The Community Service Committee is looking forward to seeing everyone at the General Membership meeting on Wednesday, September 12th.
We would like to show our support to several organizations in Pittsburgh, such as Light Of Life Ministries and Bethlehem Haven, by collecting a much needed item and that is socks!!
Please bring new men’s, woman’s and children’s socks to the meeting in September.
Thank you in advance for your consideration and always for your support!
The PLAA Education Committee is actively looking for new members to join our committee. Our goal is to offer education programs during the program year that help keep our members informed on legal industry trends and developments both on a local and national basis. It is not a huge time commitment (We meet no more than 6 – 8 times per year typically during the lunch hour) and the work is very rewarding because education is such an important benefit of PLAA membership. Joining our committee also gives you the opportunity to be involved, to meet and share ideas with new people and to give something back to a great organization.
If you are interested, please contact me via email.
Penny Lotz – Education Chair
plotz@grblaw.com
As a long-time member of PSMA – Professional Services Marketing Association – I have been aware of and have come to know many members of PLAA. I never really thought to join PLAA myself because as a full-time law firm marketer, I figured the programs the organization offered would not really apply to me. That was until Corinne McCartney invited me to the June 20 event with the new networking format. I am so glad I accepted the invitation. Everyone was so welcoming – and I realized that many of the upcoming programs would be relevant to me and my work. I definitely plan to attend more PLAA events and hope to become a member as well.
PSMA’s tag line is “Making Connections” because out of all the organization’s benefits, connecting with other members seems to be the best benefit of all. I feel that same level of camaraderie among the members of PLAA and am excited to be a part of this great set of connections.
Thank you for having me and I look forward to seeing you again!
Anna Marks
Director of Marketing and Communications
Houston Harbaugh, P.C.
If you missed the June education session, no worries. We are talking about it again. Speaker, Cátia Kossovsky, Owner of Kossovsky Law PLLC – google her….she knows her stuff!
Webinar: It’s No Fun If You Can’t Negotiate
Tuesday, August 14, 2 p.m. Central
Legal management professionals spend the bulk of their day communicating with partners, employees and business partners. Time is spent listening to sales pitches from business partners, then pitching ideas to law firm partners and, finally, convincing employees that the new idea is best. Negotiating makes many people uncomfortable. Even if they are comfortable with the negotiation, they sometimes don’t know how to communicate the information to their partners in a way that makes them want to change what they have been doing. This session will give attendees several tips for becoming more comfortable with the negotiating process and viewing it as an opportunity.
Objectives:
• Develop your negotiating strengths.
• Dramatize and role-play scenarios where you are speaking with business partners, law firm partners and employees.
• Outline how to prepare for all conversations by doing homework.
• Develop better listening skills.
• Examine how to build trusting relationships and, most importantly, how to enjoy the process.
Speaker: Lisa Waligorski, CLM, Executive Director at Newmeyer & Dillion, LLP
Webinar: Slicing, Dicing and Pricing: The Evolution of Law Firm Business Analytics
Wednesday, August 15, 2 p.m. Central
Big data is not just for corporations anymore. As law firms face increased competition and greater pressure to improve realization on work product, business analytics can be a critical tool. Key insights, predictive capabilities and, ultimately, better profitability are the goal.
Objectives:
• Describe examples of how analytics can be applied in the legal profession.
• Demonstrate the power of a firm’s own historical data.
• Explore the capabilities of a true expense-side Profitability Analytics Model.
Speaker: Seelin Naidoo, Chief Executive Officer of CMS Intelliteach
Webinar: Creating a Culturally Competent Law Firm
Monday, August 20, 2 p.m. Central
Cultural competence is an awareness of the cultural differences that make each person unique; it is the ability to interact with and appreciate belief systems that differ from our own, thereby creating a way for everyone to work cross-culturally.
The goal of this presentation is to enhance knowledge and skills for building and maintaining a multicultural organization and becoming positive change agents for our workplaces. This program asks participants to understand and reflect on their role as a leader responsible for promoting inclusion and building effective working relationships within our organizations.
Objectives:
• Define diversity and culture and its impact on relationships within our organizations.
• Identify our unconscious biases and how they affect our culture and hiring decisions.
• Demonstrate the importance of collaborative working relationships with diverse others and the benefits of diverse perspectives in problem-solving.
• Recognize the importance of infusing diversity into our organizations to achieve a more productive, respectful and cooperative work environment.
• Develop a plan of action for becoming a change agent for diversity in our companies and community.
Speakers: ALA Committee on Diversity and Inclusion’s Rita F. Garrett, Office Administrator of Kutak Rock LLP, and Michael G. Stephens, PHR, Director of Human Resources & Diversity for Alston & Bird LLP
Webinar: Time to Go Back to School: Important Updates for Your Firm’s Handbook
Wednesday, August 22, 2 p.m. Central
The times, they are a-changing — and fast! Have you recently reviewed and revised your firm’s employee handbook to ensure that al the appropriate and up-to-date policies are in place? Come to this fast-paced and law-firm-business-focused session and understand what must be, should be and should not be included in your firm’s handbook.
Objectives:
• Understand the changes in the law that require updates in your firm’s policies and procedures.
• Familiarize yourself with the risks associated with these changes and how to minimize those risks.
• Appreciate how to engage employees regarding the new changes in a manner that is neither off-putting nor heavy-handed.
Speaker: Michael S. Cohen, JD, Partner at Duane Morris LLP
The 2018 conference is a little over a month away, there’s still time to register. Please use this link to register. I have updated the site with more detailed course descriptions and CLM credit information. Our block of rooms will be released on August 15 so please make sure you book your room before then.
Looking For Group, LLC will be joining us on Friday evening with 2 virtual reality gaming centers. So get ready to Change Your View on video games! If you don’t know much about VR Gaming, check out the you tube video below.
Hope to see you all at the conference!
Join us for an opportunity to continue to build YOUR network among your peers and learn what is happening in the PLAA. Upcoming 2018 Pittsburgh Legal Administrators Association General Membership Meetings:
Where: The Rivers Club, 301 Grant St Suite 411, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Regional Legal Management Conferences
Specialty Conferences
Register today at alanet.org/events and join your chapter for these high-caliber educational events.
ALA has just released a brand-new study guide for individuals wanting to become a CLM. In pdf format, the guide includes chapters covering financial management, human resources management, legal industry/business management and operations management. Each chapter has additional resources and practice quizzes. Special group pricing is available! Get it from the Legal Management e-Store: alanet.org/bookstore
Click here to view details about this on the ALA’s Facebook page.
Don’t forget to apply to take the test. The deadline for the May 14 exam is March 14! alanet.org/clm
• Increased knowledge of all areas of legal administration
• Increased value to your organization
• ALA conducts periodic practice analysis studies which identify the tasks and related knowledge, skills and abilities needed for performance in the legal management field. The latest study was done in 2012.
• Link to 65 competencies:
By order of importance:
http://www.alanet.org/docs/default-source/certification/ksabyimportance.pdf?sfvrsn=2
By subject area:
http://www.alanet.org/docs/default-source/certification/ksabysubject.pdf
• ALA has a comprehensive list of study resources:
https://www.alanet.org/education/online-learning/legal-management-e-store/-in-estore/estore/products/clm-study-resources
• A new CLM study guide is in development. Subject matter experts are developing specific modules, and ALA has engaged an adult learning and certification expert to assist in completing the study guide.
• ALA eLearning courses and webinars
• Cyber Chapter has a very robust CLM study group. Access to their CLM and education materials is included in the Cyber Chapter membership. Annual membership costs $90.
• Chapter study group – ALA has created a power point presentation on how to develop a chapter study group.
• CLM Online Community group.
• CLM Certification Committee can do presentations (in person or via Webex) to chapters.
Encourage & support chapter members who are interested in the CLM. Chapters can offer scholarships to eLearning courses to study for the exam.