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• Law firms are both complex and fast-moving, requiring firm leaders to be strategic with the creation and implementation of systems
• Different Types of Law Firms

  • The Large Firm
  • The Medium-sized Firm
  • The Small Firm
• The Large Firm


  • Has as many as several hundred to several thousand attorneys, with offices all over the country and even the world
  • Pays the highest wage to all employees and offers a wider range of benefits and perks
  • Requires at least one year of legal experience before being hired
• The Medium-sized Firm


  • Has anywhere from 50 to several hundred attorneys
  • Offers a lower starting salary and less comprehensive health benefits than larger firms, but may have perks like flexible work schedules, longer paid vacations, and generous bonuses
  • Offers opportunities for advancement and the chance to learn multiple types of law specialties
• The Small Firm


  • May be as small as two attorneys or as large as 40 or 50
  • Often the starting place for newly graduated law students, inexperienced paralegals, and new legal secretaries
  • Offers invaluable on-the-job-training, the opportunity to learn vital legal research skills, flexible working hours, a personal and more relaxed working environment, and generous holiday bonuses
  • Has drawbacks like lower starting salary, high employee contribution health benefits, lack of 401(k) plan, heavy workload, and inability to gain experience in a large variety of specialties
• Law Firm Systems and Procedures


  Processes and procedures that ensure easy location of contacts, tasks, emails, documents, and more associated with clients, and help use time and resources efficiently
• Paperless Workflow


  Dedicated process for scanning and filing documents, organizing files, and naming documents to reflect client, document type, and date
• What, Where & How of Client Files


  • Return documents to clients, get rid of unnecessary documents, have separate file location for closed files, track destroyed documents, decide when and how to shred scanned documents, date boxes of paper or digital files, communicate the process in the law office management procedure manual
• Productivity and Lawyer Time Management


  Set goals, capture tasks, process tasks, make lists, plan daily tasks
• Copiers


  • Medium-sized to large law offices have several large, multitask copiers in addition to several standard copiers, some also have color copiers
  • Familiarize with all available features, reset to zero copies and standard usage when finished
• Postage Machines


  • Allow large amounts of mail to be stacked and run through at one time, most medium-sized or larger law offices have one
• Familiarize yourself with


  Where equipment is situated or where supplies can be found in the office you are hired to work for as soon as possible
• Copiers


  • Come in many sizes and have varied features
  • Medium-sized to large law offices have several large, multitask copiers in addition to several standard copiers
  • Some also have color copiers, which are very expensive to run, repair, and maintain
• Postage Machines


  • Allow large amounts of mail to be stacked and run through at one time
  • Most medium-sized offices have one and all large offices have at least one
  • The largest law offices have separate mailrooms and employees whose sole responsibility is to process mail throughout the day
• Stamp machines


  1. Must be preset to the amount of postage required for each envelope

  2. Standard procedure is to weigh all letters that appear to be over the current standard postage and separate them

  3. Standard postage letters may be stacked in the postage machine that is set to the proper amount, and the machine will process the stack by applying a stamp and depositing the letter at the other end

  4. Heavier items can be run through separately, after the machine is reset in batches
• Postage Scale


  • An electronic weighing device for letters and small packages
  • It has a flat, metal top and a programmable, digital front
  • The letter or parcel is simply placed on top and the correct postage will be shown on the digital face
• Fax Machines


  • All law offices will have at least two fax machines; larger offices, of course, have a large multitude of them stationed throughout the office area
• Will Envelopes


  • Made for long wear and prominent display of the attorney's name so that heirs, trustees, and/or executors can easily locate the name and number of the drafting attorney
  • Usually made of heavyweight bond paper
  • Used when the final draft is given to the client
• Will Covers


  • Heavyweight bond paper covers that go on the front and back of the paper will that is enclosed
  • Placed on the document before placing it in the envelope
  • May be engraved with the firm or attorney name or left plain
• Will Paper


  • Heavier weight than standard legal printing paper
  • Offers a better presentation for this document than using regular paper
  • Often, the first page or top page is engraved with "Last Will and Testament" at the top while continuation sheets have no printing at the top
• Will Ribbons


  • Satin ribbons with or without stick-on, or wax seals that ascetically close the will envelope
  • A finishing touch that some attorneys add to a client's will package
• Exhibit Labels


  • Self-sticking, square labels that come in various colors
  • Used for writing the exhibit number and applying to the exhibit
• Exhibit Stampers


  • Allow you to change the number or letter according to which number or letter exhibit you are stamping
  • Litigation stampers have multiple wheels and allow dashes, slashes, letters, and numbers
  • Require an ink refill after extended use
• Exhibit Indexes


  • Tab style separators that make going from one exhibit to the next easy and convenient
  • Come in alphabet or numeric styles
• Legal Pads


  • Long, ruled paper pads that are bound at the top rather than at the left side
  • Usually yellow but sometimes blue
  • Found on nearly every desk of every employee in any law office
• Law office team


  Made up of many different roles and positions that work together to accomplish one goal: serving clients' legal needs
• Partners


  • The owners of the firm
  • In very large firms, the equity partners are called senior partners, and they are smaller in number and retain a controlling interest in the firm
  • Non-equity or junior partners may be higher in number and receive a salary rather than sharing in the total profits the firm brings in
  • Medium-sized firms may have only one level of partnership, consisting of two or three equity partners and no associates, while very small firms will have only one owner and one or more associates
• Office manager


  • Charged with the hiring and firing of all other employees, with the exception of partners
  • Responsible for overseeing the everyday operations of office functionality and a multitude of other tasks that otherwise would take time away from the partners' regular duties
• Office managers


  • Usually answer only to partners
  • However, because part of their salary is paid by hours billed by associate, they will take an associate's input into consideration when making decisions
• IT or computer department manager


  • Largely takes care of ensuring that all in-house computer hardware, software, and peripherals are functioning properly
  • Oversees the ordering of new equipment, schedules repairs to existing equipment, and ensures that there is a well-functioning back-up system in place
  • Vital to the operation of a law office of any size, as without proper functioning of the office's network, serious problems would occur
• Associates


  • New or inexperienced attorneys and part-time practitioners of larger firms
  • Do not own part of the firm and thus are considered non-equity, but they have the potential of becoming a partner in the future
  • Deal with new or lower profile clients and charge lower fees than partners
  • Do not lack ability or education, but are not as seasoned as those who have been practicing law for an extended period of time, or they may have prior experience but are new to the firm
• Counsel, special counsel, and "of counsel" attorneys


  • Considered consultants to the firm they do business with
  • Will mostly be found providing specific legal guidance and input to larger firms on an as-needed basis
  • Their hours are billed directly to the firm they consult for, and they are not usually added to the payroll
• Law clerks


  • Work directly with partners and associates providing research and assisting with various legal document and case preparation
  • Work part time or during summer breaks, as they are usually law students who are attending classes full time
  • May also be recently graduated law students who have not yet taken or passed the bar exam
  • Law clerks may work for judges
  • Future associates often are hired from the pool of law clerks that work for a particular firm while earning their law degrees
• Paralegal/legal assistant


  • Has specialized training but is not an attorney
  • Works under the supervision of and directly with partners, associates, and clerks
  • Have many job duties, including drafting motions and subpoenas, document review, and filing papers with courts
  • Traditionally have dealt more with procedural law than with substantive law
• Legal secretary


  • Most attorneys would admit that without a competent legal secretary, they would not be able to do their jobs properly
  • Attorneys count on their secretaries to take care of important matters as well as small matters so that they may attend to consultations with clients, court appearances, and the planning of legal strategy, defense, or best course of action
  • May have more responsibility if he or she has been working with a particular lawyer for a long time, has a lot of experience, or has the knowledge required to take on certain tasks
  • While most legal secretaries primarily make appointments, prepare documentation, send important correspondence, file, keep track of ongoing correspondence and paperwork, and deal with clients on a daily basis, some also act as paralegals
  • Usually answer directly to the attorney or attorneys they work for and experience little or no interference from the office manager or partners, unless there is a particular problem or situation that needs to be addressed
• Receptionist


  • The first person anyone coming into the office meets
  • Greet clients and other visitors, take care of incoming and outgoing mail, deal with package pickup and receipts, answer the main office telephone, and transfer all incoming calls to the appropriate party
  • May also keep track of visitors' incoming and outgoing time and their reasons for visiting by keeping a log book
  • Handle general inquiries about the office and walk visitors into the main office area
  • Usually answer directly to the office manager
• Data entry clerks


  • Often are part-time and require the inputting of certain data into the main computer system as needed
  • Usually answer to the IT manager or the office manager
• Educational Requirements for Specific Jobs


  • Partner: Law degree and bar exam for practicing state
  • Office manager: Bachelor of arts degree, master of arts degree, or equivalent experience
  • IT manager: Bachelor's or master's in a related field, such as computer science or information technology, or related experience with technology certifications such as A+ and MCSE
  • Associates: Law degree and bar exam for practicing state
  • Special counsel: Law degree and bar exam for practicing state
  • Law Clerks: Recently earned or earning law degree
  • Paralegal/legal assistant: Special training in the paralegal field, usually an associate's degree from a certified college or a certification from a paralegal training program
  • Legal secretary: Legal assistant certification or bachelor's degree in related field of study
  • Receptionist: Senior High school diploma, General Educational Development (GED) or alternative learning high school equivalency certificate, or competency and ability to learn
• Legal secretary


  Plays a crucial role in the everyday workings of a law office, requires extensive knowledge of legal proceedings and documentation
• Lawyer


  • Can be young or old, male or female
  • Nearly one-third of all lawyers are under thirty-five years old
  • Almost half of the law students today are women