency of your “mini-speeches”.

The ability to think on one’s feet and convey a message suc-cinctly with little or no preparation is a highly regarded skillin business, and one well worth cultivating for the sake ofyour career.

________________________

Toronto-based Helen Wilkie is a communication specialist,focusing on the link between communication and profitabil-ity. She serves her clients as a professional keynote speaker,workshop facilitator, consultant and writer. Her third, andmost recent, book is “The Hidden Profit Center: a tale ofprofits lost and found through communication”. Reach herat [email protected] or 416-966-5023, or browse herwebsite at www.mhwcom.com

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

March 2003Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28

February 2003Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday


PresidentCarole Paskin Bus: (416) 777-5453

Fax: (416) 863-0305Email: [email protected]

Vice PresidentLinda Ryan Bus: (416) 777-2398


SecretaryAudrey Isenor Bus: (416) 601-2383


TreasurerLohini Ellis Bus: (416) 865-8183


Program Co-ordinatorKim Kelly Bus: (416) 601-2366


Past PresidentDennis Nault Bus: (416) 957-1675


Liz Barrington Bus: (905) 472-2002Fax: (905) 472-5115Email: [email protected]

FacilitiesGary Durie Bus: (416) 367-6011


FinanceBill Hurley Bus: (416) 869-5713


Human ResourcesLynda Stewart Dame Bus: (416) 367-6924


TechnologyDick Jensen Bus: (416) 869-5751


Audrey Isenor Bus: (416) 601-2383Liz Barrington Bus: (905) 472-2002

Kimbalin Kelly (416) 601-2366 ChairLiz Barrington (905) 472-2002Marva Bethune (416) 865 7519 Janice Feheley (416) 777-4029Christine Mittendorfer (416) 364-6211Edmund Reid (416) 605-6797

2002/2003 TLOMA Executive

2003 Conference Committee

2002/2003 Newsletter Committee

2002/2003 TLOMA Section Heads

TLOMA Administrator

HR SIG

EXECUTIVE

FACILITIESSIG

TLOMA thanks TDX

(Toronto Document Exchange)

for delivering TLOMA Today.

TLOMA Thanks Dye and Durham for The

Production of The Newsletter

TECHNOLOGY/FICILITES SIG

GENERAL

TECHNOLOGYSIG

EXECUTIVE

FIANCE SIG

379 Queen St. W., Toronto, Ontario M5V 2A5 (one block east of Spadina Ave.)Te lephone: (416)596-6822 , Fax: 416-596-0238

www.coopersoff ice.com E-mail: info@coopersoff ice.com

Desk & Closed Credenza set $2929.00 Hutch $978.00

U-shaped desk $2159.00

L-shaped desk $1895.00 Bookcase $715.00

Queen

FREEPARKINGSp

adin

a

Pete

r

Richmond OFFICE SUPPLY CO. LIMITED

Value since 1943

Open 6 days a week

M-F 9:00am - 5:30pmSat 10:00am - 5:00pm

A

B

C

A

B

C

LAWORDER

&Featuring “Xception” Canada’s bestpriced traditional wood veneeroffice furniture. Now on Display inour 20,000 square foot showroom.

Table desk & open Credenza set $2072.00

Lateral file $717.00

One of Toronto’s largest dealers serving the legal community for 60 years.

42818 jan-03 tloma

Documents