By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio Depending on who you talk to, she's the paralegal from either heaven or hell. According to her attorney, with whom she has a love/hate relationship, she's indispensable. While you personally like her, you often want to wring her neck. She's late for work more days than she arrives on time; she's late for meetings and rolls her eyes … [Read more...] about The Paralegal from Heaven or Hell
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What to do when you suspect substance abuse in the firm
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio He's one of your best litigators, but is he worth the risks he takes that could backfire on the practice—or are there ways to mitigate those risks? Rumors abound fueled by his erratic behavior and the behavior changes that his regular trips to the bathroom create. You suspect substance abuse, but if you tackle these problems, will you … [Read more...] about What to do when you suspect substance abuse in the firm
Like a Boss: Benefits and perks
By Michelle Spencer bio One way for any law office to keep its employees engaged is to offer them competitive benefits and perks. Did you know that 4 in 5 employees would rather have new benefits over a pay raise? That statistic surprised me, too. As you'll see in this installment of the Like a Boss infographic series, something much less surprising is that … [Read more...] about Like a Boss: Benefits and perks
How to make your top trial litigator stop being a bully at the office
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio The problem lands in your lap. One of your best trial litigators is an office bully. As office manager, you're expected to handle this. But how? The lawyer is truly effective, brings in a large share of revenue, and is a partner – well above your pay scale. Is there a way to get him to bully outside the office, with opposing … [Read more...] about How to make your top trial litigator stop being a bully at the office
Like a Boss: Girl power in management
By Michelle Spencer bio As I reviewed information and then conceived of this series, the statistics on female managers stood out to me. Knowing that increased diversity is important to most law firms and with more women choosing to attend law school, I thought these statistics were important to include as part of the Like a Boss series. Female bosses are slightly … [Read more...] about Like a Boss: Girl power in management
Understanding value systems to get in sync with your employees
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio You and your employees don't see eye to eye. You expect that work means work. But one of your employees, otherwise talented and hard-working, texts throughout the day, insisting it takes less than five minutes total time and "isn't she allowed a break?" Meanwhile your new IT manager, although doing a good job, keeps his eye on Craigslist. When … [Read more...] about Understanding value systems to get in sync with your employees
Are you prepared for the most costly claim your law firm could face? Do you even know what it is?
By Sharron Bauer bio What do you think is the most costly claim your law firm could face? A malpractice claim? Nope. A slip and fall? Wrong again. Give up? A data breach! I can hear you now: Are you kidding me? Yes, that's right. The most costly claim your firm faces is probably NOT going to be: a grievance filed or a claim against your Lawyers Professional Liability (or … [Read more...] about Are you prepared for the most costly claim your law firm could face? Do you even know what it is?
How the FLSA’s updated rules regarding overtime affects your firm
By Sandra Hoyle-Smith, SPHR bio President Obama and Secretary Perez recently announced the publication of the Department of Labor's final rule updating the overtime regulations, which will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation. What does this mean for you? Between now and December 1st, you will … [Read more...] about How the FLSA’s updated rules regarding overtime affects your firm
How to help a grieving employee
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio How do you, as a manager, best help an employee who loses a loved one? This is one hot potato that few law office managers feel equipped to handle. When tragedy befalls an employee, most of us don't know what to say. As a result, we often say nothing. This creates a complete disconnect between the individual for whom everything has … [Read more...] about How to help a grieving employee
Like a Boss: Increasing employee engagement
By Michelle Spencer bio So far, my infographics have illustrated (1) the cost of bad management and (2) the natural talents needed to be good leaders. Now let's look at the fundamentals necessary to increase employee engagement and a few benefits that firms will reap as a result of having engaged employees. As we've seen, the most important driver of employee … [Read more...] about Like a Boss: Increasing employee engagement