getting to know more about alamn’s sigs & committees · 15 ala webinar - “communicating...
TRANSCRIPT
June 2011Vol. XXVIII, No. 6
GETTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ALAMN’S SIGS & COMMITTEES
Do you already participate in an ALAMN “SIG” (Special Interest Group) such as Cor-porate and Government, Facilities Management, Financial Management, Litigation Support, St. Cloud or Systems and Technology? Do you participate in an ALAMN Committee such as Human Resources, Large Firm or Small/Medium Firm? Do you have an interest in participating in one or more of these groups and would like to know more about them?
At the June General ALAMN meeting, we will have a panel discussion with the Chair and/or Co-Chairs of these different groups. They will tell us about their SIG or Com-mittee and share a recent highlight from a topic their group has addressed. The Chairs will also be available to answer any questions.
This is a great opportunity for you to meet more members and hear about the won-derful resources your membership provides you.
We hope to see you on June 14!
LOCATION: Crowne Plaza Northstar Hotel 7th Floor 618 Second Avenue South Minneapolis
MENU: Skygarden Chicken Salad – diced tomatoes, bacon, onions and kalamata olives Vegetarian Mediterranean Wrap Salmon Provencal – topped with chopped tomato-basil garlic relish
COST: $25 Members; $35 Nonmembers Register at www.ala-mn.org before Friday, June 10. (Checks payable to ALAMN – pay at registration table or register at www.ala-mn.org and pay by credit card) No shows will be billed.
INSIDE
Table of Contents
The Verdict Staff
INSIDE
2THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Editor Sheila Hoff Lind, Jensen, Sullivan & Peterson P.A.612.333.3637 612.333.1030 (Fax) [email protected]
Advertising Cheryl R. ThompsonMoss & [email protected]
COLUMNS 5 A Word from the President of ALAMN6 ABC’s of Administrator Arithmetic
EVENTS1 Getting to KNow More About ALAMN’s SIGs & Committees18 ALA Webinar for June 201122 ALA Webinars 28 ALAMN Summer Social4 Calendar of Events23 Feed My Starving Children
NEWS14 2011 ALA Conference in Orlando16 A Note of Thanks13 ALAMN Sweeps Awards at ALA Awards in Orlando...12 Simpson Shelter Meal a Success
MEMBERS 3 2011-2012 ALAMN Officers & Directors25 ALAMN New Member Profile
26 Job Bank24 New Members24 Member Changes REPORTS7 Corporate and Government SIG7 Facilities Management SIG8 Financial Management SIG 8 Human Resources Section9 Large Firm Administrators Group10 Small/Medium Firm Group11 Systems & Technology SIG
MORE INSIDE32 2011 Business Partner Sponsors31 Advertisers in this Issue3 ALA Mission Statement20 ALA Question of the Month19 HCBA Connection2 Letters to the Editor9 Stay Connected With ALA2 Table of Contents
Letters to the EditorLetters to the Editor of The Verdict are welcome and can be e-mailed to [email protected]. In your letter, please include your name, firm name, mailing address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. Letters that do not contain full contact information cannot be published. Letters typically run 150 words or less and may be edited. Your letter can be on any topic. You will be contacted before your letter is published. Thank you.
INSIDE
2
MEMBERS
3THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
2011 - 2012 ALAMN Officers & Directors
President Chong Lee 612.371.5217 Merchant & Gould, P.C. [email protected] Past President Shari Tivy 612.672.3211 Bowman & Brooke LLP [email protected] President - Elect Michele Sauder 612.752.1920 McGrann Shea Carnival Staughn & Lamb, Chartered [email protected]
DIRECTORS Administration Jodi Schmidt 612.632.3321 Gray Plan Mooty Mooty & Bennett, P.A. [email protected]
Communications Doug Sievers 612.333.3637 Lind Jensen Sullivan & Peterson, P.A. [email protected] Finance Tracey Skjeveland 612.371.5211 Merchant & Gould, P.C. [email protected]
Education David Oxley 612.335.1472 Leonard, Street and Deinard, P.A. [email protected]
Membership Deborah Cramer, CLM 952.806.0428 Johnson & Condon, P.A. [email protected]
ALA Mission Statement
To improve the quality of management in legal services organizations; promote and enhance the competence and pro-fessionalism of legal administrators and all members of the management team; and represent professional legal management and managers to the le-gal community and to the community at large.
EVENTS
4THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Calendar of Events
June
2 System and Technology SIG will meet at Noon at Moss and Barnett
7 Human Resources Section will meet at 11:30 at Faegre & Benson
14 General Meeting starting at 11:30 a.m., Crown Plaza Northstar Hotel
15 ALA Webinar - “Communicating Benefits to Reach and Encourage Employees” at 1:00pm
15 Financial Management SIG will meet at Noon at Lindquist & Vennum
16 Small/Medium Firm Section will meet at 11:30 a.m. at the Town & Country Club in St. Paul
16 Large Firm Administrators will meet at Noon at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
21 Facilities Management SIG will meet at Noon at Fredrik- son & Bryon
22 Community Service Event - Feed My Starving Children, Coon Rapids location from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
28 Corporate and Government SIG will meet at Noon at the Perkins off I-94 and Riverside Avenue in Minneapolis
July
28 ALAMN Summer Social - Chambers Hotel 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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A WORD
5THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
From the President of ALAMN
By Chong Lee
I, and forty other Min-nesotans, have recently returned from the ALA Annual Conference and Exposition held in Orlan-do, Florida. This year’s Conference offered the 1200 plus attendees over thirty educational ses-
sions each day and featured over 200 business partners in the exhibit hall.
The Conference kicked off on Sunday afternoon with the Newcomers/VIP Reception to acquaint new attendees with each other and the ALA leadership. New attendees had an opportunity to get to know the reception attendees and win a complimentary registration to their Regional Conference. This reception was immediately followed by the Chapter Awards where ALAMN won the Presidents’ Award of Excellence - Plati-num Award for Chapter Management! We also took first place in the following categories:
Educational Excellence in Financial Manage-• ment (2010 Compensation Survey) Educational Excellence in Office Operations • (20th Annual MLAA Educational Conference & Exposition)Chapter Website• Recruitment & Retention• Visibility - Bar Relations•
The evening closed with the poolside Welcome Reception where attendees had a chance to connect with others.
Monday morning’s keynote speaker, Dan Heath, opened up the educational portion of the Conference by identifying the framework for change. Dan told us that change is possible if we focus on the things that are working well instead of what is not working. One of the keys to facilitating change is to find the bright spots and duplicate them. On Tuesday, the David W. Brezina Memorial General Session presenter, Bruce Tulgan, shared that not only is it okay to be the boss but that we can’t afford not to be. Effective bosses are not afraid to talk about work and set clear expectations for their em-ployees. Rita Alli ended her term as President at Wednesday’s Association Luncheon where she passed the gavel to President Karen Griggs, CLM. The Conference closed with Wednesday night’s Grand Finale Event: An Evening on Broadway.
Wednesday also saw the unveiling of the pro-motional video for the 2012 Annual Conference which will be in Honolulu from April 22 – 26. It’s not too early to start planning for the next year. Registration for the 2012 Conference is now open. In an effort to keep the Conference affordable, the ALA is currently running a Su-per Early Bird Discount. If you register before August 31 you will save $200 off the early bird registration of $795. I hope to see many of you in Honolulu. For more information on the 2012 Conference, click here.
NEWS
6THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
ABC’s of Administrator Arithmetic
This is the fifth installment of “ABC’s of Administrator Arithmetic” from the Financial Management Special Interest Group.
M: Materiality:
Magnitude or importance/significance of an omis-sion or misstatement of Accounting infor-mation that, in light of surrounding cir-cumstances, makes it probable that the judgment of a reason-able person relying on the information would change or be influenced. Materiality provides a thresh-old or cut-off point rather than being a primary qualitative characteristic which information must have if it is to be use-ful.
N: Net Income
Bottom line profit, recorded after all costs, expenses, and taxes have been sub-tracted from revenue. The net income of a law firm is fee revenue generated from legal services, reduced by employee com-pensation costs and operating expenses. Net income is sometimes referred to as distributable income.
O: Overhead Costs:
In a law firm overhead costs are some-times referred to as indirect costs. These are the costs that cannot be applied to any one attorney or practice group, but
are allocated to all attorneys and practice groups such as account-
ing, human resources and busi-ness insurance.
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REPORT
7THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Corporate and Government Special Interest Group
By Wendy Bartlett & Sue Johannsen, Co-Chairs
The Corporate & Government Special Interest Group met at noon on May 3, 2011 at the Per-kins in Minneapolis off of Interstate 94 and Riv-erside Avenue. We were happy that our new member, Anna Sullivan of the Bloomington City Attorney’s Office, was able to join us. We discussed a great variety of topics this month, including email security and encryption, email storage parameters, document management systems, and the outsourcing of expert legal services within government entities. Since
members of this Special Interest Group work in a variety of roles within corporate and govern-mental agencies, the discussions consistently provide an opportunity for a shift in perspec-tive and result in a unique learning experience.
The next meeting will take place at Noon on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at the Perkins in Min-neapolis off of Interstate 94 and Riverside Av-enue.
Facilities Management Special Interest Group
By Jackie Sullivan, Chair
The Facilities Management Special Interest group met on May 17 at Leonard Street and Dei-nard. Thanks very much to Shirley Fetzich and Priscilla Seelye for hosting our meeting.
We had our usual lively discussion on a vari-ety of topics, including tipping movers and ca-tering delivery persons, sources for late night deliveries, standards for decorating partner offices, practices for supplies orders and adjust-able work stations, disposal of old furniture, and recommendations for AV consultants. We also discussed use of meeting facilities by out-side groups and noted that most firms first run a conflicts check and charge for catering and after-hours HVAC.
Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 21 at Noon. Our host will be Heidi Sampson Post at Fredrikson & Byron (200 South Sixth Street, Suite 4000). Facilities professionals, administra-tors, HR managers, and others are welcome to attend. Meetings are informal and cover topics chosen by those who attend.
If you would like to be included on the meet-ing/question list for this special interest group, please contact me at [email protected] or call me at 612.632.3330.
REPORT
8THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
By Abby Hollander and Tracey Grill, Co-Chairs
The Human Resources Section met on Tuesday, May 3rd, at the offices of Gray Plant Mooty. The meeting was hosted by Abby Hollander. Our guest speaker was Meghann Kantke, an attorney at Gray Plant Mooty special-izing in employment law. Meghann led a discussion on the legal issues and ramifi-cations employers should take into con-sideration when implementing a Wellness Program. Our next meeting will be held at 11:30 on Tuesday, June 7th at Faegre and Benson. The guest speaker will be John Guinan from Long Term Care Specialists. He will conduct an educational seminar on long term care insurance.
If you would like to be included on the email lists, please contact Abby Hollander at [email protected] or Tracey Grill at [email protected]. We’d also love to hear your ideas for future topics/speakers.
Human Resources Section
By David Astramecki & Lynn Mattson, Co-Chairs
The Financial Management Special Interest Group met on Wednesday, May 18th, at the of-fices of Briggs & Morgan, P.A. Our host for the meeting was Lynn Mattson.
The topic for discussion was on Electronic Funds Transfer and Expense Reimbursements. The majority of Firms use a set schedule for reim-bursing expenses, mostly on a weekly or semi-monthly basis. A few Firms use ACH/EFT to pay for expense reimbursements. The benefits, pro-cedures and techniques were discussed to help those that are thinking of using this as an alter-
native to checks. There was also discussion on how this is also used for paying vendors.
There was also a sharing of information on the procedures used with Firm credit cards, collec-tion committees and changes in Accounting Software.
The next meeting will be held June 15, 2011 at Lindquist & Vennum P.L.L.P.
If you would like to be included in the mailing list, please contact Lynn Mattson at [email protected].
Financial Management Special Interest Group
Proudly supports ALAMN
For more information Call 952.921.1383
8
REPORT
9THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Large Firm Administrators Group
By Karen Reynolds, Chair
Mickey Bailey of Bowman and Brooke hosted the May meeting of the Large Firm group. Discussion top-ics included leasing issues, build outs, contractors, and also off-site storage for closed files, retention practices, storage and retrieval resources.
The June meeting will be held on Thursday, June 16 at Noon, hosted by Pat Mandile of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi. M E R R I L L C O R P O R A T I O N
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REPORT
10THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Small/Medium Firm Group
By Patti Ploehn and Linda Deering, Co-Chairs
The Small/Medium Group did not meet in May due to the Annual ALA Educational Confer-ence.
The next meeting for the Small/Medium Group will be on Thursday, June 16, 2011. Heather Lint-ner of Denarius Human Resources, Inc. will pres-ent Engaging Employees During Uncertainty.
The past two years have been challenging to businesses across industries. Not only did many explore new business models to get and keep clients, there were employee issues to deal with as well, including:
Low morale – Employees with increased • workloads and long hours.Retention – With some improvement in the • economy, key employees are considering opportunities at other companies.Motivation – Compensation budgets went • nowhere; how do we acknowledge employ-ee contributions?
Ultimately businesses succeed or fail based on its employees. Is there anything businesses can do given this? Ms. Lintner’s objective will be to:
Explore ways in which firms can attract, re-• tain, and motivate the talent needed to ful-fill business objectives in current economic conditions. Discuss a “total rewards” and how to lever-• age the latest compensation trends.Answer employee-related questions:•
Why do our employees stay? -What is the best way to get the most out -of our people?
The cost to attend the luncheon/meeting is $25 for ALAMN members and $30 for non-mem-bers. The meeting/lunch runs from 11:30 to ap-proximately 1:00 PM. An email reminder is sent to all Small/Medium Group members at the beginning of the month, with meal selections and subject matter. If you are interested in at-tending and not currently on the Small/Medium Group email tree, please contact Linda Deering at [email protected]. Thank you!
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REPORT
11THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Systems & Technology Special Interest Group
By Molly Hoeg and Suzette Allaire, Co-Chairs
The Systems and Technology SIG met on Thurs-day, May 5 at Schwegman, Lundberg & Woess-ner hosted by Tom Ernster. There were 18 attendees, representing 15 different organiza-tions.
The topic was a roundtable discussion on Docu-ment Management Systems. We did a quick survey of document management systems and resources needed to support the system. Every-one was using either OpenText eDocs, Autono-my iManage, or Worldox. We discussed levels of satisfaction with current Document Manage-ment Systems and reasons for considering mak-ing a change. Some of the reasons cited were:
Wanting to be more nimble• Applications not compatible with the DM•
Cost• Wanting to reduce the Outlook Add-ins• Improve accessibility, particularly through • web accessLooking to leverage investment in Share-• Point
Putting email in the DM was a topic of inter-est to everyone. There were varying degrees of success on establishing the DM as the repository for emails that are considered business records. Many agreed that it was difficult to get compli-ance. Tools to make it easier are either lacking or require significant additional cost.
Next month’s meeting will be on Thursday, June 2, at Moss & Barnett hosted by Cheryl Thomp-son. The meeting will be a roundtable discus-sion on remote access.
NEWS
12THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Thanks to the following vol-unteers (business partners, chapter members, family and guests), ALAMN con-tributed approximately 60 hours of service and served up another deli-cious dinner at Simpson Shelter on May 17, 2011. Over 100 people were served a delicious meal of goulash, biscuits, corn, hot apple and cherry crisps for des-sert, and ice cold milk. The group was happy to learn that the shelter ovens were fixed and desserts actually baked accord-ing to the recipe! Shelter guests expressed appreciation for the meal and raved about the menu.
The group was a great mixture of sea-soned (pun intended) members who have served meals in the past, along with several newcomers who wanted
to get in on the fun. A special thank you to Tracey Skjeveland for grocery shopping and Karen Deneen for buying 10 gallons of milk.
Registration is open on the chapter website for the next meal service on August 23, 2011. Join the fun!
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!
First Timers:Karen Deneen Greene EspelTom Henderson Atomic Data CentersDavid Richards AerotekPat Mandile Robins, Kaplan, Miller & CiresiJill Hardie Mansfield Tanick & CohenJacob Hardie Jill’s sonSteve Leddy Jill’s significant otherHugh Skjeveland Tracey’s husbandPatti Ploehn Henningson & SnoxellMary Healy Lockridge Grindal Nauen
Seasoned Returnees:Tracey Skjeveland Merchant & GouldCheryl Nelson Robins, Kaplan, Miller & CiresiTom Millin Bowman and BrookeMarilyn Pyka Pitney Bowes Brody Geist Willis of MinnesotaColleen Owens AerotekGabriel Harren MSpace
Simpson Shelter Meal a Success
Mariel & Dan
Marilyn
Shar
i & D
on
Shellie
Brod
y, C
hong & Pam
Brody, Chong, S
hari
& M
ariel
12
NEWS
13THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Mariel & Dan
Marilyn
Brody, Chong, S
hari
& M
ariel ALAMN Sweeps Awards at ALA Awards in Orlando...
By Chong Lee
Congratulations to you all!
At the ALA Chapter Awards in Orlando, ALAMN stunned the audience receiving the following awards:
Presidents’ Award of Excellence - Platinum • Level (highest possible)
1st place: Educational Excellence in Finan-• cial Management
1st place: Educational Excellence in Office • Operations
1st place: Chapter Website •
1st place: Recruitment and Retention •
1st place: Visibility - Bar Relations •
2nd place: Business Partner Relations•
2nd place: Membership Brochure •
3rd place: Visibility - Profession-• al Legal Management Week
3rd place: Visibility - Managing • Partner Event
Honorable Mention: Visibility - • Community Challenge Week
Honorable Mention: Educational • Excellence in Human Resources
Honorable Mention: Educational Excellence • in Legal Industry
Honorable Mention: Newsletter Excellence •
Honorable Mention: Educational Commu-• nications and General Management
While there are many individuals who spend significant amounts of time contributing to this success, the entire Chapter deserves a standing ovation. Your membership, involvement, par-ticipation and leadership comprise the founda-tion for this amazing recognition.
Thanks to all of you for your many contribu-tions and commitment to excellence, and con-gratulations on ALA’s recognition of our suc-cessful programs!
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NEWS
14THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
2011 ALA Conference in Orlando
14
NEWS
15THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
2011 ALA Conference in Orlando
NEWS
16THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
A Note of Thanks
By Chong Lee
Recently in Orlando, ALAMN was awarded the President’s Award of Excellence - Plati-num and numerous first place awards in various categories of the awards program. I would like to take a few minutes to thank everyone who had a part in making it pos-sible for ALAMN to achieve these awards.
Awards Submission Authors: thank you • for crafting the submissions.
Abby Hollander
Amy Jorgenson
Chong Lee
Colette Canniff
David Oxley
Jodi Schmidt
Kim Ess
Mary Laschansky
Marylou Steeden
Michele Sauder
Sandy Ricci
Sarah Hackenmueller
Tammy Lanning
Tracey Skjeveland, CLM
Chapter Award Overnight Specialists • (CHAOS): Laura Broomell, Dick Nigon,
Sarah Taylor, Shari Tivy - thank you for reading and editing the submissions.
2010 - 2011 President Shari Tivy - thank • you for your fearless leadership.
2010 - 2011 Board - thank you for guidance. •
Committee Chairs & Members - thank • you for your efforts in securing the best programming.
Members - thank you for challenging the • Chapter to continue to provide award winning educational programming.
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16
NEWS
17THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
2011 ALA Conference in Orlando
18THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
ALA Webinar for June 2011
June 15, 2011
Communicating Benefits to Reach and Engage Employees (CM)
Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2011Time: 1:00 PM Central (2 hours)
In today’s information-overloaded workplace, you face the challenge of reaching employees with critical communication about pay, bene-fits, and other HR issues. This is not easy. Stud-ies show only 35 % of employees think benefits communication is effective, and 55 % don’t ful-ly understand their benefits. Participate in this program to learn how to engage employees more effectively and encourage them to take action.
Learning objectives:
Identify the best ways to communicate to • each segment of your work force: Baby Boomers, GenXers, and MillennialsDiscuss how and when to communicate the • complete benefits package (also known as “total rewards”)Apply best-practice strategies to create em-• ployee understanding of concepts and terms (deductibles, premiums, etc.)Measure the effectiveness of your commu-• nication
Speaker:Alison Davis, founder and CEO of Davis & Company, helps companies reach, engage, and motivate employees. She is co-author of the book, Your
Attention, Please!, a former online columnist for The New York Times, and has written nu-merous articles and reports on employee com-munication.
CLM Credit: 2 hours of CLM credit in the category of Com-munication Skills for those seeking to fulfill the CLM application; 2 hours in Communication & Organization Management (CM) for CLM Re-certification.
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18 19THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
HCBAConnection June 2011
Updates for Legal Administrators and Law Office Managers from the Hennepin County Bar Association
Hennepin County Bar Association • Proudly serving legal professionals and the public • www.hcba.org • 612-752-6600
Early Bird Registration: $155 if payment received by 6/24.After 6/24: HCBA Members: $175 • Non-Members: $185.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT EARLY. LAST YEAR WAS A SELL-OUT. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 22, 2011 IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE YOUR SPOT.
CANCELLATIONS AFTER 7/29/11 WILL NOT RECEIVE REFUNDS.
Schedule of Events:Registration and Buffet Lunch 11:00 a.m.Shotgun Start 12:00 p.m.Awards Dinner 5:30 p.m.Drawings for Raffle and Prizes
Amount Enclosed: Total Entry Fee(s) $ (includes green fees, golf cart, locker room, cookout lunch, and buffet dinner)
Make check payable to “HCBF” and return to: HCBF Golf Tournament 600 Nicollet Mall #390 Minneapolis, MN 55402
Or, call Joy at 612-752-6614 with your credit card information.
LAWYERS, CLIENTS, AND FRIENDS ARE WELCOME. AWARDS AND PRIZES APLENTY. REGISTER TODAY.
Proceeds Benefit the Hennepin County Bar Foundation—the charitable arm of the Hennepin County Bar Association.
Hennepin County Bar Foundation
CHARITY GOLF CLASSICMonday, August 8 Burl Oaks Golf Club 5400 North Arm Drive, Minnetrista
Bring Clients Out for a Fun Day on the Green: Great face time with your firm’s attorneys
Name _____________________________________________________ Date __________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip _____________________________________________________________________
Phone _________________________ Email _____________________________________________
Other Member(s) of My Team*
Name Email
_________________________________________ _____________________________________
_________________________________________ _____________________________________
_________________________________________ _____________________________________ *Please indicate which teammates will be sharing a cart (2 players per cart; 2 carts per team).
Please Note: This tournament is an all scramble format.
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Contact Joy Hamilton at 612-752-6614 or [email protected] with questions.
20THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Question: I need something that discuss-es what employers are doing to handle an aging workforce – and if there’s any-thing about managing absenteeism, and benefits eligibility, that would be great.
Can you help?
Answer: Well, there’s a lot of information on the aging workforce generally – nowhere near as much on handling this issue in the law firm setting, though. To start you off, here are several websites from reputable sources. Note that a number of the pieces cited here include discussions on flexible scheduling and other op-tions to help address absenteeism.
This article, posted on the CEO Forum Group (Australia) website, offers strategies on ad-dressing the challenges of an aging workforce. The piece is based on research from the IBM In-stitute for Business Value.
The Aging Workforce News website aggregates lots of material from other sites. It provides ar-ticles, survey data, a directory of Web resources, and much more.
The Alabama “Survey of Employers’ Practices for Managing an Aging Workforce” was con-ducted by various state business trade associa-tions, state agencies, and AARP; it covers what employers were doing at the time of the sur-vey, options they would consider and how well the characteristics of the current workforce met their immediate and future needs. A simi-
lar survey, “Employment Planning for an Aging Workforce,” was conducted among California employers.
University of North Carolina Institute on Aging offers a Web page on that state’s Workforce Aging Program, with links to research projects, and information center, and more.
Booz & Co. (the company formerly known as Booz Allen Hamilton) published the report “Smart Workforce Management: How to Suc-cessfully Address Changing Demographics.” Read the material to learn how to gain a com-petitive advantage by understanding the chang-ing demographics and proactively managing your own workforce.
The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) produced an InfoPak on managing older work-ers, focusing on statutory protections for older workers and other legal aspects. This item is free only to ACC members; if any of your at-torneys are members, see if they’ll download it for you. (Some of ACC’s material is available to nonmembers on a fee basis.)
SHRM offers a toolkit on employing older work-ers – again, it’s members-only material, but if you or someone in your firm has access it would be another good resource. The Templates and Tools button on their home page links to the listing of available toolkits.
The lion’s share of published material on law firms’ aging workforce deals with retiring/
ALA Question of the Month
20 21THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
ALA Question of the Month (continued)
slowing-down partners and ways to handle suc-cession planning; there seems to be very little on nonlegal staff (what there is on staff pretty much repeats the above guidance). Here are several examples of information on partner is-sues.
The Leadership Coach posted “Aging in Place – Transition / Retirement Planning,” discussing senior lawyers and “flexible” retirement.
“Law Firms Face Gray Area as Boomers Age,” from The American Lawyer, posted on Law.com, covers several large firms’ responses to retiring partners and the shift in mandatory retirement policies.
If you haven’t already done so, check with your firm’s insurance and benefits providers for ma-terial they offer – see this page from MetLife as an example of what they may have for you. Another possible resource is your firm’s EAP (as-suming one is part of the benefits package). If you can tap into resources like these, it should help everyone in your firm, attorneys and staff alike.
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22THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
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22 23THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
The Community Service Committee is looking for volunteers to packmeals for Feed My Starving Children. We have reserved the evenings ofJune 22nd (Coon Rapids location) and July 27th (Eagan location) from
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. We need 30 volunteers for each location. You cansign up on the ALAMN website. This would make a great family volun-teering event! For more information regarding Feed My Starving Chil-
dren, please go to www.fmsc.org.
If you have questions, please contact Co-Chairs Cheryl Nelson at [email protected] / 612.349.0806 or Pam Gerads at
[email protected] / 612.336.4668.
Every day, 18,000 Children die from starvation. But YOU can make a difference
for these children by volunteering at Feed MyStarving Children.
At FMSC you will have fun while
packaging food for children
around the world!
Each FMSC meal provided thekey nutrients a child needs to survive and thrive
MEMBERS
24THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Welcome Our New Members!
Elizabeth (Liz) KerfeldOffice AdministratorTewksbury & Kerfeld, P.A.88 S. 10th St., Suite 300Minneapolis, MN 55403Phone: 612-334-3399Fax: [email protected]
Amy KoskiLitigation Support Services ManagerFoley & Mansfield, PLLP250 Marquette Ave., Suite 1200Minneapolis, MN 55401Phone: 612-216-0314Fax: [email protected]
Lee HawksAccounting ManagerLeonard, Street and Deinard150 S. 5th St, Suite 2300Minneapolis, MN [email protected]
ALAMN Member Changes?
Reminder: Please for-
ward any firm or individ-
ual contact information
changes to Deborah Cra-
mer, CLM, Membership
Director, at doc@john-
son-condon.com.
24
MEMBERS
25THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
ALAMN New Member Profile
Julie ZierdenControllerFoley & Mansfield, PLLP
Getting to know Julie…
Home town? • Galesburg, IL
College & major? • St. Mary’s University of MN, Accounting major, Computer Science minor; MBA in Management from University of St. Thom-as, St. Paul, MN, Certified Public Accountant
Family? • Husband, Scott; sons Matthew & Nicholas
Pets? • Golden Retriever - Rocky
Quick facts about Julie’s firm:
Size? • 124 Attorneys
Your main responsibilities: • Controller
Most challenging? • Time management
I joined ALAMN because?
The law firm environment is new to me. I come from a construction/real estate back-ground and would like to utilize the available ALAMN resources
We are focused on understanding and exceeding the expectations of the
legal community and providing the best technology and services for your firm to
succeed. Call us.
Gregg Eastin Legal Solutions
952-925-6879 [email protected]
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Document Management Software I IT Solutions & Managed Services I On-site Managed FM Services
Loffler Has One Mission
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MEMBERS
26THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank
Law Firm Administrator
Virtus Law, PLLC
Summary of Responsibilities: Manage business functions and overall opera-tions of a law office of 5 attorneys law firm lo-cated in the northwestern suburbs. Reports to the managing partner, and participates in man-agement meetings. In addition to general re-sponsibility for financial planning and controls, personnel administration, and systems and physical facilities, the legal administrator iden-tifies and plans for the changing needs of the organization, shares responsibility with the ap-propriate partners or owners for strategic plan-ning, practice management and marketing, and contributes to cost-effective management throughout the organization. Most reporting will be through the preparation of financial and process oriented dashboards.
Whether directly or through a management team, the legal administrator is responsible for most or all of the following:
Financial Management: Including planning, forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, profitability analysis, financial reporting, general ledger accounting, billing and collections, cash flow control, tax report-ing, trust accounting, payroll and other finan-cial management functions. The office manag-er will also be responsible for collections and accounts receivable management.
Human Resource Management:Including recruiting, selection, training and de-
velopment, performance evaluation, salary ad-ministration, employee relations, motivation, counseling, disciplining, discharging, workers’ compensation, personnel data systems, resource allocation and other human resource manage-ment functions for the legal, paralegal and sup-port staff.
Systems Management:The person will also be responsible for creating, implementing and monitoring processes (i.e. file opening procedure, office opening proce-dure, file closing procedure, prospect manage-ment and sales forecasting procedures). We out-source our IT functions but this person will be responsible for managing that team and coor-dinating work, together with records manage-
DocumentProcessing
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mark of Ricoh Company, Ltd. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
IKON was recently recognized as BestDocument Management service provider in
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Dan Leavitt
952-885-3793 / [email protected]
26
MEMBERS
27THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank (continued)
ment, office automation, document construc-tion systems, information storage and retrieval, telecommunications.
Facilities Management:Including records storage, reception/switch-board services, telecommunications, mail, mes-senger and other facilities management func-tions.
As a member of the organization’s manage-ment team, the legal administrator manages and/or contributes significantly to the follow-ing:
Operations/Management: Including strategic and tactical planning, business development, risk management, quality control, organiza-tional development, firm planning processes and other general management functions.
Practice Management: Including lawyer re-cruiting, lawyer training and development, legal assistant supervision, work product qual-ity control, professional standards, substantive practice systems and other practice manage-ment functions.
Marketing: Including management of client profitability analysis, forecasting of business op-portunities, planning client development, mar-keting legal services and enhancing the firm’s visibility and image in the desired markets.
Job RequirementsKnowledge: Has knowledge of legal or other professional service organizations, and has ex-perience managing business operations such as
human resources, technology, facilities, finance and marketing.
Skills and Abilities: Can identify and analyze complex issues and problems in management areas, and recommend and implement solu-tions. Can manage office functions economically and efficiently, organize work, establish priori-ties and maintain good interpersonal relations and communications with lawyers and support staff. Displays excellent supervisory and leader-ship skills. Demonstrates willingness to perform tasks and ability to delegate [despite a nominal support staff for administrative functions].
Education and Experience: Graduation from a recognized college or university with major
MEMBERS
28THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank (continued)
course work in business administration/ ac-counting. Professional certifications a plus, including Certified Legal Manager (CLM)SM designation, proficient with spreadsheets, ex-perience with law firms, Timematters and/or PC Law preferred.
Contact Info: Thomas Fafinski | Attorney main office: 7040 Lakeland Ave, Ste 111 Sheraton Office Bldg, Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 satellite office: 1191 Northland Dr., Ste 175, Mendota Hts, MN 55120 cell: 612.865.1700 main: 763.432.2169; direct dial: 763.432.6081 fax: 763.447.3591
Law Firm Administrator
Confidential Posting
We are seeking a Law Firm Administrator to manage the wide spectrum of responsibilities involved with our accounting, general office, human resources and administration. Success will depend on the ability to perform not only all of the technical accounting functions re-quired of a controller, but also the aptitude to lead this 2 year old downtown Minneapolis firm into a stronger position through administrative management, development of operational effi-ciencies, and permeation of a high performing legal firm culture.
You will be accountable to the 5 partners lead-ing our firm in assisting them with quality rec-ommendations and information upon which to base critical operational and financial business decisions. This will include annual budgeting
and renewal of key contracts as well as month-ly/weekly reporting. Direct management of the Legal Assistant staff will be a significant contri-bution of this position.
Minimum 4 years experience in Law Firm Ad-ministration specific role. Some education/certi-fication in finance and accounting required.
Contact Info: Interested applicants should send their resume and references in confidence to:[email protected].
Chief Financial Officer
The international law firm of Dorsey & Whitney LLP has a position available for a Chief Financial Officer in its Minneapolis office. The Chief Fi-nancial Officer provides strategic financial lead-ership and directs the Firm’s financial policies and procedures; ensures the Firm’s financial transactions, policies, and procedures meet the Firm’s short- and long-term business objectives, in addition to regulatory requirements; and provides overall direction for the accounting, tax, billing, collections, financial analysis, real estate and leasing, facilities, conflicts, records and payroll functions.
Qualified candidates must possess strong lead-ership and management skills; a Bachelor’s de-gree in business with a finance or accounting focus; a thorough knowledge of accounting principles; demonstrated strong analytical and reasoning skills; superior written and oral com-munication skills; an excellent understanding of
28
MEMBERS
29THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank (continued)
electronic financial information systems; strong planning and problem-solving expertise; inde-pendent judgment; excellent contract negotia-tion skills; and the ability to effectively interact with all levels of personnel. MBA and/or CPA and prior experience in a law firm or other pro-fessional services environment are preferred. Dorsey offers a competitive salary and benefit package. Please submit a cover letter, resume and salary requirements to [email protected].
Network Operations Manager
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. is one of the nation’s premier trial firms based in Min-neapolis with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Boston. An internal promotion has created an exciting opportunity for an experi-enced network operations manager to join our I.T. team. The Manager of Network Operations reports to the Director of I.T. and is responsible for the daily performance and availability of the network. He or she will be part of the I.T. leadership team which includes the CIO, the Di-rector of I.T., the Information Services Manager and the Technical Support Services Manager.
A minimum of eight years experience is required including at least five years at the manager level. Well qualified candidates will be able to demon-strate a strong operational focus and the proven ability to develop I.T. pro-cesses and procedures. Your overall objective will be to move the depart-ment to higher capability levels on the network maturity model and de-liver the highest quality network. The
firm’s I.T. department includes 36 professionals (and growing) who are responsible for network services, end-user support, application develop-ment, business systems support and telecommu-nications. Current and future initiatives include an expansion of the wide area network, cen-tralization of Firm systems, data hosting servic-es, continued virtualization (including desktop and application) and an increased use of cloud computing services, with a strong emphasis on mobility and information access. I.T. infrastruc-ture and operational excellence are considered foundational to these initiatives and thus the Network Operations Manager will play a key role in their success.
We offer outstanding compensation, rich bene-fits, challenging and rewarding work, a sense of community and the opportunity to work with a dynamic group of professionals. The Twin Cities area and its suburbs consistently rank among the very best places to live in the U.S. with ex-cellent school systems, a strong economy and great quality of life.
Qualified candidates should submit a resume to Cheryl Nelson at [email protected]. Rob-
AIS is your premier digital document management partner since 1997 for digital printers, copiers,
facsimiles and wide format printers in the Twin Cities metro area. We sell and service Konica Minolta, Sharp,
Lexmark, HP, Riso, Kodak and KIP equipment. Ryan Keating, 952-516-7701
MEMBERS
30THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank (continued)
ins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. is an equal op-portunity employer committed to building a diverse workforce.
Director of Finance
Gray Plant Mooty, a prominent national law firm with offices in MN and DC, has an immedi-ate opportunity for an experienced Director of Finance in its Minneapolis office to direct and manage the finance and accounting operations of the firm.
Primary responsibilities include providing over-all strategic financial direction for the firm and supervising all accounting and finance matters. Responsible for recommending firm-wide finan-cial and administrative objectives and policies, and for implementing programs and practices of the firm to enhance its financial structure and financial results.
Successful candidate must possess strong lead-ership, management, and organizational skills, and a drive to achieve excellent results. Ability to lead and participate in a team environment, and to think and act strategically are essential attributes. Candidate must be an outstand-ing communicator with the ability to work ef-fectively in this 165-attorney firm. Senior level management experience is required. Law firm or other professional service firm experience is desired. MBA is preferred. Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, or similar field is required.
GPM emphasizes professional excellence and a respectful work environment. Interested can-didates should send a cover letter describing
qualifications, resume, and salary requirements to: HR, Gray Plant Mooty, 500 IDS Ctr., 80 S. 8th St., Mpls, MN 55402; fax to 612-632-4296; or email [email protected] Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer
Office Manager
The University of Minnesota Law School is look-ing for an Office Manager. The Office Manager Position is located in the Law School’s Career Center and is responsible for managing proj-ects, workflow, and customer service in the Ca-reer Center. The Office Manager is responsible for Symplicity, the Law School Career Center’s software, which is used to post jobs for stu-dents and alumni, track career counseling ap-pointments, and track employers and employer contacts. The Office Manager coordinates the on-campus and off-campus interview programs hosted by the Career Center on behalf of its students and multiple employers across the na-tion. The Office Manager also creates, gener-ates, and analyzes reports on items such as jobs posted, employers participating in interview programs, students receiving career counseling, and other topics.
For a detailed list of requirement and job re-sponsibilities follow the link below. The Univer-sity of Minnesota is an equal opportunity em-ployer.
Contact Info: employment.umn.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=94421
30
SPONSOR
31THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
Job Bank Note
ALAMN members interested in new positions are encouraged to regularly review postings on the ALAMN web-site. Jobs are posted on the website as soon as they are received; they are not always published in The Verdict. The Job Bank is only for those man-agement positions that meet ALA and ALAMN membership criteria. To post a job opening with the ALAMN Job Bank or to place your name on the contact list for future openings, please contact Sarah Taylor, Member Placement Ser-vice, at 612.672.8288 or email at [email protected].
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29 Advanced Imaging Solutions
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25 Loffler Companies
22 M&I Bank
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18 Robert Half Legal
6 Sovran
21 Thomson Reuters (West)
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Save The Date
ALAMN Summer Social
July 28, 2011
The ALAMN Summer Social will be on Thursday, July 28th at the Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. This event is for current ALAMN Business Partner Spon-sors and Members. It will be held at the Sid and Nancy’s Rooftop Lounge and Balcony at the Chambers Hotel from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This is a fabulous location with both indoor and outdoor space available on the roof. Appetizers and drinks will be served. Invitations will be sent soon.
SPONSOR
32THE VERDICT - June 2011 -
2011 Business Partner Sponsors
M&I BankMidwave CorporationNexus Information SystemsWest, A Thomson Reuters BusinessU.S. Bank
Advanced Imaging Solutions Business Data Record ServicesIKON Office Solutions, a Ricoh CompanyIron MountainLoffler Companies
Merrill Corporation Pitney Bowes Management ServicesRobert Half LegalSovran Inc.Xerox Corporation
ABA Retirement Funds ProgramAerotek Professional ServicesAON Risk ServicesARAMARK Refreshment ServicesAtomic Data CentersBenchmark LearningBertelson Total Office SolutionsCareerBuilder LLCCITech Solutions, Inc.CMS Management SolutionsCoffee Mill, IncCompulawDictationproducts.comElement Data Group, LLCIntereuminTUNE Professional Document ServicesIST Management ServicesJohnson McCann BenefitsLegal Data Management Technology, Inc.LexisNexisLifeworks Services, Inc.Mergis GroupMetro Legal Services, Inc.Minnesota Lawyer
MOTG-XeroxMSpaceNightOwl Document Management ServicesNorthland Business Systems, Inc.Office Depot – Business SolutionsOmega Legal Systems, Inc.Paradigm Reporting & CaptioningParametersProlawRJF Agencies, Inc.S&T Office ProductsSHIShred-itShred RightSpecial CounselStonebridge BankStudio Hive, Inc.Toshiba Business SolutionsUPSVerizon WirelessWells Fargo Bank N.A.Willis Group of Minnesota
Berry Coffee Company Client Connection Copper Conferencing HenricksenLaser Printing TechnologiesLTC Financial Partners, LLC
mindSHIFT TechnologiesOce Business ServicesOswald Companies Talon Performance Group, Inc.Tuttle Printing & EngravingW Minneapolis - The Foshay