Law Office Manager

Hiring

Anybody over age 40?

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) is waiting and watching for a violation. Age discrimination can creep in quietly and unexpectedly. It can come even from some well-intentioned remark such as, "You're overqualified for this job"—the term "overqualified" being taken as a euphemism for old. Here Alix Rubin, an employment law attorney in West Caldwell, NJ, … [Read more...] about Anybody over age 40?

Model Tool: Job description template

Why you need this model tool: Job descriptions are critical management documents. A law office manager should make sure there is a formal, written job description for every position. How this model tool helps you: This template provides the major categories that you should include in your job descriptions along with an explanation of what to include in each category. How to … [Read more...] about Model Tool: Job description template

3 steps to hiring staff who can—and will—do the job

Spend too little time hiring = spending a lot of time fixing mistakes. Managers tend to go about hiring quickly and haphazardly. They think hiring is a gamble and they might as well rely on the best guess. It doesn't have to be that way. There can be a reasonable amount of certainty in hiring decisions as long as the manager does three things. The first is to … [Read more...] about 3 steps to hiring staff who can—and will—do the job

What every employee handbook absolutely, positively, must cover

No matter how small your firm may be, it needs an office manual. A manual is the authoritative source that explains what's expected of everybody. It's the firm's philosophy, and it's the rules and guidelines people have to follow. It is protection against employment law claims. And legalities aside, it prevents misunderstandings and hard feelings. Don't assume people … [Read more...] about What every employee handbook absolutely, positively, must cover

Even law offices should think twice before going to court

By Steve M. Cohen  bio One of the most difficult challenges I face can be helping office managers and owners or partners resist an urge to "fight it out" in court. There are times when it is necessary to take legal action or aggressively defend action against your organization. But in most cases, it should be your last resort. You may not win the fight … [Read more...] about Even law offices should think twice before going to court

Colorado practice cuts costs by hiring IT staffer

Manager Arlene Zimmerman had an IT cost awakening when the computer went down. She called in the vendor's tech support and paid $100 to find out the computer was simply unplugged. "I told myself 'never again!'" says Zimmerman, who manages a professional office in Colorado. So she started on a path of building up as much IT support as possible in-house—and getting the training … [Read more...] about Colorado practice cuts costs by hiring IT staffer

Is your coworker like one of the family or is one of the family?

By Steve M. Cohen  bio Let me preface this blog on nepotism by stating there is clearly a place for family businesses and organizations where related people work together for the good of the family cause and the good of the organization. That said, there are also organizations where familial relationships exist that are not always for the good of the cause. Often, … [Read more...] about Is your coworker like one of the family or is one of the family?