Virtual Member Meetups

Hybrid Working Lessons Learned
Originally aired October 15

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The facilitators for this Roundtable were:

• Sarah E. Cramer of Lathrop GPM LLP
• Megan A. Pluviose of Murphy & King, PC
• Sarah Spry, SHRM-CP, of BraunHagey & Borden LLP
• Jessica VanTroost of McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC

Assessing the Short- and Long-Term Workplace Model for Your Firm
Originally aired May 14

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This roundtable was facilitated by Sharon Meit Abrahams, EdD, President of Legal Talent Advisors LLC, and John Remsen Jr., Founder of the Remsen Group. Meit Abrahams is also an ALA Membership Ambassador and Chair of the South Florida Chapter Programs Committee.

Here are some topics that were explored:

• Do you have a date to return to the office?
• What short-term model will you be using?
• Will that model differ from a long-term model? If so, how?
• What is your remote workplace policy? Will it be different between attorneys and support staff?
• What is your personal feeling about returning to the office? About remote working?
• What are your managing partner’s thoughts about returning to the office? About remote working?
• How will you deal with individuals that don’t want to return to the office?
• Who is enforcing the new rules in the office like one-way hallways, one person in the restroom, etc.? How will the rules be enforced?

Outside Counsel Guidelines, Billing, E-Billing and Compliance
Originally aired April 9

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The Aderant team and your peers discussed outside counsel guidelines (OCG), billing, e-billing and compliance at our upcoming roundtable. This lively discussion will focus on strategies for accepting and managing OCG across the firm — including engagement with attorneys, firm managers and billing staff — with the ultimate goal of improving collections realization and reducing invoice rejections.

This roundtable is perfect for financial management leaders and their staff. Attendees shared their challenges and successes among the group.

Special Edition: A Staff University for Cross-Training
Originally aired March 24

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The roundtable was facilitated by Nakia A. Bradley-Lawson of the Oregon Chapter and Monique N. Mahler, CLM, Vice President of the Houston Chapter. It addressed how to develop an in-house skills “university” — on your own or with the help of an outside vendor — for law firm staff, especially to cross-train legal secretaries in different practice areas.

• View the PowerPoint.
• View the original discussion thread in the Online Community.

Do Your Attorneys Drive You Crazy?
Originally aired March 12

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The roundtable was facilitated by Sharon Meit Abrahams, EdD, ALA Membership Ambassador and South Florida Chapter Programs Committee Chair, and Adilen Montes, Immediate Past President of the South Florida Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• What have you identified as problematic behaviors of attorneys?
• How can you better communicate with these attorneys instead of punishing them?

Changes Your Firm May Be Experiencing Due to the Pandemic
Originally aired February 12

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The roundtable was facilitated by Chicago Chapter members Lisa Wallace and Laura T. Sears, CLM, who also serves on ALA’s Business Partner Relations Project Team. Here are some topics that were explored:

• Current ratios of legal support staff to attorneys
• Firm expectations leading to changes in staff roles

Special Edition: The SALI Standards and Their Impact on Successful Firms
Originally aired January 29

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ALA is a founding member of the SALI (Standards Advancement for the Legal Industry) Alliance, a nonprofit organization that seeks to develop open, practical industry standards for efficient and innovative legal services. It brings together law firms, legal operations experts, corporate legal departments, and business partners for an integrated approach.

This informative discussion demonstrated how SALI's standards can help legal management professionals:

• Overcome the challenges of pricing legal services in client proposals.
• Create, track and update client budgets.
• Analyze what areas your attorneys are actually practicing in, how long certain matters typically take and what resources they require.

This roundtable was presented by Damien Riehl, a technology lawyer with experience in software design, data privacy and cybersecurity. After working for state and federal judges and litigating for 15 years, Riehl currently designs systems to parse and extract valuable data from legal documents. He integrates AI-backed technologies to improve legal workflows and to power legal data analytics and provide substantive insights. View the slide deck here.

Marketing Differently: How to Grow Your Network While Remote
Originally aired January 8

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The roundtable was facilitated by South Florida Chapter members Pamela Tobin and Victoria L. Allen, CLM, who also serves on ALA’s Nominating Committee.

Responding to the Second Wave of COVID-19
Originally aired December 11

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The roundtable was facilitated by New Jersey Chapter members Veronica Hurless and Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP, who also serves on ALA’s Membership Development Committee.

Special Edition: Mentorship and Sponsorship Programs
Originally aired December 4

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The roundtable was facilitated by Barbara J. Paige, CLM, a member of the Puget Sound Chapter, and Pamela Tobin, a member of the South Florida Chapter.

Wrapping Up 2020 and Looking Forward to 2021
Originally aired November 13

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The roundtable was facilitated by South Florida Chapter President Nilka Gomez and ALA Membership Ambassador Sharon Meit Abrahams, EdD, from the same chapter.

Are You Ready for the New Hybrid Workplace?
Originally aired October 9

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The roundtable was facilitated by Kevin S. Lee, JD, MDiv, a member of the Chapter Resource Team and the Silicon Valley Chapter. He invited several other members with different perspectives and from different parts of the country to serve as cofacilitators: Sarah E. Cramer of the Greater Kansas City Chapter, Chernice Dieudonne of the Atlanta Chapter, Donna Moser of the Oregon Chapter, Mary L. Randolph of the Capital Chapter and Louise M. Spinelli of the Western and Central New York Chapter.

Reviewing the Performance Evaluation Process in the New Normal
Originally aired September 11

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The roundtable was facilitated by Shelley A. Strong of the Silicon Valley Chapter, a member of the Product and Service Review Committee and the Awards Program Project Team, and Lisa A. Waligorski, CLM, of the Orange County Chapter, who also teaches ALA’s financial web-based courses.

Staying Connected to Your Colleagues and Attorneys While Working Remotely
Originally aired August 21

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The roundtable was facilitated by Angela Tyson, a member of the Capital Chapter, and Erica Fine, an independent member. Here are some topics that were explored:

• What are firms doing to keep people connected?
• What are firms doing now that may be different from the initial burst/wave of activities and meetings in the spring and early summer?
• What does the new normal look like both at your firm and in your personal life?

Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Hybrid Workforce
Originally aired August 7

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The roundtable was facilitated by Karie D. Rivkin, CLM, a member of ALA’s Board of Directors, and Holly K. Pulido, a member of the Chapter Resource Team.

Managing Your Office in a Virtual World
Originally aired July 24

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The roundtable was facilitated by Barbara L. Fisher and Rachel Anne Robert, independent members from Ontario, Canada. Here are some topics that were explored:

• Addressing loneliness and burnout among staff
• Encouraging improved communication to resolve conflict

July 10 Roundtable
This roundtable was hosted by ALA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee. Find out more here.

June 26 Roundtable
This roundtable was hosted by ALA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee. Find out more here.

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal — Possible Handbook and Policy Changes in the Wake of the Pandemic
Originally aired June 19

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The roundtable was facilitated by the New Jersey Chapter's Katherine E. Dart and Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP, a member of the Membership Development Committee. Has your firm or is your firm considering modifying and/or developing:

• A work-from-home policy?
• A visitors' policy?
• A travel policy?

June 12 Roundtable
This roundtable was hosted by ALA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee. Find out more here.

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal — Preparing Your Office for Staff to Return
Originally aired June 5

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The roundtable was facilitated by Teresa J. Walker, Chair of the Professional Development and Advisory Committee (PDAC) and a member of the Middle Tennessee Chapter, and Terri J. Oppelt, CLM, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Vice Chair of PDAC and a member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• How are firms responding to the new CDC guidance?
• What physical changes are firms considering to workstations and reception areas?

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal — Remote Working: Is It Here to Stay?
Originally aired May 29

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The roundtable was facilitated by Stacey J. Ransleben, CLM, a member of the Chapter Resource Team and the Houston Chapter, and Jessica L. VanTroost, a member of the Membership Development Committee and the Jacksonville Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• Alternative work-from-home options going forward
• Office space/rental structure
• Client response to law firms working from home

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal with a Focus on Keeping Employees Engaged and Maintaining Firm Culture in a Virtual Workplace
Originally aired May 22

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The roundtable was facilitated by Denise Gaskin, PhD, MS, a member of the Professional Development Advisory Committee (PDAC), and Gail Reysa of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• Using technology to build engagement
• Maintaining firm culture with partially or fully remote staff

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal with a Focus on PTO Policies and Potential Changes
Originally aired May 15

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The roundtable was facilitated by Elyssa A. Goldstein, CLM, PHR, SHRM-CP, and Audrey M. Serban of the New Jersey Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• How to handle an influx of paid time off (PTO) requests after returning to work
• Whether you should consider reducing PTO for the year
• Whether you should offer more flexible schedules for child and/or elder care reasons in lieu of PTO

COVID-19: Adapting to the New Normal with a Focus on Implementing a Communication Strategy from the Change Management Process
Originally aired May 8

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The roundtable was facilitated by Dawn H. Anderson, JD, PHR, SPHR, of the Atlanta Chapter and Teresa J. Tipton of the Austin Chapter. Here are some topics that were explored:

• Communicating the reason for change
• Communicating the danger in not changing
• Determining the right spokesperson for each audience
• Ensuring consistent messaging

Resources mentioned in this Roundtable: "The ADKAR Model: Why It Works" and "Communication Checklist for Achieving Change Management," Prosci; "Leading Through Change," Legal Management