vala topics - bc legal management association · topics • spring, 2005 • vancouver association...

TOPICS • SPRING, 2005 • VANCOUVER ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS • WWW.VALA.ORG • MEMBER SERVICES: [email protected]

BY BONNIE KIRKLAWSON LUNDELL LLP

M arch 1, 2005 finally arrivedand firms throughout BritishColumbia were busy putting

the finishing touches on their trustadministration fee (TAF) implemen-tation project. All that was left to dowas sit back and watch the dollarsgrow.

For some, the dollars were mini-mal because their firm did not handlemany trust files. For others, it waslike watching a ticker tape clickingaway—at $10 increments.

Yes, the promise of a TAF has be-come reality. All lawyers handling

trust funds, save for the purpose ofpaying fees and disbursements, wererequired to capture and remit $10 per“distinct client matter” to the LawSociety of British Columbia (LSBC).

Needless to say, those few wordscaused a flurry of activity through-out the month of February, as it wasunclear to the legal community whata “distinct client matter” exactlymeant. The reason many were in astate of confusion was due to themanner in which their firm handledtrust funds for a client.

For example, some firms had onlyone matter opened to capture fundsinvolving the sale of multiple strataunits on behalf of a vendor, whereas

other firms opened a separate trustmatter for each strata unit involved.

Some firms also used only onematter repeatedly for small transac-tions to avoid the matter-openingcharge deployed by their firm. Otherfirms opened a separate trust matterbecause they considered the funds tobe mutually exclusive of each other.

These types of situations compli-cated how TAF was captured and re-ported. They also caused administra-tors to pause and evaluate thecircumstance each time funds weredeposited into a trust account, pre-venting the process from beingautomated. Additionally, firms with

FOR SOME, IT WAS NO ‘TAFING’ MATTER!

Dust settling after TAF controversy hits

BY KERRI PEARCE,ALEXANDER HOLBURN

BEAUDIN & LANG

I t’s that time of year again: thesummer months and warmweather will be upon us shortly. It

is time to address the ongoing chal-lenge of what is considered to be ap-propriate office attire.

Dress codes greatly vary for maleand female staff, especially in thesummer months, as dress tends todeteriorate a little bit.

The weather’s hot, people aremore laid back, and they’re in vaca-tion mode. Women’s skirt lengths geta tad shorter as nylons are not usual-ly mandatory, the look slightly shiftsfrom a more polished, professional

Continued on page 9 �


SHOULD YOU LET PROFESSIONAL STYLE TAKE A BACK SEAT TO FASHION?

When you dress for the office, what kind of imageshould your firm portray?

TOPICSTOPICSA NEWSLETTER TO HELP OUR MEMBERS AND PARTNERS KEEP CURRENT ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF LAW SPRING, 2005

V A L AVANCOUVER ASSOCIATIONOF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS

http://www.VALA.org

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.VALA.org



high levels of activity were furtherconcerned because they realized thatthere could be a significant cost in-volved with maintaining a manualprocess, and that it would have to bemonitored closely for its cost-efficiency.

Now that the capture of TAF has

begun taking place, and firms haveseen the cumulative amount, the in-terest level among the profession onhow the LSBC plans to use the fundshas increased.

The LSBC intension is to use theproceeds of the trust administrationfee to fund various Law Society trustadministration programs, such asthese and others:

� An audit and investigations pro-gram;

� A custodianship program; and � A new program of trust reports to

replace the Form 47 accountant’sreport. Of the three initiatives, the new on-

line trust report was implementedand used in the first quarter of 2005.Unfortunately, the timing of its usecoincided with the implementation ofthe new TAF requirements and, as aresult, heightened the stress level atmost firms.

In addition, the new report had afew kinks, as are associated with allnew programs. So much so, that theLSBC extended the December 31 dead-line Online Trust Report to April 15without penalty.

Now that the changes are takingplace, it will be interesting to see howthese initiatives improve trust-fundgovernance.

For instance, if you assume that theunderlying objective is to deter themisappropriation of trust funds, andif you also assumed that a negativecashflow was a possible reason for the


2� ‘Tafing Matter: Continued from page 1


To assist firms in understanding whatattracted TAF, the LSBC issued a circu-

lar giving examples on when TAFapplied.

Overall, the circular answered manyquestions posed by law firms. The onlyarea that was still misinterpreted sur-rounded the conveyance of units in astrata property on behalf of a developerclient.

The example in the circular stated:The vendor’s lawyer (lawyer B) will

have numerous distinct matters. The

conveyance of each individual strata

unit is a distinct and separate client

matter. Lawyer B will deposit into

his/her trust account the proceeds of

each sale transaction. Each TAF will be

incurred when the first deposit is

made to trust for each sale.

It is important to realize that in thisexample, the LSBC assumed one pur-chaser per one strata unit. If one pur-chaser bought, say, five units theywould only pay $10, not $50. The rela-tionship is between the developer andthe purchaser, not the developer and thestrata unit.

There’s a copy of the Law Society’sTAF circular in the Publication &Forms section at:

<http://www.LawSociety.BC.ca>

EVEN THE CLARIFICATIONS NEEDED CLARIFICATION

http://www.LawSociety.BC.ca


http://www.VALA.org


http://www.dyedurhambc.com

BY STEPHANIE CORNELLSTIKEMAN ELLIOTT

Y ou must know Gillian. Edwards,Kenny & Bray’s Law LibraryManager is also the Chair of

VALA’s recently created KnowledgeManagement sub-section. Togetherwith Steve Mathews, she co-authoredthe article introducing the sub-sectionwhich was featured in the Fall issue ofTopics. She is a Founding Member andPast President of the Vancouver Asso-ciation of Law Libraries, and has heldvarious positions on its executive since1989.

Gillian has been an instructor ofProfessional Legal Training Courses atCLE, and she is the original editor ofthe BC Legislative Digest, a weekly pub-lication that provides a summary ofcurrent events in the BC Legislature.Her career in Vancouver law librarieshas spanned more than 30 years.

She is a volun-teer, a fund raiser, awife, a mother…we could write abook about her!

Gillian’s careerin the legal indus-try began quicklyafter college. Shecompleted the li-b r a r y - m a n a g e -

ment program at Douglas College, andlater graduated from Capilano Collegein Legal Studies. Gillian was hired bythe federal government’s Departmentof Justice as she completed the Capstudies, and was given the task of es-tablishing its library. Shown a roomfulof boxes stacked on more boxes,Gillian had her work cut out for her.

One year and a full card-cataloguelater, Gillian was offered a position atthe BC Courthouse Library Society.For eight years, she organized andcontrolled all the legislative materialand general-reference services forlawyers, judges, articling students andthe public. It was here she edited theBC Legislative Digest. While doing all

this, she also foundtime to enroll andgraduate from theLegal Studies Pro-gram at CapilanoCollege.

Making a fewstops at several lo-cal law firms as afreelance law li-brarian and con-sultant, in 1983 Gillian settled at FraserHyndman, which later became Fergu-son Gifford (FG). Her experience at theJustice Department proved worthy asshe facilitated the move of FG’s library,including its design, from a Bentalltower to the newly constructed ParkPlace.

When FG closed its doors in 1999,Gillian moved to Edwards, Kenny &Bray (EKB). It was a bit of a cultureshock for her. Having been at FG for 16

years, Gillian was used to being theone everyone came to for the answers.Gillian knew and understood a lotabout the history of the firm, and herco-workers recognized that quality inher.

At EKB, she was the new kid on theblock. Everyone there, though, provedto be welcoming; she felt that she wasautomatically trusted in her role andshe enjoyed plenty of independence.

The firm is also service-oriented,and that really appeals to Gillian. Par-ticularly, she enjoyed developing thefirm’s intranet alongside IT manager,Brenda Johnson.

Gillian now teaches lawyers, stu-dents and legal support staff to use on-line information services, she managesthe co-ordination and integration ofnew technologies and information-delivery systems, and she developsand manages the firm’s library.

In the midst of all this, Gillianagreed to help develop a new sub-section for VALA. Wayne Scott, EKB’sAdministrator and VALA’s newly-elected President, approached her andasked if she was willing to join a small


3PROFILE: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT’S GILLIAN CRABTREE

Gillian's the VALA memberwe all know cover to cover

StephanieCornell

We are one of Vancouver’s largest independent accounting firms andtrusted advisors to many of B.C.’s most successful law firms.

We are a “one stop shop” providing a full range of auditing,accounting, taxation and computer consulting services.

Our Specialty Groups deliver financial investigations and insolvencyservices, litigation support services and provide business valuationsand due diligence reviews. We deliver business plans to assist you withyour financial restructuring. We can help you with contractnegotiations and provide you with corporate finance support.

Our aim is to provide “service beyond expectations”. Please call us todiscuss what we can do for your firm.

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http://www.VALA.org




BY LISA SCOTTBLAKE, CASSELS & GRAYDON

If you were to ask any successfullawyer, “What is the most valuableasset of your practice?” chances are

many of them would agree that theanswer would be, “Clients.”

Client relationships, whether youare building or maintaining them, arekey to the success of any firm.Lawyers have been managing theirclient relationships for a long time. Sowhat’s all the buzz about customer-relationship management (CRM), likeit’s the new kid on the block?

First, let’s define what CRM actual-ly is.

We know it is more expensive toacquire and develop relationshipswith new clients than it is to retainand maintain relationships with exist-ing clients. At the same time, it’s im-portant not to let new leads slipthrough the cracks.

Lawyers have always been good atthe relationship side of the equation;it’s the management of the relationshipwith which they usually need help.This is where CRM comes in.

CRM typically refers to the tech-nology or software used to automaterelationship-management processes.However, CRM is more than just soft-ware; it’s about adopting client-fo-cussed business strategies, and entailsdevelopment of new business proces-ses and changing of cultures within a

firm. Maximizer, aC R M s o l u t i o nprovider, definesCRM as “the pro-cess of managingrelationships withy o u r c l i e n t s ,through market-ing, sales and cli-ent service in or-der to generate leads, gain new clientsand retain clients for long-termbusiness.”

WHAT DOES CRM DO FOR YOU?Carina Bittel, Marketing Director atClark Wilson LLP, participated a fewyears ago in the implementation of In-teraction, a CRM platform designed

primarily for law firms. While she de-scribed the implementation processas “frustrating and expensive,” shenow wonders how the firm ever didwithout Interaction.

At a basic level, she says that theyuse the CRM package to manageevents and seminars; for such thingsas invitation lists, RSVPs and pay-ments, nametags, receipts and follow-up letters.

At a strategic level, she also appre-ciates having all contact informationin one shared database, so that shecan help lawyers warm up cold callsby uncovering existing relationshipsthat facilitate introductions. Getting acomplete picture of interactions withprospects and clients, whether theyare existing relationships or simplyconnections through newsletters orseminar attendance, is also helpful.

Specifically, depending on thepackage that you select and the mod-ules that you implement, CRM offersa myriad of capabilities and benefitssuch as:� Increasing collective knowledge

about clients and prospects; � Improving data integrity and

reliability;� Facilitating knowledge-sharing for

cross-selling;� Providing information you need to

ensure client satisfaction;� Increasing and forecasting revenue

and profitability;� Centralizing client data in one

location;� Managing, measuring and tracking

business-development campaigns; � Managing opportunities to devel-

op new clients as well as currentclients; and

� Automating processes.

HOW TO MAKE CRM SUCCESSFUL

1You need the right team and supportfrom all levels. You will be most successful if

you have the right team of people inplace for planning and implement-


4IS CRM THE NEW KID ON THE LEGAL BLOCK? NOT EXACTLY...

Customer-relationship management software needs to be thoughtfully integrated into your operation

misappropriation, then wouldn’t theremittance of TAF just compoundthe issue?

On the other hand, a lapse in TAFpayments should alert the LSBC of apossible cashflow problem. Well,only time will answer the question,but it is worth pondering.

Regardless of how firms feelabout the proposed benefits thatmay or may not arise in the future,

reportedly each firm across theprovince complied with the LSBC re-quirements and successfully com-pleted the implementation of TAF.The next flurry of activity will notoccur now until July 31, when firmsmust cut a cheque and pay what isdue.

Only then will many firms bescurrying around double-checkingthe accuracy of their recordkeeping.And only then will some firms real-ize—it was no ‘TAFing’ matter!

� ‘Tafing Matter: Continued from page 2

Lisa Scott

Lawyers have alwaysbeen good at the

relationship side ofthe equation…

…it’s the managementof the relationship

with which theyusually need help.


http://www.VALA.org



ing the project. Representatives frommarketing and IT are essential; mar-keting will likely be the power user ofa CRM program, and IT is responsiblefor the infrastructure. If your CRM isgoing to integrate with your firm’s ac-counting system, then the controlleris a critical team member. Anothercomponent of the team is a seniorpartner to play the role of executivesponsor and champion for the project.

The partner’s function on the teamis to impart insight on how to com-municate objectives of the project, ob-tain buy-in from the leadership team,manage executive expectations andbe the person with political power toimplement changes in processes.

2Client-focussed strategy: RememberCRM implementations are not just

a software rollout. You need to haveclient-focussed strategy and cultureto back it up, as well as the willing-ness of the management to adjustbusiness processes around that cul-ture. This means using the CRM soft-ware to improve processes so that theclient receives higher-quality service,and feels more valued by the compa-ny.

Creating a client-focussed strategyentails concentrating the whole com-pany around client satisfaction and re-tention. Everyone, from your recep-tionist to your managing partnerneeds to share the common goal ofproviding extraordinary client service.

3Plan in advance: Set clear, realisticgoals for what you want to accom-

plish, and get the plan down in writ-ing. Discuss and document currentand future processes, roles for the im-plementation team, political barriers,change resistance, communicationsplans, training schedules, milestonesand timelines. Map out your budgetin detail, considering software,staffing, consultants, training, com-munication and potential software orserver upgrades.

Define the functional requirementsthat you will require from your CRMpackage. Do you want your CRM totie into other programs (Word, Out-look, accounting)? What types of in-formation do you want to collect (in-

dustry data, referral sources)? Defin-ing fields that you wish to use for fu-ture reports and searches is crucial.

4Data Integrity: In planning yourimplementation, allow some time

in the early stages of your project tocleanse your current data beforeconversion.

Make every effort to ensure thatthe data you import from othersources is consistent.

For example, you should checkfor duplicate entries, spelling mis-takes, address and contact informa-tion discrepancies. Inconsistenciessuch as using St. instead of Street,BC instead of B.C. or Suite 301 in-stead of #301 can cause problems indata transfer.

Your software provider shouldgive you guidelines for cleaning upthe data before the conversion.


5� CRM Success: Continued from page 4

BY JOHN HAWKEHARPER GREY

VALA members will beseeing the following

surveys coming up in theSpring. VALA stronglyrecommends that youmake every effort to getyour firm involved, asmore survey participantswill result in a more accurate pictureof the marketplace.

Associates’ Salary Annual Survey:The documentation for this surveywill be emailed to all members onMonday, May 16, and completedforms should sent to John Hawke atHarper Grey LLP <[email protected]> no later than Friday, June3.

The survey results will be e-mailed to all participates during theweek of June 13. In 2004, 30 firmsparticipated in the survey, whichproduced results from a good cross-section of the market place.

This survey gives firms an oppor-tunity to assess market trends withrespect to student and associate sala-ries, and it also provides valuable in-formation about bonuses, additionalbenefits and perks paid to lawyers,as well as assigned-billing targets.

Annual Law Firm EconomicSurvey: The documentation for this

survey was e-mailed to mem-bers April 8 by Gordon VanHorn of Borden Ladner Ger-vais, and the deadline forsending the completed docu-mentation to John Smiley atWolrige Mahon is Friday, May6.

If you have any questionsconcerning the survey or thedocumentation issued in early

April, please contact Sandy Delayenat Bull, Housser & Tupper.

Last year, 20 law firms participat-ed in the survey and we hope to sig-nificantly increase this number, par-ticularly in the segment of firms thathave less than 40 lawyers.

In addition to providing valuabledata about each firm’s financial per-formance in comparison to themarketplace, participants are giveninformation concerning: the compo-sition of professional staff, billablehours worked by major timekeepercategory, office space used perlawyer, as well as information aboutbusiness structure, tax planning, riskmanagement and profit-sharingmethods.

Last year’s participants felt thatWolrige Mahon did an excellent jobin expanding the benefits providedby this process, and looked forwardto their continuing involvementwith this survey.

MEMBERS URGED TO WATCH FOR AND PARTICIPATE INVALA ECONOMIC SURVEYS COMING UP THIS YEAR

John Hawke

Set clear, realistic goalsfor what you want to

accomplish, and get theplan down in writing…

…Define the functionalrequirements that youwill require from your

CRM package.


http://www.VALA.org






6

5Cultural Change: It is important tothe success of the project that

your executive sponsor has gainedbuy-in from the management teamso that the appropriate cultural andprocedural changes around the cli-ent-focussed strategy can be imple-mented.

Ensure that your plan includes acomponent to manage change that’sfocussed on informing and educatingusers how, exactly, the CRM will helpto improve their bottom line as wellas the firm’s. Introduce your CRMprogram as an opportunity to createmore business for everyone, andpublicize instances where shared in-formation can benefit the firm.

Regular communications to stake-holders involved in the program arehelpful in ensuring the buy-in andsuccess of the project.

6Training: This is absolutely key toa successful CRM program. En-

sure that you do some pre-training sopeople understand the goals of theproject and what you hope to accom-plish by the implementation.

Identify different levels of users tobetter plan and target your training.Give basic users only the informationthey require, and delve deeper for in-termediate and advanced users. Trainthe users on both the software andthe process changes. Investing the ap-propriate resources, personnel andtime into training is where a greatdeal of the success of the project lies.

Training time is an opportunityfor managing change. Learn successstories from your vendors, and shareapplicable anecdotes that illustratethe success of the CRM when usedcorrectly. This is a great opportunityto get buy-in at all levels by demon-strating the value of the productthrough business cases with whichthe trainees relate.

7CRM Caretakers: It is always agood idea to have one person

who continues to be responsible forfuture training, support services, an-swering questions and data integrityin the CRM system.

This does not necessarily meanthat one person is responsible for all

data entry—the success of manyCRM programs depends on every-one in the firm being involved—butthat there is a champion on hand topromote the benefits of the program,and to help people through the learn-ing process.

8Consider using a phased approach:Plan for the whole project but

consider implementing in stages. Some vendors caution against a

“boil the ocean” approach. Imple-menting a massive system createsenormous change and new proce-dures which can lead to a backlash.

Lawyers are precedent-driven andoften don’t want to try somethinguntil it’s tried, tested and true. If youimplement in stages, they won’t beoverwhelmed with the new technol-ogy and processes, and can take thetime to learn and understand eachphase as you go.

Consider rolling out first to a pilotgroup that includes an array of usersincluding potential power users andsome users that aren’t as technicallysavvy. Also consider including bothsolicitors and litigators as they mayuse the system differently.

WHAT ARE CRM’S BOTTOM-LINEBENEFITS? That will depend entirelyon the manner in which you imple-ment CRM, and the level of imple-mentation. In other words, how wellyou thought out the implementation,including the initial strategy, and thefunctional use of the fully imple-

� CRM Success: Continued from page 5

THE CRM LANDSCAPE

SPECIALIZED LEGAL PRODUCTS

� Elite Apex� Interface Interaction� Aderant Front Office CRMOFF THE SHELF PRODUCTS

� Maximizer� FrontRange Solutions’ Goldmine� Best Software’s Act!HOSTED (ONLINE) PRODUCTS

� Salesforce.com� Netsuite.comINTEGRATED SYSTEMS

� Pivotal� Siebel� Oracle� SAP� Microsoft CRM


http://www.VALA.org

http://www.eliteis.com

http://www.interfacesoftware.com

http://www.aderant.com

http://www.maximizer.com

http://www.frontrange.com

http://www.act.com

http://www.salesforce.com

http://www.NetSuite.com

http://www.pivotal.com

http://www.siebel.com

http://www.oracle.com

http://www.sap.com

http://www.microsoft.com/businessSolutions/CRM/default.aspx

http://www.arlynreid.net


BY RICHARD STOCK,CATALYST CONSULTING, TORONTO

T he leadership of many Canadianlaw firms does not spendenough time developing, com-

municating and implementing busi-ness strategy.

Even less time is spent assessinghow business initiatives fit the firm’spriorities and then adjusting the busi-ness strategy. One wonders about thereasons for this.

It comes as no surprise to find mostpartners think that it is someoneelse’s job—usually an ExecutiveCommittee or a Special Committee oreven the Managing Partner—to de-cide what strategy is and what thefirm should do about it. Partnerswould rather do almost anything elsethan strategic planning.

Often planning is triggered byevents in the market or in the firm—occasions such as the loss of a few im-portant clients or partners, poor prof-itability, mergers of other local firms,or the aging of the partnership.

Smaller firms hold a retreat, pro-vide background papers or readings,or engage a facilitator. But skepticism

reigns among the captive partici-pants, primarily over the prospectthat anything important will everchange. It is amazing to see how littleinformation the firm offers for consid-eration about:� The business plans of the firm’s top

25, 50 and 100 clients, and theirlegal-service requirements;

� The profitability of the firm, itspractice areas (or offices);

� The personal and professional in-tentions of each of the partners for

the next five years;� Viable alternatives to the hourly-

based business model; or� How to cope with the disappear-

ance of key clients and markets.Firms of all sizes must shift their

focus on thinking about strategicplanning as a process that consumesvast amounts of time and some mon-ey to creating a business strategy fo-cussed on results and effectiveness.

A couple of years ago, I heardmanagement consultant David Maistersay that two law firms in the same mar-ket would likely study the same dataand trends, and then reach similar con-clusions about what their strategies


7Business strategy should be clearand sharp; fuzzy just doesn’t cut it


0�Most partners think that it is someone else’s job—usually an Executive Com-

mittee or a Special Committee or even the Managing Partner—to decidewhat strategy is and what the firm should do about it.

mented program, will determine theeffect (or not) on your bottom line.

The data that you can compile byproperly using a CRM is an asset thatuncovers the complex connectionsbetween people, companies, relation-ships, experience and expertise, em-powering you to leverage who andwhat you know, to reveal revenueopportunities and to enhance clientservice.

Companies large and small can re-alize a range of benefits from lowersales costs and greater efficiencies, ona tactical level, to new clients and bet-ter revenue opportunities with cur-rent clients on a strategic level.

In short: implementing a CRMprogram is not easy, but the long-term gain can far outweigh the short-term pain for any law firm trying tocompete in today’s marketplace.

QUESTIONS A MEDIUM-TO-SMALL FIRM SHOULD ASKCRM PUBLISHERS

CRM software tends to focus on largefirms, but competition is causing

publishers to push their products intothe fresh new and much larger marketsof medium-sized and smaller firms.

Our intrepid Tim Wurtz of BakerNewby in Chilliwack offers severalquestions such firms should ask of thepublisher:

� Is there a certain size of firm (numberof staff/lawyers) where CRM be-comes a requirement?

� What is the size of a marketing de-partment where CRM is used?

� How, really, is it going to help thebottom line?

� What have been the main obstacles inimplementation?

� Does it generate excess paper re-cords, or is everything required re-ported in the software?

� Is it possible that some people in thefirm can use it, and others don’t?Can they coexist?

� CRM Success: Continued from page 6


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http://www.catalystlegal.com/OurTeam.htm


should be. What would differentiateone from the other is the ability to de-velop and execute an actionable plan.

Every law firm must make a mini-mum number of basic choices. Thestakes are high. The answers to thefollowing questions should be goodfor five years:� Who do we want our clients to be,

especially our top 25 clients? � What proportion of our business

should those clients represent?� If it’s true that clients are more likely

to hire lawyers than firms, how canwe position ourselves to do all thelegal work for our anchor clients?

� What must we do to retain and re-cruit the talent we need at everylevel?

� Is it time to fundamentally changethe business model—hours, rates,leverage—and relieve the pressurefor continuous growth?Many smaller and medium-sized

law firms have little appetite to devel-op and debate the questions and thenmake the choices suggested by oppor-tunities and resources, because of a

well-entrenched culture of individuali-ty, autonomy and self-sufficiency. Evenwhen some do choose, they still fail.

They fail to implement becausethey do not have a strategy or cultureof execution. Their focus is on processrather than results. Failure to produceresults has little short-term impact ona firm, or on key individuals chargedwith its business strategy.

Business strategy is not fuzzy, if itis any good. It asks all the right ques-tions, gets the partners to choose—and to act on their choices. It does allthis in an environment that favorsteams, accountability and results,rather than process, in an overwhelm-ing orientation to key clients.

GETTING RESULTSMuch can be done to improve the

odds of getting results:

1Make sure that all the questions areasked, and that answers are provided.

Do not skip over the hard stuff.

2The devil is in the details. Decidewho will do what, by when, and

give them the time and money to doit. Ensure that there is alignment for

every aspect of the action plan.

3Performance must be measured.Business strategy comes off the

drawing-board and takes flightwhen the indicators for success—themeasurements, aka metrics—are setout in advance, when targets for re-porting are set, and when thepartnership is kept informed of suc-cess and failures.

4The pace and speed of execution is of-ten too little, too late. There is rarely

a sense of urgency unless the firm isin a crisis mode. This is a real chal-lenge in firms that require partners toinvest non-billable time that com-petes with their usual production.There are few instances when part-ners can scrape together more than 50hours in less than a year to act onstrategic business decisions.

5Firms do not leverage the partner andassociate compensation systems suffi-

ciently to secure the results they need. Too often, there is only a periph-

eral acknowledgement of a partner’scontribution to the business strategyoutside of that partner’s usual eco-nomic and business developmentactivity.


8� Not fuzzy: Continued from page 7


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http://www.sai.ca

image. Men, unlike women, seem todress the same way in the summer asthey do most of the year. When theweather is warmer, women’swardrobes tend to focus more onbeach or nightclub clothing, which isnot acceptable to wear to the office.

Business attire will vary from firmto firm depending on the size and cul-ture. Would the term “business casu-al” in the workplace mean the samething for management as it would tothe support staff? In most cases, prob-ably not. What one employee deemsto be acceptable fashion may be unac-ceptable to another.

In our rapidly changing workforce,where technology has made the com-mon task easier and quicker to com-plete, it seems increasingly difficult ondeciding what to wear to the officewhen standing in front of your closeton a Monday morning. Although theindustry trends on office attire havebecome much more lenient and re-laxed over recent years, law firms still

have a reputationto uphold andbuild. Outwardappearance is cru-cial, no matterwhat position youhold in the compa-ny; whether it ismanaging partneror receptionist. Staff members at alllevels represent the firm, whether theyhave face-to-face contact with the cli-ents, or not. Our industry is profes-sional services to clients, and how ourclients perceive us is critical.

It is imperative to have a dress-code policy in place in order to avoidany confusion with the overall corpo-rate culture and objectives, and sostaff can avoid falling into a bottom-less pit of poor fashion choices. Hav-ing a general guideline to followwhen an uncertain situation arisesmakes an uncomfortable position eas-ier to handle. Human-resources man-agers typically address a staff memberon the spot regarding inappropriateattire on a particular day. Such a situa-

tion could quickly become personaland offensive, and allowing the man-ager to refer to dress-code policy sup-ports the company’s objectives, andmakes for a more comfortable situa-tion.

To simply say “dress appropriate-ly” only serves to confuse employees;the word “appropriately” may be in-terpreted differently from person toperson. Most firms’ policies adhere to“business casual” attire, which is aneat, tailored, professional look, butdoes not necessarily mean a businesssuit. Depending on the firm, business-casual attire could consist, for women,of pantsuits, khakis, sweaters, blous-es, dress shirts and dress shoes. Formen, a collared shirt is requiredwhereas, a tie and jacket could be op-tional. The look is more casual fromthe traditional dress code, however,the policy is not as relaxed as casualdaytime outfits. Dressing in a busi-ness-casual fashion should be com-mon sense for most staff. One com-mon thread, which would apply to allstaff members, is to be sure that cloth-ing is always clean and pressed, andthat shoes are polished, or clean ifsuede.

It may be tricky to put a dress codeinto writing, as attire can be subjec-tive. The policy does not necessarilyhave to be particular as to what is ac-ceptable; however, stating what is notacceptable is imperative. The follow-ing are some helpful hints to conveyto your employees what they shouldrefrain from wearing in your firm:Unacceptable business casual attire:� Jeans or capri pants� T-shirts and tank tops� Shorts and sports wear � Sandals and flip-flops

Another topic to consider adding tothe dress code policy is personal hy-giene and grooming. Again, thisshould be common sense however, itmay be worth mentioning. There are avariety of scents that circulate the of-fice, which will affect everyone differ-ently. People have various levels ofsensitivity, and some may have aller-gies to heavy perfumes or hand lo-tions. In the workplace, sometimesless is more!

Based on my own personal prefer-ence, I find that I work more efficiently,


9


� After a fashion — From page 1

Kerri Pearce

Farcus

© Farcus Cartoons Inc. 1990

FARCUS

“Henderson, I think you’ve misunderstood our dress code.”


http://www.VALA.org


http://www.farcus.com


10and tend to be more motivated, when Iam dressed up as opposed to wearingcasual clothing. On the flip side to that,I have heard many staff members say

that they would prefer to wear jeans towork every day. In my experience, thelawyers, especially senior partners, donot typically approve of casual days orjeans days.

However, a more-casual dress codepolicy tends to enhance overall moraleand can create a better work environ-ment, as it does not seem to differenti-ate the professional staff from the sup-port staff. If you can look at yourself inthe mirror, not question what you arewearing and feel good about yourchoice of clothing, it is probably an ac-ceptable wardrobe choice.

BY SUSAN VAN DYKEVAN DYKE MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

A true story: Standingin the secretary’s cu-bicle looking over

her shoulder at her comput-er monitor we are waitingfor a document.

At this vantage point, Ican also see into the officeof my client, a partner.We’ve been counting downeach minute for the past 10towards a deadline for a Request forProposal submission. We are waitingfor the proposal response to bePDF’d (per the RFP requirements) byan IT person on another floor.

This partner’s practice dependson the success of this proposal onwhich we have worked intensivelyfor a few weeks and, in classic solici-

tor style, the partner redrafted rightup until the last hour. But first, wemust meet the deadline—”…FIVEminutes”—or we’re dead in the wa-

ter. “FOUR minutes… where’sthat document?!”

When a significant clientsends an RFP, even if it’sscheduled, it concerns themost seasoned lawyer. Let’sface it: you risk losing thework, leaving a gaping holein your practice.

Proposals that win workare usually extraordinary for

one reason or another. They are notrun - of - the - mill or mediocrepropositions.

By their nature, they stand outfrom the others by addressing theunique needs of the client/prospect,or they offer something new and dif-ferent, demonstrating your creativeapproach to challenges. At mini-mum, your proposal must have sub-stance—but in a competitive envi-ronment, it also has to dazzle youraudience.

Successful proposals require lawfirms to do something many loathe.Stand out from the crowd, and take ameasured risk. The managing editorof this newsletter said it best: “Theywant to stand out inside the crowd.”

Consider the approach of a na-tional firm’s Ontario office. In re-sponse to an RFP from an Americancompany entering the Canadianmarket, they offered to send freesamples of their delectable productto all their (thousands of) clients inOntario. Was this firm demonstrat-ing a clear understanding of theprospect’s business? You betcha. Didit work? Absolutely.

On receipt of an RFP, review it tosee that you can meet the minimumrequirements. Then, of course, en-sure the work is profitable or that itfits with your firm’s goals—not alldo, so qualify each opportunity forits individual merits.

Now start turning over stones.Collect as much relevant information

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Lawyers do nottypically approve ofcasual or jeans days.

Susan Van Dyke

Writing a winning proposal is key to the success of any law firm



http://www.VALA.org



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BY TIM WURTZ,BAKER NEWBY, CHILLIWACK

I t is human nature to resist change.Change at a law firm comes inmany forms, with one large

change being a software conversion. In addition to the selection process,

initial expenditure, new equipment,and implementation, it is importantto remember the people who are be-ing plunged into a brand new world.

Here are a few things to keep inmind so you can successfully easestaff emotionally through a softwareconversion.

Common conversions in law firmsinclude corporate packages, account-ing conversions, and word-proces-sing packages. Each poses uniquechallenges, according to conversionconsultants in each of these areas.

Clive Bellian, our Regional Direc-tor at Dye & Durham, had some in-sights on managing a corporate-pack-age conversion.

He has found there are three dis-tinct groups of people: some whowelcome change, some who don’twant to budge, and the biggestgroup—people who can be swungdepending on their observations.

The trick is to have this swinggroup see the successes of the newsystem to get them fully on boardwith the conversion. Throughout theconversion process, identify who is onboard, who is resistant, and who youcan swing to create the critical massneeded to embrace the conversion.

Clive has also found that your ad-versaries, those resistant to thechange, may actually end up helpingyou implement the new softwaremore effectively.

While looking for ways to discreditthe new software, they are actuallyidentifying potential problems that canbe addressed early for a more seamlesstransition. Try not to convey a “Myway or the highway” attitude, he sug-gests. If you are sincere and excited, thestaff will see this and do their best.

Stan Harder, a technical supportspecialist from Thomson Elite, recent-

ly helped our firmthrough an ac-counting conver-sion.

He found thatsecretaries typical-ly expect to do lesswork, and are thenoften surprised tofind out they arenow responsiblefor more work, and, as well, an entire-ly different sets of tasks.

This depends on the complexity ofthe operations, but once they are overthe initial shock, once they see thelight at the end of the tunnel, theycan’t believe there was ever any otherway to do things. They realize theywill have far more control at the endof the process.

Stan advises that you not comparethe new system to the old system—infact, drop the words“old system” fromyour vocabularyentirely. It is nota good approachto say “Our oldsystem did this,” or“We used to do itthis way.” Try tofind alternatives,rather than dwell onthe past.

The conversion pe-riod is a great time torethink how you dothings, and to examinewhy you do things a cer-tain way. During an ac-counting conversion atLawson Lundell, BonnieKirk noted that while it iseasy to physically changethe software, you should not forget tochange the processes through whichwork gets done. The whole account-ing function, be it requisitioning orbilling, should be reviewed and re-fined from the ground up to best usethe features of the new software.

Valerie Barry of Tech Niche Com-puter Applications is intimately fa-miliar with WordPerfect-to-Microsoft

Word conversions. She has one word for smooth tran-

sitions—training. She recalls a time,however, when law firms were reluc-tant to spend a lot of money on train-ing, and secretaries were often left tofigure out things on their own.

This created an environment ofspecialized skills, specifically in theWordPerfect environment, whereevery user became their own littleexpert.

For secretaries who survived—particularly those who excelled—during this era, moving to Word wasdisconcerting. They lost all their ex-pertise and become as vulnerable asthe most junior secretaries having justlearned their craft.

Seeing them-selves as pro-

d u c t i v ein the

past, they may feel jeopardized to thepoint of competing with other secre-taries to win back the trust of theirprincipal.

To minimize the anxiety of secre-taries who have been raised onWordPerfect, Valerie notes that Wordcan be manipulated to closely emulatethe look and feel of WordPerfect. She


11Managing a software conversion in your firm meansthat first you must manage the impact on the staff


There are three distinct groups of people: somewho welcome change, some who don’t want tobudge, and the biggest group—people who canbe swung depending on their observations.

Tim Wurtz


http://www.VALA.org




12suggests that if you can show themsomething new, to make their servicesmore efficient and valuable, they willquickly warm to the new program. Afew other items to consider:� Not all features of new software can

be used in the first one-week trainingperiod. Other problems and situa-tions will present themselves overtime. Have in place a three-monthand a six-month follow-up sessionto support users and let themknow so that staff will not feel asthough they have been left to fendfor themselves.

� When scheduling a conversion, try toforesee business cycles that may im-pact how well the change is received.Do not do an accounting conver-sion near year-end—I had to sayit!—and, by the same token, savea word-processing conversion fora slower, but steady, time of year.

� Staff may be inclined to not ask for help.That has implications for office effi-ciency (and for training). Ratherthan learn the proper way to ac-complish tasks, staff may developtheir own work-arounds. The actu-al problem never gets solved prop-erly, and the application is not beingused properly. Be receptive to pleasfor help, and ensure that your re-sponse never makes the person feelinferior or inadequate.

� A support network, like our own VALA,is crucial. Find out which other lawfirms are using similar software,and exchange solutions and experi-ences. A fellow member who hasalready weathered a similar con-version may have found uniqueways to deal with specific person-ality traits you may encounter.

� Know what you want. Perhaps anupgrade is all that is required. Up-grades are easier, cheaper, and few,if any, features are lost or changed.No feathers are ruffled because it isbasically business as usual.A conversion is done to reduce

costs or increase billings. If the justi-fication is more the former, staff sala-ries may well be part of the cost-saving equation. Staff may figure outthat a new system will require lessstaff. They may feel threatened won-dering if the functionality of this new

software will costthem their job.

While staff reduc-tion may in fact bethe intention, becareful to considerall the employmentramifications thatwill result from theconversion—and thediscussion of it.

A last word: Con-versions affect thewhole firm. Go intothem with an openmind, committed totheir success, andyour enthusiasm willhelp others copewith the broad spec-trum of emotionsthey may feel.

� Convert!—Continued from page 11

The President of VALA for the past year, Annie Ronen, saw herterm in office end with the Annual General Meeting elections,in which she became the organization’s newest Past President.Here are some of her thoughts as she did so.

As my term as President comes to an end, I reflecton how anxious I was, when I began this journey,

to continue the history of excellence established by mypredecessors.

I believe that the success this Association enjoys to-day is a result of the hard work and efforts of count-less Board members, past and present. I hope I have lived up to the stan-dards they set.

My year as President has been enormously rewarding to me in manyrespects. Professionally, I have enjoyed working closely with my col-leagues on the Board, and I have formed lasting friendships with many ofthem. I will miss our almost daily conversations, and will cherish thelaughs that saw us through what sometimes seemed like endless meet-ings. You are all amazing people!

On a personal level, I learned how to redefine the art of prioritizing,and thank my firm, Ogilvy Renault LLP, for its full support of my involve-ment with VALA this past year.

I also thank the membership at large for entrusting me with leading theassociation in changing times, and for so willingly participating in theshaping of our future.

My thanks also to all the vendors who are so supportive of the associa-tion and who continue to work with the Board to find ways to add valueto the membership.

Finally, I wish our new Board, led by Allison Milroy of Lang MichenerLLP, every success in meeting the future challenges of the Association.

Annie Ronen says “Thanks!”to all as presidential term ends

Annie Ronen

Rather than learn the properway, staff may develop their

own work-arounds.


http://www.VALA.org


BY STEPHANIE CORNELLSTIKEMAN ELLIOTT

More than 20 full members at-tended VALA’s AGM on April5 at the Metropolitan Hotel.

President Annie Ronen of Ogilvy Re-nault presided over the meeting.

There were some highlights to themeeting, particularly involving the Ex-ecutive Board. Annie stepped down asPresident to become Past-President,and she passed the gavel to President-Elect Allison Milroy of Lang Michener.Ernie Gauvreau of Gowlings movedup to President-Elect, and Wayne Scottof Edwards Kenny & Bray completedhis four-year term with the Board.

Ann Main of Mackenzie Fujisawawas elected to the Board as a Direc-tor. She joins fellow Directors Gau-vreau and Milroy. Stephanie Cornellof Stikeman Elliott remained on theBoard as Secretary.

The Board also proposed anew name and logo for VALA.Having disassociated fromALA at the end of 2004, theBoard began the process of re-defining Vancouver’s organi-zation, starting with the name.British Columbia Legal Man-agers Association (BCLMA)was approved. One of thegoals for 2005 is to improve theorganization’s relationshipswith its inter-provincial mem-bers. The new BCLMA em-braces that concept. The name,reserved with the BC Registrarof Companies pending associ-ation approval, is now beingconfirmed.

It will be an interesting year. Boardmembers are excited about reshapingthe association after significantchanges in 2004, including the with-drawal from ALA and the reconstitu-tion of relationships with strategicpartners. The Board plans to move for-ward cautiously yet optimistically. TheBoard looks forward to sharing newsand developments as they occurthroughout the year.

The new Board of Executives willgather for its first meeting of the 2005term on May 5.


13New Board of Directors elected as AGM held at Met

Above: The new president, Allison Milroy (left) talks about the AGM with treas-urer Angela Zarowny; Below left: Wayne Scott takes his leave after four yearson the Board. Below Right: Annie Ronen (left), with Nancy Jang , HR Managerat Blakes; Bottom: New Past President Ronen (right) received a bouquet fromthe new President Milroy in appreciation for her year of VALA work.


http://www.VALA.org



14

BARBARA BLOUINTRAINING CO-ORDINATOR,

IT DEPARTMENT LAWSON LUNDELL LLP

I s one way better than the other?Are those who are offering longertraining sessions really getting as

much bang for their buck out of theirtrainees? Are those who offer shortsessions actually shorting their em-ployees of training that they mayneed for their job? Here’s a look attraining duration in law firms, andthe pros and cons of each.

One of the considerations for deter-mining training length is the positionof the new trainee. Some downtownVancouver law firms offer trainingthat averages two or more days, de-pending on the competency of thenew hire. Depending on the position,others offer no training, or training inmuch shorter time frames in order,perhaps, to get the new employee towork in an expedited fashion.

In a poll of nine, large, downtownlaw firms on training duration, theaverage results are shown in thetable:

LONGER TRAINING: PROS & CONSFirst, let’s look at the short-

comings of conducting longer train-ing sessions.

There are many reasons a law firmmay not wish to enforce long train-ing sessions for new employees.Time can be a huge factor whentraining them. Perhaps an employ-ee’s position needs to be filled imme-diately and there isn’t anyone to cov-er the position or take the file in themeantime. Or perhaps the new hire

is a lawyer for whom others are anx-iously awaiting the minute the newtrainee is available. The result: a newemployee is pushed quickly throughthe orientation process, to get themachine rolling.

A firm may also consider that thecost of multi-day training sessions isnot worthwhile for various reasons.When temporary staff come throughthe office to fill a vacation or leave,the time spent training the tempo-rary employee can be too long.

Longer sessions can also be diffi-cult when there are multiple trainees,particularly with varying skill levels.A trainer who teaches for more thanone day may have the option ofspeeding up if a user catches onquickly or has a lot of prior experi-ence, but they may not have that op-tion if there is another user in thesame class who does not have thesame abilities.

One of the most significant down-sides of longer training sessions isthe potential inability for the studentto retain all of the information com-ing at them. If not put into immedi-ate use, does the training becomeuseless?

Longer training sessions can alsobe cumbersome when being done re-motely. Many firms have satellite of-fices in other provinces where it is notcost-effective for the firm to employ afull-time trainer. Training, in thiscase, becomes more challenging.

Additionally, when the training isconducted over the phone or by re-mote computer, which, in itself, is anadequate training tool, the length oftime training when not sitting with aperson, face-to-face, has drawbacks.

A trainer must be able to sense,without seeing the person’s face,when a user has tuned out, other-wise the session becomes a wastedeffort.

In contrast, there are a lot of ben-efits to firms allotting more trainingtime. A long-term training sessionmay demonstrate to the employeethat the firm is committed to theirsuccess. Not everyone has a naturalaffinity for using computers, andtheir skills are learned through prac-tice rather than an innate ability.

Sometimes, longer training ses-sions are mandatory simply due tothe size of the firm, and the numberof people in it, particularly where alot of document streamlining is nec-essary. If the software is customizedor speciality software is used, havingstandard, strong, word-processingskills may not be enough to meetspeed expectations.

A new employee needs to learnhow the firm has customized thesoftware in order to work at the mostefficient level, or at least the levelthat their working colleagues expect.This becomes especially difficultwhen temporary staff fill in. Timespent training on customized soft-ware at a new office can be invalu-able, especially when there is collab-oration involved.

It also can take a lot of pressure offnew staff. When they arrive, they

have the ability to settle in and ab-sorb things at their own pace, ratherthan going straight from the pan intothe fire. This can be especially sowhen trainees are new to the field oflaw itself.

Summarizing this aspect: when itcomes to retaining information,longer training can potentially offermore practice time and assist thenew employee to be more comfort-able with the new tools being taught.

Training in law firms: How long (orshort) should new-hire training be?


AVERAGE TRAINING DURATION (IN DAYS)

SECRETARIES LAWYERS TEMP STAFF STUDENTS ADMINISTRATIVE OR OTHER

MULTIPLE MANDATORYFOLLOW-UP

TRAINING SESSIONS?

2.1 1.4 1.5 1.4 1 8 = NO1 = YES


http://www.VALA.org


SHORTER SESSIONS: PROS & CONSLet’s consider now the advantages

of shorter sessions. Before doing so, there are factors

which must be con-sidered in order forshorter sessions to besuccessful. A compe-tent trainer is impor-tant, as well as theability to be a greatpeople skills. Theseattributes are crucialin order to gaugewhether the studenti s absorb ing theinformation.

When a new hiredemonstrates excel-lent technical abilityand adaptabil i ty,shorter training ses-sions accommodateboth the trainee andthe firm, as they canget that person totheir desk quickly inorder to start churn-ing out work sooner.

That being said,there are pitfalls toshort training ses-sions. Certainly, astudent with lesstime in training willnot know all the de-tails, and may not beas efficient, as onewith more training.Yet in some firmswith less streamlin-ing in the applicationof their software, orfollow up training,this is not an issue.

Shorter trainingsessions will almostcertainly increase thesupport needs of thenew hire. Particulardepartments may feelthe increased traffic asIT (computer help),human resources and word-proces-sing departments, or even other staffmembers, may be affected by traineeswho haven’t had enough training.

Another concern from shortened

training sessions is how it may affectdocuments created by the trainee; inparticular, precedents that are createdto be used by others in the firm.

If documents and precedents arenot created properly, and lack of word

processing skills is obvious, it can af-fect many others.

A shorter training session alsomakes for limited practice time, andmay be ineffective if the student does

not have strong computer skills tostart.

Some firms have opted to mixtraining and the job within the newhire’s first weeks of working. Break-ing up the training over a number of

days so that new em-ployees can grow ac-customed to theirdesks and other sur-roundings at thesame time as learn-ing the computersystem can help tobreak up the traininginto what may bemore manageablepieces.

The drawback tothis sort of training isthis: once in a whileit may be difficult toget that trainee backinto training due toa n u n a v o i d a b l ework schedule orother commitments.

While making at-tendance mandatoryworks for some, oth-ers complain thatnew hires, in particu-lar, lawyers, are diffi-cult to get back to theclassroom once theyhave left.

There are somehires that, withoutofficial training, canmuddle their waythrough a systemand discover the de-tails on their own orb y a s k i n g t h e i rneighbours; how-ever, these peopletend to be rare.

Summarizing thisaspect: If a firm keepsa lot of its softwarestandardized andhires highly skilled,self-motivated people,less time for trainings e e m s a d e q u a t e .

However, firms that have a lot of spe-cialty software or have fine-tuned theirword-processing so that everyonedoes the same thing, more training,


15� Training: Continued from page 14


A student with less time in training willnot know all the details, and may not be

as efficient as one with more training.


http://www.VALA.org

rather than less, becomes a necessity.

CONCLUSIONHow a firm decides to train its

people is an impor-tant indicator of howa firm likes to run. Ifpeople aren’t trainedthoroughly and atsome length, theymay not work as ef-fectively or efficientlybecause they don’t

know all there is to know to start.However, over-training can occur—resulting in loss of time, money andknowledge retention—which isn’t agood use of firm resources.

In conclusion, a trainer needs to be

flexible enough to adjust the trainingduration and material to reflect thenew hire’s needs. The question in-variably becomes whether the timeallotted to the trainer to clearly con-vey the knowledge to the student is

enough. Ultimately, it is the

trainer who decideshow long a trainingprogram runs, espe-cially since they gen-erally assist the firmby assessing the skillsof new trainees.


16

team of administrators and librariansthat would work together to createthe group. Gillian signed on rightaway. It was an opportunity to bringlaw firm’s librarians together whileeducating legal administrators that alaw librarian’s role is more far-reach-ing than just organizing books on theshelf.

The roles of law librarians, or In-formation Services Managers as theyhave also come to be known, have ex-panded over the years.

It’s not just about managing con-tent, but about providing informationand managing needs in multipleareas of expertise.

Naming the new sub-section was ajob all on its own. The team was care-

ful to keep it from being exclusive tolaw librarians, so the title had to bemore encompassing; many depart-ments in any one firm manage infor-mation in any number of ways.

In the four meetings that have beenconducted since September of 2004, at-tendees have included law librarians,IT specialists and corporate clerks.Feedback has been positive, and eachmeeting has been well-attended, with15 to 20 people per gathering.

In an effort to reach out to morepeople, one meeting per year will be ajoint meeting with Vancouver Associa-tion of Law Libraries. The first suchmeeting will occur this spring.

Gillian’s professional membershipsand activities are many. She is theWestern Canadian Representative ofthe Education Committee for the Ca-

nadian Association of Law Libraries,she belonged to the Western Canadianchapter of the Special Libraries Associ-ation, and she has been a guest speak-er and lecturer for such organizationsas the Justice Institute of British Co-lumbia, the Vancouver Online User’sGroup and CCH Canadian Ltd.

In addition to all this, Gillian andher husband have raised two sons.Over the years, they have traveled inEurope with them as they performedin the British Columbia Boys Choir.And, yes, Gillian was also a fund rais-er for the Choir—and manager of hersons’ soccer team.

Chances are, if you haven’t metGillian already, you will. Manychapters in her busy life have al-ready been written, with many moreto come.

� Gillian: Continued from page 3

on the company as possible. Con-duct a corporate search, send an e-mail around the firm, read their an-nual reports and engage amedia-monitoring company fornews clippings or transcripts fromthe past year or two.

What are the client’s (or pros-pect’s) challenges, goals and weak-nesses?

Do you have unique skills or ex-perience? How can we help, asidefrom legal services?

Will an influential client provide areference you can include in yourproposal?

Some RFPs spell out precisely

how we are to respond and in whatorder. If not, include an executivesummary and put the firm’s biogra-phies and historical information inthe appendices or towards the back.Place the most relevant informationfirst.

Identify a central message thatwill resonate with your prospect.This is not your firm’s tagline, but aunique statement specific to the pro-posal. Take cues from the RFP or thefindings of your research.

A prospect seeking a firm whocan dependably close deals withoutdamaging relationships might re-spond to “Effective negotiators; rela-tionship preservers.” Consider thistheme throughout your response,

and it will become one of your prin-cipal statements.

Now back to our true story: at thefour-minute-mark, the partner hadan e-mail drafted and awaiting thePDF file.

At three minutes to the deadline,the PDF file arrived in the partner’se-mail box and was quickly submit-ted to the client with a resoundingsigh of relief.

Several weeks later… they wereawarded the work.

Susan Van Dyke, Principal, Van Dyke Marketing & Communica-

tions, is a law-firm marketing consultant. She can be contacted at

604.876.7769, <[email protected]> or<http://www.VanDykeMarketing.com>.

� Proposals—Continued from page 10

� Training—Continued from page 15

A trainer needs to be flexible enough to adjust the training duration and

material to reflect the new hire’s needs.



http://www.VanDykeMarketing.com

http://www.VALA.org


17

SPRING, 2005

Editor: John HawkeManaging Editor, Design: Peter Morgan

Editorial © 2005 VALA, CANADAPublished by: MORGAN:Newsletters Ltd.

VANCOUVER ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS

President: Allison Milroy

WHO WE ARE:

VALA, founded in 1972, is a non-profit organ-ization with more than 80 Full Members andmore than 120 Sub-Section Members acrossB.C. It is VALA’s goal to provide educationalopportunities for our members, to enhanceskills as legal administrators and to provideprofessional and personal benefits to themembers and their law firms.

MEMBER SERVICES:

� Opportunities for members to networkwith other law firm administrators are pro-vided by events such as our annual Springand Winter social, or monthly sub-sectionmeetings. We host an annual managing part-ners luncheon.

� Our job bank offers Members informa-tion on potential employment opportunities.

� The discussion section on our websiteallows our members to quickly get questionsanswered with advice from others who mayhave faced similar situations.

The best way to get involved is to become apart of VALA.

NEWSLETTER SERVICES:

Topics is available to Members and prospec-tive members. We will be pleased to add youto our mailing list for this newsletter. Pleasecontact Editor John Hawke or any member ofthe Editorial Committee, for comments onany of these articles or suggestions for arti-cles in future issues, or for adjustments to thecirculation list. Comments are alwayswelcome.

REPRODUCTION RIGHTS:

Topics is copyrighted, however we encourageyou to circulate or copy this material unmod-ified for your own internal or private use.You may freely quote any article or portionof article but it must be accompanied by attri-bution. Quotation of any article or portion ofarticle without attribution is prohibited. Thenewsletter, its contents or its material maynot be sold, intact or modified, nor includedin any package or product offered for sale.

TOPICSTOPICSA N E W S L E T T E R T O H E L P O U R M E M B E R S A N D PA R T N E R S K E E P C U R R E N T A B O U T T H E B U S I N E S S O F L AW

V A L AVANCOUVER ASSOCIATIONOF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS

EXECUTIVE Allison Milroy, PresidentLang Michener1500 - 1055 W. Georgia St.Vancouver, BC V6E 4N7P: 604.689.9111F: 604.685.7084<[email protected]>

Ernie Gauvreau, President ElectGowlingsSuite 2300, 1055 Dunsmuir StreetVancouver, BC V7X 1J1P: (604) 683-6498 F: (604) 683-3558<[email protected]>

Annie Ronen, Past PresidentOgilvy Renault800 - 666 Burrard St. Vancouver, BC V6C 3P3P: 604.806.0922 F: 604.806.0933<[email protected]>

Angela Zarowny, Treasurer1512–409 Granville St.Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2Direct: 604.351.0124P: 604.682.1851<[email protected]>

Stephanie Cornell, Secretary Stikeman Elliott LLP1700 - 666 Burrard St.Vancouver, BC, V6C 2X8D: 604.631.1377F: 604.681.1825<[email protected]>

Ann MainVice President, MembershipMackenzie Fujisawa1600 - 1095 Pender Street West Vancouver, BC, V6E 2M6 D: 604-443-1218 P: 604-689-3281 F: 604-685-6494 <[email protected]>

Vendor RelationsColin Cameron, Clark Wilson800 - 885 W. Georgia St.Vancouver, BC V6C 3H1P: 604.687.5700F: 604.687.6314<[email protected]>

Co-ordinator, Strategic PartnersGord van Horn, Borden Ladner Gervais 1200 - 200 Burrard St. Vancouver, BC V7X 1T2 P: 604.687.5744 F: 604.687.1415 <[email protected]>

Technology OfficerElaine Holmes, Baker Newby9259 Main St., Box 390Chilliwack, BC V2P 6K2P: 604.792.1376F: 604.792.8711<[email protected]>

SUB-SECTION HEADS

Facilities &

Service Management

Janice McAuley, Chair

Lawson Lundell

1600 - 925 W. Georgia St.

Vancouver, BC V6C 3L2

P: 604.685.3456

F: 604.669.1620

<[email protected]>

Finance

Bonnie Kirk, Chair

Lawson Lundell LLP

1600–925 West Georgia St.


P: 604.685.3456

F: 604.669.1620

<[email protected]>

Human Resources

Tina Giallonardo, Chair

Miller Thomson

1800 - 840 Howe St.

Vancouver, BC V6Z 2M1

P: 604.687.2242

F: 604.643.1200

<[email protected]>

Knowledge Management

Gillian Crabtree, Chair

Edwards, Kenny & Bray

1900 - 1040 West Georgia St.

Vancouver, BC, V6E 4H3

P: 604.661.1087

F: 604.689.5177

<[email protected]>

Marketing

Tim Travis, Chair

Fasken Martineau


Vancouver, BC V6E 3G2

P: 604.631.3131

F: 604.631.3232

<[email protected]>

Small Firms

Colleen Chapman, Chair

Drysdale Bacon McStravick

211 - 1015 Austin Avenue

Coquitlam, BC V3K 3N9

P: 604.939.8321

F: 604.939.7584

<[email protected]>

Trainers

Judie Boroevich, Co-Chair

Borden Ladner Gervais

1200 - 200 Burrard St.

Vancouver, BC V7X 1T2

P: 604.687.5744

F: 604.687.1415

<[email protected]>

Trainers

Barbara Blouin, Co-Chair

Lawson Lundell LLP



P: 604-685-3456

D: 604-408-5411

F: 604-669-1620

<[email protected]>

Technology

Brenda Johnson, Chair

Edwards Kenny & Bray

19th Floor, 1040 W. Georgia St.

Vancouver, BC V6E 4H3

P: 604.689.1811

F: 604.689.5177

<[email protected]>

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

John Hawke, Chair

Harper Grey LLP

3200, 650 West Georgia St.

Vancouver, BC, V6B 4P7

P: 604.895.2850

F: 604.669.9385

<[email protected]>

Stephanie Cornell

Stikeman Elliott

1700-666 Burrard St.

Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2X8

P: 604.631.1300

F: 604.681.1825

<[email protected]>

Bonnie Kirk

Lawson Lundell LLP

1600 -925 West Georgia St.


P: 604.685.3456

F: 604.669.1620

<[email protected]>

Kerri Pearce

Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang

2700 - 700 W. Georgia St.

Vancouver, B.C., V7Y 1B8

D: 604.643.2145

F: 604.669.7642

< [email protected]>

Lisa Scott

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Suite 2600, Three Bentall Centre

595 Burrard Street, PO Box 49314

Vancouver, BC, V7X 1L3

P: 604.631.4233

F: 604.631.3309

<[email protected]>

Tim Wurtz

Baker Newby

9259 Main St.

Chilliwack BC, V2P 6K2

P: (1) 604.792.1376

F: (1) 604.792.8711

<[email protected]>

VALA EXECUTIVE & SECTION HEADS


























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vala topics - bc legal management association · topics • spring, 2005 • vancouver association...

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