Certified Legal Manager (CLM)

SM*

Certification Program

*CLM is a service mark of the Association of Legal Administrators.

Benefits of Certification

Regardless of the stage in your career, certification adds a valuable dimension to your professional development.

ALA's

Certified Legal Manager (CLM) SM program

provides the opportunity to demonstrate you have mastered the

skills,

and

abilities knowledge,

to operate at a high level of expertise in the field of legal management.

Benefits of Certification

REAL WORLD RELEVANCE

Increases on the job knowledge and preparedness in all areas of management.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Factors into employer decisions about compensation, and advancement. Plus CLMs can get significant professional liability insurance discounts for their firm through Hanover Insurance Group and Swiss Re.

PERSONAL SATISFACTION/VALIDATION

Enhances confidence, peer respect/recognition

What is certification?

Certification is defined as a credentialing process by which a profession grants recognition to an individual who meets predetermined qualifications specified by that profession.

What is the CLM Program?

The voluntary CLM certification program allows a qualified legal administrator to demonstrate, through an examination process, a mastery of core areas of knowledge identified as essential to the effective performance of a principal administrator.

Why certification?

ALA’s voluntary CLM program was developed in order to provide legal administrators an opportunity to demonstrate a command of the core areas of knowledge identified as essential to the effective performance of a principal administrator.

Why certification?

CLMs are recognized as administrators who have: – met the work experience requirement – displayed a commitment to continuing education – passed a comprehensive examination

What does competency mean?

ALA has conducted several Competency-Based Education, Job and Needs Analyses. Through these extensive research projects, ALA investigated the job of a legal administrator and identified the body of knowledge needed to perform the job successfully.

ALA’s most current analysis was conducted in 2012. The resulting 65 competencies are available at w ww.alanet.org/about/analysis.aspx

Exam Content

• When the committee writes exam items, we use as a frame of reference what a principal administrator, upon visiting a 30-50 attorney firm and reading the firm’s particular practices and procedures, would need to know to be able to

offer advice

in the many knowledge areas relevant to legal administration.

What must I do to become certified?

To become certified, you must: – meet the eligibility requirements – pay the related fees – pass the certification examination

What are the eligibility requirements?

Interested participants need to meet the criteria in four areas: – experience – employment – education – ethics

Experience

Principal administrators need to meet all educational requirements and have three years of experience as an exempt-level principal administrator or a branch office manager of a law firm or law office.

Experience

Functional specialists need to meet all educational requirements and have five years of experience, three of which must be in a supervisory position.

Examples: • Human Resources Manager • Marketing Manager • Accounting Manager • Records Manager • IT Director

Employment

You must, as of the date of application or within the immediately preceding 24 months, be employed full time by a: – private law firm – legal clinic – governmental agency – corporate legal department – court system

Education

All candidates must have completed at least two hours of course work in each of five required

management categories

within 24 months prior to application. 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Writing Skills Communication Skills Self-management Information Technology Organizational Development

Education

Course work may include: – college or university classes – workshops – seminars – conference programs offered by ALA, law related associations and other professional associations

Ethics

Participants will be required to affirm in writing that they endorse the Association of Legal Administrators Code of Professional Responsibility.

http://www.alanet.org/about/ethics.pdf

How do I maintain my CLM designation?

Certificants are required to apply for recertification every three years. You do this by providing evidence of having completed a total of 36 hours of continuing professional education in designated categories.

How much does it cost to become certified?

• Examination fee for ALA members is $505.

• Examination fee for nonmembers is $625.

• Annual Maintenance Fee is $45, due June 1st except in the year you recertify.

• Application fee for Recertification is $160.

• All applications and fees can now be submitted online.

What happens if I don’t pass the examination?

If you do not pass the examination, you will be allowed to retake it. You may retake the examination two times within a four-year period from the date of your initial exam.

Can individuals who do not take or do not pass the exam still be ALA members?

Absolutely. The certification examination is voluntary and is not required to be an ALA member.

When are the examination dates?

Dates and Locations: May 7, 2014

(

Application Deadline –

February 24, 2014)

November 10, 2014

(

Application Deadline –

September 8, 2014) Exam are conducted online at one of Pearson VUE’s many secure testing locations. Exam is no longer offered at conferences

What if I am interested in taking the examination?

Download the Information and Application Packet from ALA’s Web site at

www.alanet.org/clm

or contact ALA Headquarters. The packet includes: – general program information – eligibility requirements – exam contents – a suggested reading list – sample test questions – an application and deadline dates – test dates, locations and fees

What to expect when taking the Exam

• • • •

PearsonVUE Test Center Online computer exam vs paper based You cannot take anything into the exam center A list of certification exam testing centers may be found at http://www.alanet.org/clm/locations.pdf

Studying for the Exam Where to begin?

• What’s my background and education?

• What area of the exam am I most comfortable and where am I weak?

• Focus on one’s own weak areas of knowledge.

• Seek outside resources (seminars, speakers, peers and ALA resources)

CLM

SM

Examination Blueprint

1. Financial Management A. General Accounting B. Financial Information and Analysis Proportion of Exam (100-questions) 31%

14% 17%

33% 2. Human Resource Management A. Employee Selection and Promotion B. Performance Management and Compensation C. Organizational Development

9% 19% 5%

3. Legal Industry/Business Management A. Legal Industry B. Business Management

8% 11%

19% 4. Operations Management A.

Technology B.

Operations

5% 12%

17%

CLM Book Bundles

• To help you enhance your preparation for the Certified Legal Manager exam, ALA created two book bundles containing CLM recommended resources for test applicants.

Book Bundle A:

Law Firm Accounting and Financial Management, Fifth Edition

and

Human Resource Management, 13th Edition

.

Book Bundle B: Four additional CLM recommended texts on selected topics within the Legal Industry/Business Management and Financial Management.

To order, visit Book Bundles at

www.alanet.org/bookstore

.

Study Guide

• Why isn’t there an ALA Study Guide like SHRM?

• SHRM utilizes an outside organization for the study guides and coursework. • ALA is currently working with the University of Denver to develop online courses and educational materials for legal managers (coursework). This will be a broad coursework and educational option and not a “study guide”.

How to form study groups?

• To help you prepare and study for the exam, some chapters have begun forming study groups. To find a study group near you, see http://www.alanet.org/clm/StudyGroup.pdf

“CLM

SM

in a Flash”

•

“CLM

SM

in a Flash”

is a deck of more than 500 flash cards specifically designed to help you prepare for the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)

SM

exam. Developed to provide answers to various terms associated with the legal management profession, the flash cards cover the areas of: Office Operations Management, Legal Industry, Human Resource Management, and Financial Management. Each flash card includes a “term,” definition, and corresponding resource. Only $60.00 when you order with one of the

CLM Book Bundles

. To order, visit Book Bundles at

www.alanet.org/bookstore

.

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources

Financial Management

• Quinn, J.P., Bailey, J.A., Gaulin, David E. & Kolodziejczak,S., Law Firm Accounting and Financial Management. Law Journal Press, New York, New York (including current annual supplement), www.lawjournalpress.com

• Iezzi, John., Results-Oriented Financial Management: A Step-by-Step Guide to Law Firm Profitability 31

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources - cont'd

Human Resources

• Mathis, Robert L., & Jackson, John H., Human Resource Management. Thomson South-Western.

• Brown, Donald., An Experiential Approach to Organizational Development • Cheung-Judge, Mee-Yan, and Holbeche, Linda., Organization Development: A Practitioner's Guide for OD and HR • Current federal laws and government publications such as: • American With Disabilities Act (ADA) • Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) • Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 32

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources - cont'd

Human Resources - cont' d

• Fair Labor Standards ACT (FLSA) • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) • Health insurance Portability and Accountability Act • (HIPAA) • The Health Information Technology for Economic andClinical Health Act (HITECH) • Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Form I-9 (latest version), OMB No. 1115-0136 33

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources - cont'd

Legal Industry/Business Management

• Annotated Model Rules of Professional Conduct. American Bar Association. • Davis, A.E. Risk Management: Survival Tools for Law Firms, second edition. American Bar Association.

• Andersen, Paul, Think Ahead: How to Prepare a Law Firm Strategic Plan. Association of Legal Administrators, Lincolnshire, Illinois. • Cunningham, George C., and Montana, John, The Lawyer’s Guide to Records Management and Retention • Law Practice Management Section, American Bar Association.

34

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources - cont'd

Operations Management

• International Legal Technology Association (ILTA) • Law Technology News • Standard Method of Measuring Floor Area in Office Buildings. Building Owners and Managers Association.

• General Conditions of the Contract for Construction, American Institute of Architects.

• Web-based resources related to computer technology 35

Exam Preparation - Some Potential Resources - cont'd

General Resources

• irs.gov

• Consultants at Altman Weil, How to Manage Your Law Office. LexisNexis Matthew Bender.

• Fundamentals of Project Management. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn • Managing the Professional Services Firm. David H. Maister • True Professionalism. David H. Maister • ALA Management Encyclopedia • Compensation Management in a Knowledge-Based World. Prentice Hall 36

Start your journey to becoming a CLM

• Evaluate areas you need to study • Obtain resources and develop a study plan • Apply for the exam and establish milestones for preparation • Remember that the journey of learning will help you improve your skills and confidence.

Even if you are not a principal administrator, it will help you manage your firm or department.

Questions?

Contact ALA Headquarters at 847.267.1252

Susan Powers, Associate Manager Certification or visit w

ww.alanet.org/clm