Winter 2005

In This Issue

New AALA President Kristi Smith Emphasizes Education, Involvement President's Farewell: Michael G. Stephens - AALA Past President O Client, Why Art Thou? Maintaining Client Loyalty By Measuring Client Expectations Atlanta Chapter CLM (Certified Legal Manager) Certification What to Do About Junk Mail and Spam Mapping the Power of Personality Information Security, Huh? Getting the Best Candidates - And Avoiding the Dogs Word to Lead By The 2005 ALA Annual Educational Conference & Exposition

New AALA President Kristi Smith Emphasizes Education, Involvement
By: June Bell 

When Kristi Smith first began attending AALA meetings ten years ago, she would sit through the monthly program and then sneak out without talking to anyone.

How things change.

This year Kristi will be leading the Atlanta chapter, overseeing its direction and encouraging members to participate more fully, boost their education level and encourage their colleagues to join. Kristi, Hyatt & Stubblefield's administrator has a list of ambitious plans for her one-year presidency, and she's counting on the usual strong support and collaboration from the board. She takes the gavel from Michael Stephens, senior human resources administrator for Troutman Sanders.

Read more about where Kristi expects to focus her energies in the coming year.

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President's Farewell: Michael G. Stephens - AALA Past President

After serving two years as Chapter President, my time has finally come to step aside. Much like my first year as President, this year has gone by entirely too fast. The timing couldn't be better, especially if you have heard the recent news that Troutman Sanders is moving into the Big Apple. I can assure you I'll have a lot on my plate over the next couple months with this exciting news for my Firm.

Read the rest of Michael's farewell message.

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O Client, Why Art Thou? Maintaining Client Loyalty By Measuring Client Expectations
By: Joshua Fruchter, President, eLawMarketing

Thriving law firms achieve success by meeting or exceeding their clients' service-quality expectations. These expectations are shaped by clients' past experiences, word-of-mouth, and advertising, and create a baseline against which performance is measured when services are delivered. When a firm's performance exceeds the expected level of service, clients remain loyal. Conversely, when performance fails to meet expectations, clients go shopping. It thus behooves law firms to continually explore and experiment with strategies for exceeding their clients' highest hopes.

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Atlanta Chapter CLM (Certified Legal Manager) Certification
By: James Gillespie

One of the goals for the Atlanta ALA chapter for 2005 is to encourage more of our members to get CLM certified. As part of this emphasis, James Gillespie, an Atlanta ALA member who became a CLM when he passed the exam last November at the ALA Region Conference in Orlando, has agreed to share his experience. The answers he shared should provide helpful insights into what the CLM certification is and what it takes to become certified.

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What to Do About Junk Mail and Spam
By: Abby Marks-Beale

Myth - There is nothing I can do about junk mail or email spam. It seems as if no matter what we do, we will always get junk mail and email spam (aka junk mail via email). You could throw your hands up and say it is useless, or you can accept the fact that, yes, you WILL receive some of it, but you CAN reduce it.

Truth - You have the power to systematically put into practice proven methods for reducing the unwanted mail.

Read more

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Mapping the Power of Personality
By: Peter Metzner

It is said, "We can't know our selves until we know others and we can't know others unless we know ourselves." The maxim "know thyself" goes as far back as Socrates and is as important today as it was then. Psychologist James Hollis stated, "The prevailing source of conflict between individuals arises from differences in personal typologies". A few weeks ago at the AALA luncheon meeting, I facilitated an introductory program on Peoplemap training. The purpose was to acquaint participants with the four major personality types. With that knowledge they could understand not only their way of seeing the world, but also the ways that others see the world. By understanding the template or the ways we view relationships, work and our communication style, we are in a position to better understand others, handle conflict and form more collaborative working relationships.

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Information Security, Huh?
By: Kevin Dunn, CTO Client Profiles, Inc. and Thom Pakurar, CTO Information Security Technology Corp.

"Our system is crawling! I checked our e-mail log file and we’re sending out nearly 10,000 emails per hour!! Our servers have every update known to man; our anti-virus is current; we have a firewall; HELP!" This is just one of the calls Client Profiles has answered since criminals have figured out how to use the internet to their benefit (want to know the outcome of this call --- read on.) Cybercrime is continually growing because of the ease of gathering confidential and personal information. Thieves are getting smarter at using technology to their advantage. Training your users about security policies and ensuring that they are followed is your primary defense against social engineering - both on-line and off-line.

Read more

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Getting the Best Candidates - And Avoiding the Dogs
By: D. Albert Brannen and Ilene W. Berman

A recent study by the national placement firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, found that 52% of 249,000 resumes surveyed contained "discrepancies" or false statements. According to this survey, the most common false statements that job seekers tell on their resumes and during employment interviews relate to education, job title, compensation, reason for leaving a prior job and past accomplishments.

Read more

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Words to Lead By
By: Jeanette (Nettie) M. Meluch

Read an inspiring ode to the qualities of great leadership.

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The 2005 ALA Annual Educational Conference & Exposition

Similar to San Francisco's Lombard Street, the legal management profession is filled with hairpin turns. It can be a full-time job adjusting to the changes. ALA's Annual Educational Conference & Exposition is your chance to take those corners with confidence and get up to speed - in just four days.

Learn more 

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Editor: Brian Gedeon (bhgedeon@duanemorris.com)

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