Fall 2005

In This Issue

Member Profile: James Gillespie President's Message: Kristi Smith Task Types The Unintended Client and Non-Engagement Letters How to be a Wise Health Care Consumer ALA National Resources: Management Encyclopedia, Client Satisfaction System, Job Bank ALA Antitrust Guide and Code of Professional Ethics Community Challenge Weekend Latitude in Attitude Say That Again? From the Editor

Member Profile: James Gillespie 

James Gillespie means business. Seated in an austere conference room at the office of Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLC, he seems the poster child for professionalism. James’ fourth year as Executive Administrator was punctuated with the addition of the Certified Legal Manager Certification last year. Since then he has been a vocal proponent of the CLM program, and even plans on leading a committee in December.

What inspired this Arkansas native to sit for the CLM exam? A glimpse into his past provides a clear picture.

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President's Message: Kristi Smith

As our 2006 vendor sponsorship program gets under way, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to each and every one of our 2005 sponsors and to make sure that members realize the importance of the chapter’s vendor sponsorship program and the importance of business partners as a whole.

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Task Types
By: Peter Metzner

Great leaders have two things in common. They are self-aware and they have good interpersonal relationships. To be most effective leaders must draw on the strengths of each of the four personality styles when appropriate. In order to do this, we need to understand the drives, motivations, strengths and developmental needs of each of the four types measured by the Peoplemap assessment. So far, we have looked at Leader types and in the June newsletter, we focused on People Types. If we look again at each of your firms as a box, Leader types are the ones building the box. People types are making sure everyone in the box is getting along with each other. Free Spirits are thinking out of the box and Task types are making sure each part of the box is formed to specifications. To function optimally, organizations need each of the four types.

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The Unintended Client and Non-Engagement Letters
By: Thomas P. Sukowicz

Every year malpractice claims are made against lawyers by individuals that the lawyers never considered to be their clients. This occurs because the existence or non-existence of an attorney-client relationship is not explicitly communicated by the lawyer.

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How to be a Wise Health Care Consumer

The way we purchase health care is unlike most other purchases we make. Many Americans will pore through a newspaper for a coupon that saves them fifty cents at the local supermarket. However, when it comes to health care—a far more complex and expensive service—we rarely ask questions or consider all the options that could save us time and money.

This edition of the Know Your Employee Benefits, Health Care Costs series shares ways that you can become a better-informed health care consumer, and in turn save money for you and your employer.

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ALA National Resources: Management Encyclopedia, Client Satisfaction System, Job Bank

Are you making the most of your ALA membership? There are tremendous resources available online from ALA National.

Learn more about the ALA Management Encyclopedia, Client Satisfaction System and Job Bank

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ALA Antitrust Guide and Code of Professional Ethics

ALA offers guidance in the areas of antitrust compliance and professional ethics.

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Community Challenge Weekend: October 22, 2005

Your AALA volunteers once again showed their spirit and commitment to the community by lending a hand to the Piedmont Park Conservancy and Hands On Atlanta at the 7th annual Community Challenge Weekend. Members, friends and family put their “heart and soil” into landscaping, mulching, planting and cleanup of our Midtown Atlanta neighborhood park. A very special “thank-you” to our vendor sponsor representatives who were there bright and early to help out. Brooks Ryan with DTI, Don Cohen with Prime Office Products, David Moon with Lan-Tech, and Keisha Hudson with Special Counsel were there to help.

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Latitude in Attitude

In hiring, it’s long been experience, experience, experience that you look for. However, what if success in the job for which you’re hiring depends more on how workers respond in the present than on what they did in the past?

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Say That Again?

If you don't learn from your mistakes, there's no sense in making them.

Author unknown

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From the Editor

Welcome to AALA’s 2005 Fall Newsletter! The rush of the Holidays will soon add to our already busy lives, but recognize that now is a great time to do some housecleaning and plan for 2006.

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Editor: Brian Gedeon (bhgedeon@duanemorris.com)

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