Category: Law Office Management

Episode 5: What’s New In Law Firm Thought Leadership? with Alistair Bone, Vice President for Passle

Welcome to Season 2, Episode 5 of Legal News Reach! National Law Review Web Content Specialist Shelby Garrett sits down with Alistair Bone, Vice President with Passle,  to catch up on the latest in law firm thought leadership trends. What are four strategies for content marketing success? How can current events play a role in brand development? And why is thought leadership more important—and competitive—than ever?

We’ve included a transcript of the conversation below, transcribed by artificial intelligence. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability.

Shelby Garrett

Thank you for tuning in to the Legal News Reach podcast. My name is Shelby Garrett, Web Publication Specialist with the National Law Review, and in this episode I’ll be speaking to Alistair Bone, Vice President for Passle. Would you mind sharing a bit about your background in legal and what you do at Passle?

Alistair Bone

Thank you very much for having me on, firstly, it’s nice to be kind of the interviewee as opposed to the interviewer. Typically, as you might have come across, there’s the CMO Series podcast at Passle and I’ve been heavily involved with that, which is always enjoyable, so nice to be here. A little bit of background for me is that I was previously a professional sportsman playing rugby, I was very fortunate to have done that. But sadly, that all came to an end about three years ago. I then went into headhunting in the world of law, which kind of sparked the initial interest in law firms and professional services. And I learned a huge amount there. But then my sort of interest was really sparked in technology and how that can kind of really enable law firms to further what they’re doing. And that’s where Passle came along. For me, I love relationships, I love meeting people, I am very much a people person, and this kind of seemed to bring all those different worlds together for me. So yeah, that’s kind of how I ended up Passle, and I’m absolutely loving what I’m doing here.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, I’m really excited to speak with you today. Passle sounds like an amazing tool for professionals, content creation can be an extremely overwhelming process and I think that Passle really removes those roadblocks and kind of simplifies the whole process so that professionals can easily share their expertise

Alistair Bone

Bang on, I mean Passle is a software that has been used by professional services. As you mentioned, we work with Magic Circle firms, Am Law 100, the Big Four accountancies, and fundamentally it’s a platform that makes that critical challenge of demonstrating the firm’s expertise, getting it out to the market nice and quickly and effectively and fundamentally enjoyably.

Shelby Garrett

Amazing, let’s get into a little bit of discussion about thought leadership. Could you give us a nice little definition and why it’s currently a priority for law firms?

Alistair Bone

Yeah, of course, it’s a really nice place to start and hopefully I can give a little bit of an overview. When you come to sort of thought leadership, you know, in professional services, being able to demonstrate your firm’s knowledge and value to the market is really key. Thought leadership definitely sits at the heart of all successful professional service marketing. Really, when you start thinking about it, nearly every growth initiative, business development target, or marketing activity centers around how well that firm can demonstrate the knowledge of its experts. Fundamentally, they want to put out that knowledge to the market. Now, when you start to consider that in terms of what’s happening, we’re really seeing that shift of firms becoming far more global, and certainly more digital. So therefore they’re really starting to prioritize that expertise online and really invest into the thought leadership infrastructure. That said, it’s not happening with everybody. But of the general sort of trends, what we’re really seeing is that the places that have really proved progressive, CMOs are doing very well with it, but also firms are trying to really sort of position themselves in a space or a city and sort of elevate what they’re doing. So hopefully, that’s a nice little bit of an overview of sort of thought leadership and what we’re seeing in the world right now.

Shelby Garrett

When firms start to look into thought leadership, what are ways for them to measure their success, in really cultivating that?

Alistair Bone

So when it comes to how they’re able to sort of really prioritize their thought leadership and what they’re doing, there’s definitely a few reasons sort of behind that in terms of how they can kind of start to prioritize it, and why they might be prioritizing it. For some firms, it’s sort of central to their ethos in their output of what they’re trying to achieve. So if you take, for instance, Reed Smith, they are a global player, they see themselves as a global player in the market, and they want to be first to the market in terms of commenting on what’s happening now, what are those new initiatives, what’s changing in the marketplace. So that’s one way that people are doing it. Again mentioned sort of beforehand, but it can be just that people are wanting to sort of position themselves in a space where they see a really big opportunity. As all law firms know, their clients are really hungry to understand what’s happening in their various markets. And something that at the moment, we’re really seeing that sort of trend of why people are prioritizing it is areas such as your ESG, or your E-Sports are really nice places that people can focus their thought leadership and elevate the sort of teams around that.

A different example is actually, you know, we’ve just launched with Goulston & Storrs, who are a Boston based firm, they’re very established there, but they really want to be recognized in the New York market. And so again, for them thought leadership’s going to be key there to kind of really elevate themselves. So hopefully that’s kind of a nice little bit of a wrap up. I think the other thing that we really noticed with people prioritizing their thought leadership is, we on an annual basis do something called the Digital Performance Index. Now we take a look at a whole host of online activity from law firms, you know, right through from their website, how they’re performing on LinkedIn, etc. And naturally being a thought leadership expert, so to speak, we focus in on that and what we see there is that a lot of firms really sit in sort of amongst their competitors in an area that we would really say is fierce competition. The average attorney in the US and the UK creates one piece of thought leadership a year. So again, firms who want to get themselves out of that fierce competition to be seen as a category leader as kind of mentioned previously, they’re the ones that that are sort of starting to prioritize thought leadership.

Shelby Garrett

Sounds like the measure of success might vary depending on what the goals of the firm are. But is there anything that you’ve noticed that separates successful thought leadership programs from ones that are struggling?

Alistair Bone

Yeah, certainly, I think when you start to measure in what actually makes a successful thought leadership program, as said before, like, those are the reasons that maybe are what made people want to do it. But what’s going to make it successful? I think, before maybe answering that, it’s worth talking about what is a thought leadership program, because it might differ for people. But fundamentally, you know, it’s that sort of concerted effort by firms to demonstrate their expertise to the market. So we’re really fortunate that we get to work on a global scale with the likes of Freshfields, Deloitte, and they’re all having really huge success. On the flip side, we also see what doesn’t work. But fundamentally, success comes down to what we call the four pillars. Within those four pillars, there is the author, there is governance, there’s something that we call “Create Once and Publish Everywhere,” and then your feedback. So that’s a little bit of maybe an introduction in sort of that thought leadership and what makes it successful.

When it comes to considering the author, if we take the first pillar, you really want to ensure that your thought leadership is author-centric when you’re making that publication. So how can you empower them and motivate your authors, your lawyers, your consultants to create that content in a really easy sort of well understood way? The second pillar would be governance. And so it’s really important to be able to make sure that there’s no friction in the process of actually creating the content. So you know, how do you get those nice, quick, efficient approval processes for the content you’re putting out there, you know, making it a matter of hours, as opposed to days? Because you want to be timely, you want to be putting it out there in a really nice format that’s responding to what’s happening in the market. When we come on to “Create Once and Publish Everywhere,” there’s a really nice term we like to refer to, “Cope.” So it’s about actually, you know, how are you guaranteeing the reach of that content, you know, you’ve created this great piece of thought leadership, where’s it going from there? So of course, you know, the lawyers have really strong networks on LinkedIn, it’s a really nice place to push that out. But equally there’s all the sort of online publications. There’s obviously yourself, the National Law Review, great place, you know, want that content on there. But also, if I hope you don’t mind me mentioning, there’s obviously JD Supra, Mondaq, Lexology—again, nice places that you want your content on. So again, how can you really push that out to the market? And then finally, there’s feedback. And in some ways, once you’ve done all of the above, this is actually the most critical part because there’s no point in creating thought leadership and that content and pushing it out there if people don’t know the benefit of what they’ve done. And actually, it’s got to be in a nice layered way. Because when you think about it, there’s multiple stakeholders who want to understand the feedback. So if we take the authors, you know, that’s very personal, they want their clients, they want their prospects, they want to know who’s been engaging with it. If you take it from the firm’s perspective, the management know, they’re probably looking at that bottom line, you know, who’s bringing in the money for them? So are they getting engagement from those key people? And the third and final sort of layer is actually the marketing business development. So again, when you have a look at all of that feedback put together, that starts to demonstrate the success of all of that time that you’re investing into it. So yeah, hopefully, that’s a nice way to understand it. But fundamentally, success comes with aligning themselves to those four pillars and making sure you’re doing each in the best way possible. And that’s what gets, you know, a real virtuous circle of content creation going.

Shelby Garrett

Amazing, that was really great context and a really full theory of success. For firms that might be looking to really transform their thought leadership programs, is there a good place to start? We talked about the four pillars. Is there one first step that they can really use to jumpstart this?

Alistair Bone

I think there’s a few different places that they can start with, but in some ways, it’s actually quite simple. I’ve mentioned those four pillars there, and actually it’s about assessing those four pillars. Are you engaging your authors? You know, is it very easy for them, if you remove those barriers to entry to make sure that they can create their content? Again, when it comes to governance, you know, have you addressed those workflows? Is it again, a simple process for them to be able to actually create that content? And then get that out there? Once it’s done, where are you putting it out? And finally that feedback, are you actually providing feedback to people? I think by taking that step back and taking a look at the sort of overall process of your thought leadership program, and looking at those four pillars, that really allows you to then hone in on actually, “Okay, we’re not enabling and empowering our authors to create content. That’s why it’s not actually happening. So therefore, we need to do that and then we can start to go from there.” It may be that you’re doing all of this, but there’s no feedback. You know, maybe you give something small once a year. I know that if I was doing something I’m putting time and effort into and I got no feedback and didn’t really know the value that I was adding to people, then I probably wouldn’t want to continue doing it. So again, it’s just a nice way to kind of really address it. So I think that’s a really nice place for people to start when it wants to come to, you know, transforming their thought leadership program, or even beginning it.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, that’s a really great point. I feel like there’s a lot of excitement when starting something new, but you have to take that kind of honest and realistic assessment of what you currently have going on to develop that full game plan. Thank you. That was amazing.

We talked about measurements of success, but are there additional tools and resources that are available for firms that are looking forward to making these changes?

Alistair Bone

I mean, if you look at it from our perspective, on the Passle website, I mentioned it at the top, but the CMO Series podcast is a really nice place for anybody at any level in smart marketing and business development to listen to what’s happening in the market be it from, you know, what it’s like to be a new CMO, be it data, developing your team. So that’s a really nice resource hub. If you think about thought leadership, we have various resources in terms of one-pagers that you can come on, and you can learn a little bit more around what’s happening. Similarly, feel free to reach out, you know, we’re always here to have conversations and discuss what we’re doing here at Passle and how we’re helping a number of different firms with their thought leadership programs and forming that infrastructure for them as they move forward.

Shelby Garrett

Absolutely. Yeah, your website is a great resource, I listened to a couple of those podcasts and you guys have quite the range of guests as well, that are very happy to share their expertise, which is great.

Alistair Bone

Yeah, we’re really fortunate from that perspective. And it’s been a really nice thing to do. I say, normally, I’m sat interviewing people, but it allows myself and my colleagues to ultimately make some great friends throughout the legal world. So it’s been a real success.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, with those connections you’ve definitely built a lot of knowledge that’s accessible for people in that podcast as well, which is wonderful.

Moving away from the firm focus, but kind of looking at more of a macro lens, what are some of the current trends that are happening in law firm thought leadership programs?

Alistair Bone

I think, you know, if we take it back to the start, the biggest trends that we’re noticing is just people, one focusing on key areas. So, you know, be it new practice areas, such as their ESG, or their E-sports, that’s where people are certainly starting to focus in on. I think the other place is that people are looking at it as career development, which is a really nice place to, you know, help elevate what attorneys and lawyers are doing, as they kind of come through that natural path where you become associate, senior associate, you’re not necessarily doing a lot of business development until you get to partner. So again, it’s a nice chance for you to start to be seen in the network and be seen as those experts. The other place that I think people are starting to focus in on is realizing that there’s always a place for your big white papers. They’re fantastic. There’s so much time, effort, money goes into them. They provide a huge amount of knowledge, but what the market wants on the whole, and certainly what us as individuals out there want in this world now is that nice, short, digestible, timely content. So actually, you don’t want to be writing much more than maybe sort of 200, 500 words. So again, that’s a nice shift that we’re starting to see that people understand that value from that perspective.

Shelby Garrett

 Yeah, absolutely. I have a background in public libraries and having this information available online with these different topics is just so valuable for everybody sharing that information, and your expertise.

Alistair Bone

It’s that chance to kind of dip into different areas of people’s expertise. You know, something’s changed and, you know, the interest rates have moved here in the UK, how’s that affecting your mortgage rate? And what’s the law behind that? Or, you know, unfortunately, there was the big storm, you know, Hurricane Ian down in Florida recently, you know, maybe an employment lawyer might want to put out some recent content or something around, “What are your employment rights around working from home?” or whatever it might be. So it’s a really nice way to kind of start engaging with people, you know, don’t have to look at it in the lens of simply being the law and client alerts and that sort of thing. So as you said, you can dip into these different things and learn something.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, absolutely. The new iOS update for Apple with the ability to delete text messages and e-Discovery that’s, like, so intriguing to me. And yeah, just as like a public person. I think that’s like, extremely interesting.

When we’re looking at all of these big changes, like you’ve mentioned the hurricane, have you seen law firms kind of shift their content marketing approaches, in light of that?

Alistair Bone

I think on the whole, we are seeing people just start to engage in maybe a slightly different way. I mean, I’ve been fortunate enough on some of those podcasts to have great conversations with people in the industry for a long time and they kind of talked about what they’ve seen the marketing functions of law firms do and the real shift. But I think now people are starting to realize that ultimately it really is about elevating your attorneys and what you’re doing and therefore how can you push out, ultimately their knowledge? I think the other thing to consider in the world we’re all now living in is that a lot more people will be working from home, you know people, or law firm should I say spend a huge amount of money on the infrastructure of offices, office spaces, people aren’t necessarily coming into it, you’re not necessarily having your clients come into it so that online presence is becoming ever more important. So again, what you’re putting out there on the website, what your attorneys are able to do, what your consultants are able to do becomes that bit more important. So yeah, there’s definitely I think that more of a shift online to being able to elevate what people are doing.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, that kind of ties into with the smaller or the shorter pieces that are being created, you could kind of shift your topics more quickly. Looks like we are nearly coming to a close. But I do want to pull this all together and talk about where Passle exactly fits in and helping these law firms create and share their thought leadership. I know you kind of walked us through the tool that you guys have and your Chrome plugin previously. But if you could explain that a little bit more for our listeners?

Alistair Bone

Sure, well, I’ll give a very brief overview of how Passle works for people who don’t know. Passle is a piece of software that quite simply goes onto the laptop. And as they removed all the barriers of entry for the attorneys, the consultants, your experts to create the content. So it can be used in a host of different ways. Not only you can write content but you can do your podcasts, you can do your videos, you can host PDFs, you can embed different content, there’s so much that you’re able to do with it. And once you’ve got over the fundamental hurdle of people being able to create the content, you can then do a host of different things then in terms of starting to form that infrastructure on the website. So be that plugging into the attorneys’ profiles or consultants’ profiles, plugging it into the practice areas. Yeah, kind of the world’s your oyster, once you get up and running with it, which is, which is really cool. If you want to launch with Passle, the way that we always do it, because we know this is tried, tested, and works incredibly well is we do a Proof of Value that we run over the course of two months. It’s all about that behavioral change, you know, taking a group of 20, 25, attorneys, consultants, experts within your firm, and getting that shift of going from, “I don’t understand thought leadership, I don’t know how to create content, I don’t necessarily want to, I haven’t done it before,” to overnight, shifting them into actually understanding the benefits that come from thought leadership and what they can do with it. So that’s kind of the launch process. I don’t want to bore people too much with it. But hopefully, that’s a bit of an overview of Passle and where it kind of plugs in. But it’s a very exciting time for us. And we’re very fortunate to be working with some of the world’s global firms and some real leading players there.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, absolutely. I, when you were talking about the four pillars, I certainly could immediately connect it to what you were showing us earlier through your demonstration.

Alistair Bone

I think that’s the thing with Passle is that once you have the opportunity to see it, everything clicks, and you understand the value that it’s going to bring and how easy it is because it’s not just on the attorney side. If you take the marketing, the BD, the communications team, we obviously elevate everything that they’re doing and make it very easy for them. But also because it’s all focused in on one sort of screen. You know, when you have that Passle posts, that completes the content you’ve created approved, the marketing, the BD teams get a notification, it’s all in one place, they can top and tail it, do what they want to before it’s going live on to the website. So you remove that arduous process of back and forth again, which is a really nice place to be. So it’s not just about the attorneys. It’s actually about the marketing, the BD, comms teams and elevating everything they’re doing as well.

Shelby Garrett

It certainly is daunting for lawyers to create their own content. And it’s a large task and Passle makes it a bit of a smoother process I think, at least from what I’ve seen.

Alistair Bone

Everybody has the impostor syndrome, whatever you do. Once you get over that hurdle, you know, it’s pretty smooth sailing.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, absolutely. How has Passle’s technology been able to help firms succeed over the years? I know we’ve covered it throughout. But if you could really like, bring that all together in a nice little package for us?

Alistair Bone

Yeah, sure. I think what might be the best thing to do, and I thought it might be able to answer it earlier but didn’t have the chance to was, you know, what actually makes a successful thought leadership program? So maybe if I can demonstrate some of the successes people have had, that kind of demonstrates what’s happened over the years. I think success can be defined in multiple ways for different people in terms of what your ultimate outcome is from a thought leadership program. But what we’ve seen is it really differs over time. So in the initial instance, you know it’s that overnight change the behavior change in in the attorneys, you know, you go from individuals never having created content to writing and understanding value. We launched with a law firm here in London called Forsters. One of my fantastic stories I absolutely love from it was one of their senior partners who didn’t like technology, had never used it, didn’t want to engage with it was part of our launch, the Proof of Value. Not only did he write four pieces of content, which again was a huge change, he started using LinkedIn. And even then he got himself an Instagram account, because he understood the value of technology all of a sudden, obviously slightly different to your work stuff. But again, a really nice story of kind of people seeing that change. You then kind of start to look at what’s happening over the next couple of months. And as you get deeper into that sort of thought leadership program, and more success starts to come in terms of the impact on people’s diaries. You know, they’re starting to have conversations with clients, they’re starting to meet prospects, you know, they get engaged with all of the right people. Additionally, and I sort of want to touch on it, as well is there’s that career development I mentioned earlier when you were sort of saying some of the trends, but there’s a real understanding for sort of the associates,  senior associates of how they can help develop their career. So again, a really nice example there was there’s a lawyer, a senior associate called JJ Shaw at a firm called Lewis Silkin in the sports team there and he was sharing with us that actually, you know, from creating content, putting it out there to his network, he started to have people come back to him asking him to post panels to sit on different talks, which is amazing, because all of a sudden, he’s being seen as that go-to expert, and people are actually engaging with what he’s doing. So again, a really nice development tool. And then I just think longer term, it’s fundamentally about winning business. And once you start winning the business, everything you’re doing with that big thought leadership program makes sense. So again, we’ve got a lot of anecdotal examples. One that I know I can share with the public was from Alvarez & Marsal, one of the big US consultancies, and we were fortunate enough to sit down with Linda Orton, who’s the former CMO there. And she shared with us that Mike Carter, who was again, a former Senior Director there had done this post around anti-money laundering, he put it onto LinkedIn, she’d actually invested a little bit of spending into that to sort of elevate what was happening, you know, something like 50 quid, not a huge amount of money. That then led to a conversation, which then led to business and over the past couple of years, that’s actually generated 12 million in revenue. So all of a sudden, admittedly, there’s a whole host of work that went into that. But it’s that understanding that by being seen as those go-to experts elevating what you’re doing, you know, the business starts to come. So hopefully, you know, I know, I’ve broken it down there, but that gives an idea of how actually, we’ve helped firms over the years, and particularly now, just really forming that thought leadership infrastructure for people.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, amazing. I can certainly see the building the confidence aspect of the technology that you have making it simplified, but also seeing those results really would build your confidence in creation.

Alistair Bone

And it spans throughout firms, because someone else sees that and they want to get involved and do something around it. So it’s really nice.

Shelby Garrett

Yeah, it’s wonderful. Before we wrap up today, are there any final thoughts that you would like to share with us?

Alistair Bone

There’s probably one or two, I just want to keep it really succinct. I think just the main thing is that thought leadership really is for everybody, and is something that everyone should be considering at the moment, I think, whether it’s that you’re really wanting to stand out in a specific field or elevate some of the great work that you’re already doing, you know, whether that is the marketing or BD teams or for the attorneys, there’s so much that you can invest into it. And you know, that online presence has never been more important. So I think those two things are probably the key takeaways for me that hopefully it resonates with people as they listen to this. And you know, if there’s anything that you want to do in terms of understanding more than please feel free to obviously reach out to me via email or on LinkedIn or equally you can visit home.passle.net. There are plenty of places that you can get some information, but hopefully this has been some worthwhile information for people to listen to.

Shelby Garrett

We can’t thank you enough for joining us today and sharing your thoughts. Thank you to our listeners as well for tuning in. We will see you all next time.

Conclusion

Thank you for listening to the National Law Review’s Legal News Reach podcast. Be sure to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts for more episodes. For the latest legal news, or if you’re interested in publishing and advertising with us, visit www.natlawreview.com. We’ll be back soon with our next episode.

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Copyright ©2022 National Law Forum, LLC

The Do’s and Don’ts of Data Cleaning – Don’t Drown in Bad Data

Bad CRM data can compound exponentially, impacting marketing and business development. It’s essential to understand the scope of  your data problems and follow a plan for regular data cleaning.  

Have you ever heard the saying, “No man ever steps into the same river twice”? Because a river’s water is constantly flowing and changing, the water you step in today will be different from yesterday. The same is true for the data in your CRM system: people are constantly changing roles, relocating, retiring; companies are opening, closing, moving and merging.

On top of that, new data isn’t always entered correctly. As a result, a database with clean, correct information today will not necessarily be accurate tomorrow. Over time, this bad data can compound exponentially, resulting in ineffective marketing, events and communication campaigns because as your data degrades, you reach fewer members of your target audience.

For professional services firms, poor data quality in your CRM system can also translate into a decline in system adoption. Once your professionals see bad data, they won’t trust the system as a whole and ultimately may outright refuse to use it. This is why we stress the importance of ongoing data cleaning.

Data Cleaning Do’s and Don’ts

Simply put, data cleaning involves identifying incorrect, incomplete and/or dated data in your systems and correcting and enhancing it. If you have a large database with thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of records, the data quality process can seem daunting and overwhelming.

While there’s no magic bullet or quick fix for poor data quality, ignoring data problems until there’s a crisis is not a strategy. Good data quality requires ongoing effort that never ends. The good news is that this means you have forever to get better at it. So, start now. Begin by assessing the scope of your data quality issues. Then, because it’s not always cost-effective or even possible to clean all your data, start by focusing on the highest priority projects.

Identify and Prioritize Your Most Important Data

All contact records are not created equal. For instance, client data is typically more important than non-client data. Additionally, individuals who have recently subscribed to your communications or attended an event are more important than those who last interacted with your firm years ago. Whatever segmenting scenario you select, it’s important to find ways to divide your contact data into manageable pieces because it makes the process more manageable and allows you to better measure progress.

Eliminate Stagnant Records

Related to prioritizing your data, don’t be hesitant about removing records that have been inactive for an extended period. Search your system for contacts that have not been updated for a few years, are not related to or known by any of your professionals, are not clients or alumni, and have not opened a communication or invitation in two to three years. Chances are good these records are not only outdated but also may not be worth the resources it would take to update them. Identify these records and consider removing them from the system. Less mess in your database makes cleanup a bit more manageable.

Your Plan Is Your Life Preserver

Once you’ve prioritized subsets or segments of contacts, identifying and prioritizing your most common data errors can help you decide on the best way to tackle ongoing data cleaning. For example, if you have an important email that needs to be sent to clients, you need to focus on email addresses. Identify records that don’t have an email address, have incorrectly formatted email addresses or have bounced recently.

In addition, if there are contacts you haven’t sent a communication or invitation to for an extended period of time, it’s entirely likely that their email may no longer be valid. It’s important to regularly test emails on your lists because not doing so can cause you to be blacklisted by anti-spam entities or have your account blocked by your eMarketing provider.

Initial Cleaning Cycle

The best place to start your data cleaning cycle is with a contact and list verification and cleansing service such as TrueDQ. This service will evaluate your list data, identify potentially harmful “honeypot” email addresses and even automatically update many of your contacts with current, complete contact information. The data can then also be enhanced with additional missing information, such as industries and locations, to help with targeting and segmenting.

Rinse and Repeat

When one segment or list has been cleaned, move on to the next one – bearing in mind that what’s important on the next list may be different from the last one. For example, maybe you need to send a hard copy postal mailing, so it will be important to ensure the accuracy of physical mailing addresses rather than email addresses.

Bounces and Returns

One of the most common data quality failures at law and other professional services firms is ignoring bounced emails and returned hard copy mailings. Bounces and returns are real-time indicators that can help you keep on top of your data quality. Researching and correcting them is important because sometimes they involve important former clients who could potentially hire the firm again at their new company.

Returned hard mail will often include the forwarding address of the recipient, which should be corrected in your CRM. For emails, use a central email address to collect automatic email replies, since these frequently tell you when a recipient no longer works at an organization.

Ideally, data stewards should regularly review all bounces to take the onus off the professionals. However, it can also be helpful to generate reports on bounced communications and circulate them to professionals or their assistants who may be able to provide updated information – or will at least appreciate knowing which of their contacts have moved on or changed roles.

Finally, if your eMarketing and/or CRM system has a process for automatically isolating bounced records, be sure you have a reciprocal process that automatically reinstates bounced records when the email field is updated.

Prevent Invalid Data

There are multiple ways to encourage good data habits, depending on your system and method of contact entry. If your firm relies on manual data entry, implement a firmwide Data Standards Guide to inform users how data should be entered (e.g., does your firm spell out or abbreviate job titles?). It can also be helpful to use system validation rules wherever possible to require certain information in new records such as last name, city and email address to ensure your contacts are relevant.

Finally, regularly review newly added records for consistency and completeness. This process can reveal issues such as users who may require additional training on contact input best practices. It can also help to catch spam or other potentially dangerous entries that can sometimes flow into your database from online forms that are filled out by bots.

Never, Ever Stop

Just as rivers keep flowing, so does the data in your CRM system – and the data will always need cleaning to ensure that it is fresh. While this may feel like a relentless and burdensome task, never stop – just go with the flow –  because when you’re not regularly cleaning the data, your CRM “river” can become stagnant, and the more polluted it becomes, the longer the eventual cleanup will take.

Article By Christina R. Fritsch JD and Rachel Fields of CLIENTSFirst Consulting

For more business of law legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

© Copyright 2022 CLIENTSFirst Consulting

4 Frequently Asked Questions About MSO Investigations and 3 Defense Strategies

In the last decade, Management Services Organizations, or MSOs, became popular service providers and investment tools for the medical and health care field. Unfortunately, the way some MSOs are structured, they can violate several important laws against healthcare fraud, like the Stark Law or the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Because this is such a novel issue in the medical field, lots of healthcare providers have questions about it. Some want to know how they can defend themselves if they get accused of wrongdoing for their activity with an MSO.

Dr. Nick Oberheiden is an MSO investigation lawyer at Oberheiden P.C. Here are some questions that he frequently gets asked and a few defense strategies that can help.

FAQs About MSO Investigations

1. What are MSOs?

An MSO is a company that provides administrative services to medical professionals. They can help healthcare providers with their:

  • Human resources
  • Operations
  • Coding and billing services
  • Office space management
  • Compliance
  • Contract management

Healthcare companies can either contract with an MSO to provide these services or can outright sell the administrative wing of their practice to an MSO so they can focus on the medical side of their business.

2. Why are MSOs Problematic?

MSO arrangements can become legally problematic when they act as an investment tool for medical professionals. Physicians could buy an ownership stake in an MSO that provided services to, say, a pharmacy. Those physicians could then begin referring patients to that same pharmacy.

In theory, that referral is going to a company – the pharmacy – that neither the physician nor his or her immediate family members have a financial interest in. In reality, though, the distinction gets blurred if the MSO – and therefore the physician – makes money off the referral. This can arguably amount to a kickback, which is unlawful.

3. Is Law Enforcement Actually Looking Into MSOs?

Yes, the justice department or the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has recently begun investigating MSOs that appears to be a medium for illegal kickbacks from one healthcare provider to a referring physician.

Together with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the DOJ has taken the position that MSOs that are only indirectly recouping physicians for referrals is enough to violate anti-kickback laws. In one case, the agencies are pursuing False Claims Act (31 U.S.C. § 3729) violations in addition to violations of the Stark Law (42 U.S.C. § 1395nn) and the Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b).

However, not all MSOs have come under the scrutiny of federal law enforcement. The DOJ has not declared a blanket rule that all MSOs are unlawful. Instead, it is only targeting those that show the signs of potential healthcare fraud.

4. What are the Potential Penalties for Investing in the Wrong MSO?

At this stage, it is hard to tell. MSOs are still a new development, and we are only seeing the very first charges getting filed against physicians who invest in the “wrong” MSOs. Courts have not yet ruled whether MSOs can facilitate a kickback or amount to a false claim.

If courts do go along with the DOJ’s interpretation of the law, then physicians can face steep penalties for sending business to another healthcare facility that contracts with an MSO that they own or invest in.

The Anti-Kickback Statute is a criminal law that carries up to five years in prison for a conviction, as well as fines of up to $25,000 and program exclusion. The Stark Law is a civil law that, while it does not carry criminal sanctions or jail time, does impose:

  • Denial of payments provided
  • Disgorgement of ill-gotten gains
  • Civil penalties of up to $15,000 for each violation
  • Treble damages
  • Program exclusion

Defense Strategies for Investigations into Your MSO

If you do have an ownership stake in an MSO and are concerned about a potential investigation, or if you are interested in investing in one of these new companies and want to do it right, there are several things that you can do. While every case is unique, here are three defense strategies and compliance procedures that MSO investigation attorney Dr. Nick Oberheiden often recommends considering.

1. Look for Signs That an MSO is Problematic

Not all MSOs are attracting the attention of federal law enforcement. Instead, it is the ones that do not comply with the requirements of anti-kickback statutes and illegal referrals.

Some signs that an MSO is lacking in that department include:

  • A lack of a compliance officer in the company
  • No training regarding important laws like HIPAA, the Stark Law, or the Anti-Kickback Statute
  • The MSO is paid on a percentage basis, rather than through a flat fee (payments should be at fair market value rates)
  • The MSO charges unreasonably high service fees
  • There are incentives for investing physicians to refer clients to the company

All of these are strong signs that the MSO is at risk of civil or even criminal action for healthcare fraud and illegal referrals. Unfortunately, many of these signs also give an investing physician the power to increase his or her return on the investment – a feature that makes the investment seem especially lucrative.

2. Tighten Up the Compliance

If you are invested in an MSO and suddenly see proof that it was too good to be true, you are not powerless. You are a partial owner, after all. You can push the company to tighten up its compliance with anti-kickback laws. In the best cases, this can successfully protect you and avoid scrutiny from law enforcement. Even if it does not, though, it can reduce the restitution that you can be made to pay, and the efforts to fix the MSO can be used to show your good intentions.

3. Stress the Distance Between an MSO’s Ownership and Its Clients

At this point, we still have not seen whether law enforcement’s interpretation of the law will get adopted by a court. Until we know for sure that an indirect payment is enough for anti-kickback liability, a strong defense should be that the MSO’s ownership was too far removed from the MSO’s clients to amount to a violation of the law.

As Dr. Nick Oberheiden, an MSO investigation attorney at Oberheiden P.C., says, “The law is still very much in flux at this point. Kickbacks are generally seen to be direct payments for referrals, and the whole point of the MSO investment opportunity was to avoid that exact setup.”

Article By Dr. Nick Oberheiden of Oberheiden P.C.

For more healthcare and health investigations legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Oberheiden P.C. © 2022

BREAKING NEWS: Biden to Pardon Federal Marijuana Possession Convictions

In a historic move, today, President Joe Biden announced a three-step program to bring broad changes to federal cannabis policy. As an initial step towards reform, President Biden will pardon all federal offenders convicted of simple marijuana possession. According to administration officials, the pardons will be issued through an administration process overseen by the Department of Justice. Those eligible for the pardons will receive documentation showing they were officially forgiven for their crime.

“No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” Biden said in a video announcing his executive actions. “It’s legal in many states, and criminal records for marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities. And that’s before you address the racial disparities around who suffers the consequences. While white and Black and brown people use marijuana at similar rates, Black and brown people are arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates.”

“Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs,” the President said.

As a second step in the program, Biden also encouraged Governors to take similar steps to pardon state simple cannabis possession charges.

And as the last step in this program, President Biden directed the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General Merrick Garland to “expeditiously” review the cannabis’s status as a Schedule I controlled drug pursuant to the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Article By Sarah A. K. Blitz and Whitney Hodges of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

For more cannabis legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Copyright © 2022, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP.

‘Work From the Ballpark’—Is the Latest Remote Work Promotion a Foul Ball?

Some professional baseball teams are beginning to promote “Work From the Ballpark” days, encouraging fans to bring their laptops to a weekday afternoon game and work remotely from their seats. Under such promotions, fans can purchase tickets for a special section of the ballpark with access to WiFi, tables, and food so that they could stay logged on at work while enjoying the sights and sounds of the game. Employers are likely accustomed to dealing with employees who play hooky to attend an afternoon baseball game. But with the rise of remote work—and promotions such as these—should employers be concerned with employees logging into work from the ballpark?

While such a promotion might be cheeky marketing to increase attendance for midweek games, it highlights an ongoing concern for employers with remote employees—that instead of diligently working in home offices, employees are working, or attempting to appear to be working, while distracted or in a potentially problematic environment. Indeed, working from a sports stadium could put confidential work communications and information at risk with laptop screens in easy view of onlookers and lead to network security issues with public WiFi.

Employers may want to dust off their remote work policies and evaluate whether they provide clarity around appropriate locations to perform work.

What Can Employers Do About Nontraditional Remote Work Environments?

  1. Clear Remote Work Policies

Employers may want to review their policies to ensure there are clear provisions or guidelines governing what locations are appropriate for working remotely. As an additional element of security and visibility, employers may further want to require that employees performing certain kinds of sensitive work obtain consent to work from a secure location other than home when necessary.

  1. Employee Work Locations

In certain workplaces, employers may want to consider how they monitor employees and their productivity. Many technology tools enable employers to track employees’ online activities or the physical locations of company devices. Of course, employers may want to evaluate employee relations considerations tied to any monitoring program as well as the increasing and myriad state and local laws addressing employer monitoring programs.

  1. Network and Information Security Software

Employers mandating that employees perform any work on employer-provided hardware (e.g., employer-provided laptops) may want to ensure those devices have network and information security and location monitoring software installed and that the technology is up-to-date and sufficient for employees to perform their jobs. Employers that do allow employees to use their own devices (BYOD) may want to require the installation of similar remote work software on those devices. Employers may also want to consider providing employees with internet hotspots for times when employers know employees will be working in public locations to avoid having employees working from shared or open networks. At the same time, employers may want to beware of the risk that such hardware will be lost or stolen.

  1. Security Measures

In addition to hardware requirements, employers may want to consider implementing policies that require employees to take basic security measures on their own while working from a public location. Employers may consider requiring employees to take work phone calls in secure places, require the use of privacy screens over laptop monitors, warn against leaving laptops and other hardware unattended, and mandate other actions to address basic privacy and proprietary information concerns.

  1. Compensation for Time

If an employer does become aware that an employee has performed work at the ballpark or in another location where distractions may have been present, the employer may question whether it must pay the employee for the time the employee logged that day. There are a myriad of federal and state wage-and-hour laws that employers can consult (as well as a review of the employer’s policies) that will answer this question. Usually, however, if employees report that they performed work, the employer may decide to compensate them for their time and evaluate whether there is a separate counseling or disciplinary issue that relates to policy or rule violations to consider.

Key Takeaways

Employees working from home or remotely, at least part of the time, appears to be the future for many workplaces across the United States as technology has made it easier for employees to stay connected with work and complete work tasks. The “Work From the Ballpark” promotion may serve as a reminder for employers that they may want to consider ways to ensure employees are working from appropriate locations to maintain productivity and information security with a remote workforce.

For more Employment Law news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

© 2022, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., All Rights Reserved.

Twelve Tips for Effective In-Person Networking in the Post-Pandemic World

I recently got on my first flight since the pandemic. I had been avoiding travel and conferences for many reasons, but it’s time to stop hiding at home and behind my computer screen.

Over the next few weeks I am speaking at several lawyer retreats and industry conferences – I’m excited but nervous.

I feel like a fish out of water (I accidentally let my TSA pre-check expire as well as my passport during Covid). It’s also the first time I’m leaving my pandemic puppies (I think it’s more traumatic for me than them).

I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones, and getting to know my clients in a setting other than Zoom because human connections are important and powerful.

In-person networking is essential – it is the secret sauce to building long-term and meaningful relationships. Those relationships can lead to opportunities of all kinds.

Even as an extroverted extrovert, I’m a bit rusty on networking.

I have been doing countless presentations to a computer screen since March 2020 and so being able to see and interact with real people is a much welcome change. A return to “normalcy.”

But after years of being an “expert” network, I’m not actually sure what to do when I actually see people again in a profesional group setting.

Do I hug? (I’m Italian, we like to hug) Shake hands? Fist bump? Just smile and nod? So glad we aren’t bathing in hand sanitizer anymore or cloroxing everything with which we come in touch.

Many of us are in the same position after the past few years, and we don’t feel like the same person we used to be. But that’s okay. Let’s collectively give ourselves a break (and some grace). We are all in the same boat – together.

Here are 12 tips for effective in-person networking I plan to use:

  1. Ask people about themselves more then I talk about myself.
  2. Practice active listening.
  3. Say their names a few times when talking to them – it helps me remember them and makes people like you more.
  4. Write notes after each meaningful conversation.
  5. Exit conversations gracefully.
  6. Follow up and connect on LinkedIn with new and renewed contacts.
  7. Put my LinkedIn QR code on my iPhone home screen to facilitate easy networking. Here’s how.
  8. Add new contacts to my CRM.
  9. Immerse myself in the programming. I am not going to check my email every second or do unnecessary work.
  10. Write a key takeaways blog and LinkedIn post from the sessions I enjoyed and tag the speakers.
  11. Create an email OOO message that supports my brand and business (see example from Paula Edgar).
  12. Have an intimate dinner with my clients/colleagues to get to know them better.

Do you have any tips for in-person networking in the post-pandemic environment?

Article By Stefanie M. Marrone of Stefanie Marrone Consulting

For more legal marketing and business of law news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Copyright © 2022, Stefanie M. Marrone. All Rights Reserved.

6 Tips to Better Organization for Lawyers

Practicing law involves managing countless details and deadlines. For this reason, organization for lawyers can become a challenge for many lawyers in a high-paced law firm juggling various projects.

Without essential organization skills or resources to support the workload, it’s easy for information or tasks to innocently fall through the cracks. Adversely, this can leave lawyers feeling burnout or overwhelmed which could lead to a deterioration of quality of service, impacting overall client satisfaction.

Maintaining organization for lawyers is more than having pristine files and an uncluttered office — it includes critical skills like strategic planning, time management, and task prioritization.

Why Do Lawyers Struggle with Organization?

For years, lawyers were often depicted as busy professionals constantly shuffling through papers and running to the courthouse. Remote work and the rise in legal technology have certainly modernized a lawyer’s day-to-day activities, but that doesn’t mean those tasks are necessarily organized.

Lawyers have a lot to manage in a high-stress, high-performance environment. Often, this can lead to a system of organization that’s known only to the lawyer — billable hours written on sticky notes, case files interspersed with other papers, and deadlines tracked on a notepad. To avoid chaos, here are a few tips to have a more organized work life.

Organization for Lawyers: 6 Tips

Maintain an Organized Workspace

There’s no right or wrong way to set up an office or workspace, but it should work for you. That said, clutter can be a barrier to organization. Keep your desk tidy and free of clutter. Put away anything you’re not working on right now and gather loose documents and file them.

If your law firm relies on paper, consider the benefits of transitioning to a digital process. Lawyers have traditionally dealt with mass amounts of paper which can lead to disorganization and hinder productivity. Limiting the amount of paper you use in your day-to-day with a digital filing system will greatly improve the accessibility you have to the work you need.

Establish a Routine

While we all have the same amount of hours in the day, the way we use them directly impacts our productivity.

Highly productive people often start the day with a priority to-do list that reflects the tasks that absolutely must get done that day. The rest are tasks that you could do, if you have time, to get a jump on the next day’s work.

When you’re planning your routine, be sure to leave time to make calls and emails, take a break, and have lunch. Before signing off for the day, take a few minutes to create your priority to-do list for the next day.

Block Time

We’re more connected than ever before, which comes with the pressure to stay in touch with work colleagues, family, and friends at all times. Our devices can become a source of distraction instead of productivity at work.

This is where blocking time comes in handy. For some, using time blocks and a calendar is more effective than to-do lists. Use your calendar as a time-blocking tool and divide your day into different blocks of time, each with a specific task.

Improve Time Management

Lawyers often find themselves struggling to balance time spent on non-billable administrative tasks and their caseload.

Fortunately, legal project management tools can help with time management, time tracking, and overall organization, with project management features to manage your caseload along with time tracking and billing functionalities. The right platform allows you to separate time and expenses, add notes or related files, collaborate with colleagues, and set customizable notifications to ensure you’re focused on the highest-priority tasks.

Commit to Better Communication

One of the casualties of disorganization is a reduction in client satisfaction. This can be due to a decrease in the quality of service a lawyer provides because they’re so busy.

A simple way to combat this is by blocking time, but also leveraging modern technology to streamline your communication. Features like client portals are a way for clients to feel connected to your firm while also having on-demand access to the information they need.

Track Time in Real Time

When you’re shuffling between cases, it can be easy to lose track of your billable time. This is why it’s important to have resources that allow lawyers to work as they go without having to guess how many hours they spent on a client.

Neither overestimating nor underestimating billable hours is good for a law firm. If you overestimate your time, you could be in violation of the American Bar Association’s Rule 1.5 on billing and fees. If you underestimate your time, you’re leaving money on the table for valuable services you’ve provided to your client.

Tracking time in real-time is important for accuracy and your organization’s well-being. Time tracking tools allow you to set timers on your laptop, tablet, smartphone, or desktop.

Proper timekeeping not only helps you stay organized and bill accurately, but it helps you identify where you could improve your time management and productivity to get more accomplished in your day.

How Legal Technology Keeps Lawyers Organized

Law practice management software offers plenty of tools to help you stay organized. Time tracking, project management, and document management tools ensure you can organize files, plan your calendar and tasks, communicate with clients, and track time to improve your productivity from anywhere.

Organized Lawyers Are an Asset

Firms and clients realize the value of having modern processes to assist lawyers with staying on top of tasks and deadlines. It may not happen overnight, but taking steps toward better organization with tools like law practice management software will improve your efficiency and productivity.

This article was authored by Nina Lee of Bill4Time.

For more law office management news updates, click here to visit the National Law Review.

©2006-2022, BILL4TIME. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

How to Use Images and Blogs to Boost Your Google My Business Profile

Whether you are wondering if you should create a listing for your business or searching for the most effective ways to boost your local presence, Google My Business is a wise investment of time. Not convinced yet? Consider the following statistics:

  • 97 percent of people learn more about a local company online than through any other source
  • Over 90 percent of the search engine market share belongs to Google
  • According to Google, 46 percent of all searches have local intent
  • 64 percent of consumers have used Google My Business to find contact details for a local business

Listing your law firm on Google is a significant step towards a complete online presence, but it doesn’t stop there. For instance, you should update your Google My Business Profile every month or so. While this profile isn’t a social media profile, it still requires the same amount of cultivation.

The Benefit of Adding Pictures

There are a few more ways you can leverage your profile to your advantage.  One of these ways is to use images to help boost your profile. For example, using photos on your Google Business Profile is beneficial not just for aesthetics but also to provide your law firm with an SEO advantage.

According to Google, businesses that use pictures on their Business Profiles see 42 percent more direction requests on Google Maps and 35 percent more clicks through to their websites than those who don’t use them. In fact, after a 2020 experiment, DigitalMaas came to the same conclusions. There’s no denying that law firms and attorneys who regularly upload photos on their listings will get more clicks and appear more on search results than their competitors who don’t.

When adding pictures, ensure you:

  • Add photos promptly. Without pictures, Google will default to showing street views which can make potential clients doubt if you are still in business.
  • Add photos regularly, including different shots and angles, taken at various times of the day.
  • Use quality photos without over-editing them. You want them to be clear but not filtered.
  • Use categories when adding pictures. Having a minimum of three relevant photos for each category is recommended.
  • Stay relevant to your location—avoid using screenshots, stock photos, GIFs, and other manually created images.

The Benefit of Blogs

Blogs are an essential piece of SEO marketing. If your firm doesn’t already publish one, now is the time. In addition to publishing your blog on your website, make sure you take its URL along with the picture and create a post from your Google My Business Account. Google will recognize your blog under your profile, and you will start to rank higher in SEO. When you add your blog to your Google Business Profile, you essentially double the benefit of having a blog without doubling the work. Linking a blog to your profile shows your authority in the legal realm and that you remain active online.

Don’t Forget Reviews!

Another key piece of optimizing your Google My Business profile is adding reviews. Google knows that reviews are the primary influence on consumer behavior, so they are a crucial ranking factor in the algorithm. However, you can’t add reviews if you don’t have any. Getting more reviews can be simple if you follow these tips:

  • Start with your long-time, loyal clients.
  • Make leaving a review as simple as possible by creating a review shortcut link or using a shortcut link generator.
  • Add a “Reviews” page on your website with a call to action to leave one.
  • Don’t forget to ask for reviews by email, text, social media, and in-person conversations.
  • Let clients know that reviews help others in similar situations to find a solution and make informed decisions.
  • Respond to reviews as this will incentivize clients to leave theirs and improves your local SEO.

Article By Meranda M. Vieyra of Denver Legal Marketing

For more business of law legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.
© 2022 Denver Legal Marketing LLC

September 2022 Legal Industry News and Updates: Law Firm Growth and Expansion, Industry Recognition, and Spotlights on Women in Law

Happy autumn from the National Law Review! As the seasons change, we hope you are having a safe and healthy year. Please read on for the latest news coverage in the legal field, including law firm hiring and expansion, industry awards and recognition, and continued updates on women in law.

In addition, please be sure to check out Episode 4 of the Legal News Reach podcast: “The Perfect Storm: Law Firm Marketing & Business Development Budgeting with Beth Cuzzone, Global Practice Leader of Intapp.”

Law Firm Hiring and Expansion

Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP has named two new attorneys to lead their growing Public Sector practice group: partner Andy Mayts will serve as the chair of the group, and partner Patrick Duggan will serve as co-chair. Mr. Matts focuses his practice on banking, finance, and construction-related litigation. He handles complex civil litigation for many clients, including large businesses, national banks, and other financial institutions. Mr. Duggan practices employment law and litigation in complex workplace public sector and business disputes, with a specific focus on the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other prominent legislation.

“It will take unique thinking and creativity to help governmental and public entities meet the growing needs of our communities,” said Shumaker Management Committee Vice Chair Jennifer Compton. “Andy and Patrick are top-performers and ready to meet this demand. With their leadership, we are confident that Shumaker’s Public Sector Practice will have continued growth and success.”

Stephanie J. Blumstein has joined law firm A.Y. Strauss as a partner in the Franchise practice group. Ms. Blumstein has a great deal of franchise litigation experience, including matters related to breach of contract, trademark infringement, fraud claims, business competition, and lease negotiations. She has assisted prospective franchisees as well as veteran franchise owners on all types of issues. Ms. Blumstein was also recognized in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

“I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the team,” said Marisa Rauchway, chair of the firm’s Franchise Group. “As a veteran of the national franchise community, her broad legal talents and deep industry knowledge will add immediate value to both existing and future clients of our practice.”

Michael Best added Dan Forest, former Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, as a senior advisor in the firm’s Raleigh office. Joining the Government Relations practice group, Mr. Forest assists Michael Best Strategies with developing a strong bipartisan team of professionals who are focused on serving clients with public affairs and government relations needs. In his former role as Lieutenant Governor, Mr. Forest also served as President of the North Carolina Senate, Chairman of the Energy Policy Council, and Chairman of the Digital Technology Committee as a member of the State Board of Education.

“We’re excited to add Dan to our leadership team in North Carolina,” said Andy Jones, North Carolina Managing Partner for Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP. “Dan’s record of service and deep network across the State will help us continue to build our entrepreneurial-minded team of professionals and round out our ability to provide full-service solutions to our clients.”

BakerHostetler added Lisa Houssiere as a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and Energy Industry team in their Houston office.  Ms. Houssiere has extensive experience in international disputes and investigations, particularly in the energy sector, and has worked on several high-profile Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases and advised clients under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the European Commission.

Commenting on Ms. Housssiere’s addition to the firm, W. Ray Whitman, chair of BakerHostetler’s national Litigation Practice Group, stated. “Her range of trial work, including complex energy, antitrust and intellectual property matters, brings additional depth to our internationally recognized litigation practice.”

Venable LLP expanded its Product Liability and Mass Torts team in the Chicago and Los Angeles with the addition of partner John Roberts (Chicago) and partner Karen Firstenberg (Los Angeles). Mr. Roberts assists clients in the areas of product liability, commercial litigation, insurance recovery, and regulatory compliance, with much experience serving as national litigation counsel for a variety of clients. Mrs. Firstenberg provides counsel to life sciences companies on compliance, toxic torts, and product liability, representing clients in all fields, including medical devices, materials science, biotech, and pharmaceuticals.

“We are thrilled to welcome John and Karen to Venable and to our product liability team. Their addition will not only diversify our practice, but further solidify our presence in Los Angeles and expand it to Chicago, a long-standing life sciences hub and the home of some of our most valued clients. John and Karen’s success in the courtroom also deepens our bench of proven products trial lawyers,” said Kathleen Hardway, a co-chair of Venable’s Product Liability and Mass Torts Group.

Industry Awards and Recognition

Steve Adamczyk, partner at Varnum LLP, has been named to the 2022 Gulfshore Business 40 Under 40. This magazine seeks to recognize young legal professionals in the Southwestern region of Florida who have aided the area through volunteer work and philanthropy. Mr. Adamczyk has served on the board of the Florida Southern Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross since 2015. He has also supported local elected officials and long-term recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

Mr. Adamczyk has a great deal of experience in estate and trust planning services. At Varnum, he broadly focuses his practice on residential and commercial real estate transactions, as well as community association representation, providing counsel and assistance for condominium and homeowners associations across the state of Florida.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP was recognized at the 2022 HFM US Services Awards ceremony as the best onshore law firm for hedge fund client services in the United States. Recipients were chosen by a panel of leading hedge fund chief operating officers, as well as chief financial officers and general counsels. Wendy Cohen and Allison Yacker, co-chairs of the firm’s Investment Management and Funds practice, accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

Lance Zinman, Global Chairman of Katten‘s Financial Markets and Funds group, said the following of the award: “Receiving this distinction underscores what clients and others have told us they appreciate about Katten: That we provide excellent and sophisticated counsel in a business-savvy manner that takes into account the practical aspects of our clients’ business; that we analyze complex market and legal issues and close investments and transactions, navigating regulatory issues quickly and comprehensively; and that we quickly see the big picture, to name just some of what we hear.”

Lawmatics, a leading legal client relationship management platform, was named a “Hot Product” in the 2022 TechnoLawyer Buyer’s Guide. TechnoLawyer continues to report on the latest developments in legal technology and law office management; the publication cited Lawmatics’ versatile automation capabilities as a particularly significant feature that set the platform apart.

“We’re extremely proud to be identified as a premier tool for helping law firms grow,” said Matt Spiegel, CEO of Lawmatics. “Our software empowers law firms to spend less of their time on administering the business of their practice, and more time focusing on the clients they serve. We know that firms thrive when they can prioritize people rather than paperwork.”

Thomas F. Zych, co-chair of Thompson Hine’s Antitrust, Competition & Distribution and Emerging Technologies practices, and Privacy & Cybersecurity team, has been selected to chair the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Law Section, through August 2023.

Based in Cleveland, Mr. Zych has over 39 years of experience in a wide range of data protection, intellectual property, consumer protection, social media, competition and antitrust matters. He also represents a full range of business enterprises in their privacy and data security operations.

Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2022 “Most Admired Law Firms” list added Sidley, as one of the most distinguished and “best law firms to work for” in the Los Angeles area. The Los Angeles Business Journal’s list recognizes law firms who are working toward creating diverse, positive, and supportive professional environments.

Of note is the 2022 launch of Sidley’s “Built to Lead,” program designed to help the firm’s associates by equipping them with greater business acumen by partnering with top business schools and helping young lawyers grow their leadership capabilities by partnering with select nonprofit legal and community organizations.

Women in Law

Foley and Lardner Partner Natasha Allen has been recognized on The Recorder’s California Legal Awards “Women Leaders in Tech Law” list. A co-chair of Foley’s Venture Capital Committee and Innovative Technology Sector Artificial Intelligence Section, Ms. Allen guides domestic and international corporations through mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, with a special focus on cybersecurity, software, and virtual reality firms.

The California Legal Awards celebrate legal innovators who are influential in the ongoing development of technological jurisprudence. Allen and her peers will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on November 3, 2022.

Paula Cozzi Goedert, a leading nonprofit attorney with Barnes and Thornburg specializing in tax, compliance, and strategy, has been recognized on Crain’s Chicago Business 2022 “Notable Women in Law” list. Crain’s annual list illustrates the power of women in law by showcasing leaders with compelling professional stories.

Ms. Goedert chairs Barnes and Thornburg’s Associations and Foundations Group and has served over 300 clients, including the National PTA, American College of Surgeons, American Library Association, and Bank Administration Institute. Goedert’s expertise was invaluable during the COVID-19 crisis, where she guided her clients through challenges including staff furloughs, endowment raids, and insurance claims.

Additionally, Perkins Coie Partners Gina LaMonica and Lucy Park, were included on the 2022 Chicago Business Notable Women in Law list, whose requirements include mentoring other women lawyers, promoting inclusive practices in the workplace, and assuming a leadership role in professional organizations and civic and community service initiatives.

Ms. LaMonica practices white-collar criminal defense and is regularly retained to conduct internal investigations involving employee misconduct, regulatory violations, financial fraud, and is co-chair of Perkins Coie’s Educational Institutions & Services industry group and a co-founder and current secretary of the Chicago chapter of the national Women’s White Collar Defense Association.

Ms. Park  a partner in Perkins Coie’s Trust & Estate Planning group, counsels high-net-worth individuals, families, and family-owned businesses on wealth preservation and transfer, charitable giving, and succession planning and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, Strategic Diversity Committee,  and co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Forum, a  resource group, which works to attract, retain, and promote and support the firm’s female lawyers.

Former White House Administrator Sharon McGowan is adding her anti-discrimination background to her new role as partner at nationally-recognized civil rights law firm Katz Banks Kumin. Ms. McGowan has previously worked as Chief Strategy Officer and Legal Director for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, staff attorney with the ACLU’s LGBT and AIDS projects, and lead attorney for seminal trans workplace antidiscrimination case Schroer v. Billington. During Obama’s administration, Ms. McGowan worked toward ending various forms of discrimination as Principal Deputy Chief at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for Policy at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

“Sharon is a brilliant legal advocate who has played an unparalleled role in securing some of our nation’s greatest achievements in civil rights,” said firm Co-Founding Partner Lisa J. Banks. “Her unique perspective and wide range of counseling experience will be a tremendous asset to our clients in the areas of whistleblower law, employment law, sexual harassment law, and civil rights and civil liberties matters.”

Firm Co-Founding Partner Debra S. Katz added: “Sharon’s experience as one of President Obama’s top anti-discrimination attorneys, as well as her deep level of public policy and advocacy expertise, will be invaluable to our clients and the firm’s ongoing efforts to advance civil rights in the workplace.”

Article By Chandler Ford, Crissonna Tennison, and Jennifer Schaller of The National Law Review / The National Law Forum LLC

For more business of law legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

Copyright ©2022 National Law Forum, LLC

A Paralegal’s Guide to Legal Calendar Management

Law firms of all sizes are increasingly relying on legal technology to address their day-to-day responsibilities. From family law to criminal law to personal injury law, law practice management software can help law firms run smoothly and efficiently.

The benefits of this legal technology aren’t limited to lawyers — it extends to the paralegals they work closely with.

The demand for paralegals is growing at an average of 12% each year, and paralegal technology can be used to support their efficiency and workflows. Many of the manual tasks that paralegals do, such as creating, organizing, and filing court documents, can be automated to free time to focus on more critical tasks.

What Do Paralegals Do?

Working under the supervision of an attorney, a paralegal’s work is merged with and used as part of the attorney’s work for the client. Paralegals cannot give legal advice or perform any legal duties that fall under the scope of the licensed attorney, and they must be clear in their non-lawyer status with clients and the public.

The typical duties of a paralegal may include:

  • Conducting client interviews and maintaining client contact

  • Locating and interviewing witnesses

  • Conducting investigations and statistical and documentary research

  • Performing legal research

  • Drafting legal documents, correspondence, and pleadings

  • Summarizing depositions, interrogatories, and testimony

  • Attending executions of wills, real estate closings, depositions, court or administrative hearings, and trials with the attorney

  • Authoring and signing correspondence, as long as the paralegal status is clearly indicated and does not contain independent legal advice or opinions.

In a law firm, a paralegal’s time for legal work — not clerical or administrative work — may be billed to clients the same way as an attorney’s time, but at a lower hourly rate.

The paralegal profession originated in law firms, but now, paralegals may be employed by government organizations, banks, insurance companies, and healthcare providers.

Aside from basic technology tools for sending emails, making calls, or creating documents, there are resources specifically designed for paralegal work. Some of these include:

  • Case management software: One of the responsibilities of a paralegal is helping firms track client case information. Case management software supports paralegals and other staff to collaborate on cases in real time.

  • Billing software: Client billing is a time-consuming process at the end of the billing period. Paralegals may use billing software to help automate bill generation, collection, and review. Online billing allows clients to receive bills directly and gets the firm paid faster.

  • Client intake software: With manual client intake, clients fill out paperwork and the information must be transcribed digitally. This process is inefficient and error-prone, even with a fillable PDF. Automated client intake technology captures vital details for paralegals, and forms can be shared with a link. The information can be synced with other technologies to avoid duplicate data entry.

  • eSignature software: Signatures are required for most legal documents. Instead of hand-signing and scanning documents, e-signature technology allows paralegals to collect, sign, and store documents with a click of a button.

Paralegals may use some or all of these legal technologies, depending on the size of the firm and its practice areas.

Calendar management is the systematic process of organizing tasks, meetings, and events with the goal of maximizing the return on investment for the time put in. The work can be time-consuming, but it’s essential to the function of the firm.

A well-managed calendar should support attorneys to ensure success. Calendar management has the power to make or break the attorney’s daily workflow and long-term success, which is why it’s one of the most important skills for a paralegal to perform effectively.

Legal calendar management is a resource that manages deadlines, meetings, and events in a centralized location. Paralegals, attorneys, and other staff can have shared access and individual alerts or notifications to ensure that crucial tasks never fall through the cracks.

Prior to digital legal calendar management, attorneys had to calculate deadlines manually — a time-consuming and error-prone process. Legal calendar management automatically calculates deadlines to expedite the process and ensure accuracy.

With automated workflows, legal calendar management allows legal professionals to build workflows for each type of case or practice area of the firm.

For busy professionals juggling multiple responsibilities and clients, this ensures that important deadlines are not missed.

Just like you would schedule a meeting or task, paralegals should block focus time to manage and organize their calendars. Use these best practices to simplify how you manage your calendar.

Use a Coding System

Color coding creates an organizational schematic for the calendar. For example, using colors for different categories like client, internal, recurring, reminder, and travel helps everyone quickly identify the tasks that are relevant.

Implement a Centralized, Firm-Wide Calendar

Law firms should have a centralized calendar that’s used throughout the firm and managed by an experienced paralegal. This ensures that the firm staff has access to crucial information and deadlines from anywhere.

The calendar should be flexible and allow for different departments to toggle their view of desired information.

Legal calendars have a lot of moving parts that may involve multiple parties. This is why it’s important to create guidelines or rules for everyone in the firm when updating the calendar. For example, who submits case information? Who verifies the deadlines and completes follow-ups?

Incorporating this information in your firm’s workflows will ensure all staff members understand what they’re responsible for, and when. This process should be standardized, to alleviate bottlenecks or help with onboarding and training new staff.

Get The Entire Firm On Board

A new process takes time to implement and may come with learning curves. However, an efficient, organized legal calendar can’t be accomplished without buy-in across the firm.

There can be friction among staff when implementing new technology, especially if the firm has been more traditional. Take a top-down approach that begins with senior partners and managers. They can take the lead to bring everyone on board and get them excited about the capabilities of the new technology. No one likes change, but preparing the team can reduce friction and make the implementation process more efficient.

But remember, the best technology in the world is still just technology. It’s up to your firm and staff to use it to its fullest. Establishing clear roles and responsibilities for leaders and staff, providing training, and both giving and receiving feedback ensure that the legal calendar management software’s features and tools are used appropriately for your firm’s needs.

Article By Kamron Sanders of PracticePanther

For more business of law legal news, click here to visit the National Law Review.

© Copyright 2022 PracticePanther