For secretarial interviews, an Ohio administrator uses the approach that includes everything—attorney input, staff input and even observations from…
HIRING
Easy-to-use interview system guarantees a good match between secretary and attorney
February 15, 2019 by
HIRING AND FIRING
Always ask these 7 questions before you fire a staffer
January 18, 2019 by
They are the seven-question solution. They have become the standard for determining whether a firing is justified…
HIRING
Step by step guide to successful lateral hiring
November 30, 2018 by
Attracting a lateral hire requires more than sending out a request for resumes.
To find the candidate it wants, the firm has to decide on the specific qualifications it…
HIRING
The simple secret to hiring a great receptionist
October 22, 2018 by
Hire a receptionist and hire the manager of first and lasting impressions. The receptionist position is a marketing position…
HIRING
10 interview questions that reveal the true personality of every job applicant
October 13, 2017 by
Interviewing job candidates is perhaps the most serious responsibility of management. A bad hire is a full-time disaster, because the…
MANAGING STAFF
Five personalities to weed out when hiring for staff positions
September 22, 2017 by
Just as important as being able to do the work and being willing to do the work is having a personality that fits the job…
COMPLIANCE
Five dangers in dealing with harassment complaints
June 24, 2016 by
As with firing, the rules are well known, yet employers still fall into the common violations that spawn claims of sexual harassment, says management consultant Joseph Godwin of F&H Solutions Group in…
MANAGING THE OFFICE
Assigning secretaries to case types improves litigation work flow
October 23, 2015 by
A Tulsa administrator had serious secretarial problems. Work flow was stymied, productivity was down, client service was suffering, and morale was low.
The cure, however, was simple. It was nothing more than a secretary reassignment strategy. Now the secretaries still work for specific attorneys but at the same time, each secretary is assigned to handle all the work in a specific area of law.
The outcome is that every matter has one full-time secretarial overseer who has charge of the work from beginning to…
READER TIPS
A manual that covers the entire administration
October 2, 2015 by
A Washington, D.C. administrator has set up an operations manual that covers every imaginable item of managing the firm.
It holds the basics of everything so that when she is out, the firm “can be on autopilot and keep the trains running on time,” says Jill D. Hirsch, chief operating officer of Slevin & Hart. And, she says, “it’s for me as well as for someone stepping in for me.” No administrator can remember every detail of the office’s operations, so it’s a quick reference whenever a question arises.
The manual covers the daily administrative procedures, the emergency procedures, the accounting controls, the recruiting – everything. There’s also a timeline, so if a partner wants to…
. . . read more
HIRING AND FIRING
5 proven ways to spot and avoid hiring potentially “toxic employees” … and what to do if you already have them
October 2, 2015 by
Got toxins in the office?
Toxins are people who cause dissent. They undermine people. They create an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion. They kill the camaraderie.
They are toxic because they cause enough misery to force worthwhile staffers to leave.
Law firms are notorious for putting up with toxic people at both the attorney and staff levels.
Professional people are not natural managers. Instead of facing conflict, they tend…
