Transcript LAW PRACTICE MANAGEMENT: Hot Topics and Current Practices

Materials Prepared by
Kelly Bulsak
Presented by Carol L. Schlein
Newark NJ February 22, 2013
Carol L. Schlein, Esq.
 President, Law Office Systems, Inc.
 [email protected] www.losinc.com
 Montclair NJ
 Founding Member Lawtopia LLC
 www.lawtopia.net
 National partnership of legal technology consultants
 Former chair Computer Division,
ABA Law Practice Management Section
 Former columnist, New Jersey Law Journal
What to Shred
 You can handle shredding documents in-house with
your staff/ mailroom or outsource it to a shredding
partner.
 Until documents are shredded, they are your
responsibility. You can be fined for a breach of security.
 Shredding companies can provide secure containers
for your office.
 HIPAA requires businesses to properly destroy
personal information.
Managing Physical Files
 Develop policy for scanning and shredding
 Use software tools
 Document Management Programs
 Practice (Case) Management Programs
What to Shred
 Bank statements
 Tax records
 Legal documents
 Documents with social security or credit card numbers
 Medical records
 Personnel records
 Draft versions of correspondence with case
information or court filings
 Information with client info (confidentiality)
Shredding Tips
 When to Shred
 When case ends
 When firm closes files
 Before moving
 Do it yourself or use a service?
 Tradeoffs
 Expectations about service
 Volume of data to be shredded
 Costs
Purchasing a Shredder
 Expect to pay from $400 for a small office shredder
 Expect to pay up to $1000 for a medium office shredder
 Do you need to shred disks and credit cards?
 Determine the number of shredders you will need for
your size office
 Consider the proper location for a noisy shredder and
scraps of paper on the floor
 Shredders require maintenance when used frequently
Case File Maintenance
 Decide how you want to organize your documents in a
case folder (or document management system)
 The order of importance:


Important papers or
chronologically?
 Consider using smaller subfolders within a larger folder
 Color-coding allows for a quick glance to locate info
 Remove duplicate copies in the file
Benefits of Case or
Practice Management Software
 Can be used to digitize important file information
 Can be used to track open and closed file info
 Can be used for or linked to document management
 Automates firm’s workflow to improve efficiency
 Core Functions
 Central Contact List
 Central Case/ Matter Database
 Case Notes
 Calendar and Tickler
 Document Generation/ Management
Practice Management Programs
 Time Matters (LexisNexis)
 PracticeMaster (STILegal)
 Amicus Attorney (Gavel and Gown)
 Abacus Law (Abacus)
 Clio (Themis)
 RocketMatter
 Many new products in the pipeline
Electronic Filing
 Electronic filing is mandatory for many courts
 Can submit after business hours
 Electronic filing eliminates:
 Running to the courthouse to file
 Verifying that the supporting documents were received
by the court
 Making multiple copies of the filing to be submitted to
the court.
Electronic Filing Tips
 Check your system requirements
 Do you have a recent version installed on your computer?
 Can you print a confirmation receipt?
 Read all instructions before beginning the process
 Make sure you have a credit card ready if there is a fee
 Make sure you have your login and password info ready
 Don’t wait until the last minute! Any slight issue can cause
you to miss a deadline
 Have supporting documents ready to upload in the proper
order
Electronic Filing Dos and Don’ts
 Make sure documents are in the right format and
under the size limit
 A larger PDF may need to be extracted into smaller files
 All staff and attorneys should be able to manipulate PDFs
 Some e-filing systems have a time limit once you begin the
process so be sure to finish so you won’t have to start over.
 E-Filing Mistakes are no excuse. Courts do not accept
excuses based on unfamiliarity with filing procedures
 When e-filing systems are in place, an attorney may be
granted the benefit of the doubt but don’t count on that!
Confirming Successful Court E-Filing
 If successful, you will receive two emails:
 Confirmation your e-filing was received
 Acceptance that your filing and payment were processed
 No emails, assume your filing was not successful
 When attorney registers, they can provide additional
email addresses for submissions from the firm
Court Forms
 Some court systems have email distribution lists and
will send updates such as court forms, trial lists or new
procedures.
 Most court systems will provide you with their court
forms on their website.
 Usually in PDF format
 Sometimes fillable format with remainder locked
Court Forms
 Set up a SharePoint site or shared file location within
your firm for frequently used forms
 Have procedure for maintaining and updating
 Can be set up as templates in practice management
system with case data merged into court form
 Some court systems have a help desk to assist you with
electronic submissions