Essential Competencies for Legal Administrators (ECLA) is a three day conference hosted by ALA that focuses on the core competencies necessary to become a more effective legal administrator.  ECLA was my self-prescribed Rx:  a View from 20,000 Feet.  Three days of immersion, information, peer interaction and a fictional case study to tie it all together.  After all, what do 31 legal administrators have in common:  attorneys and problems, but the details run the gamut from 'been there, done that' to 'Praise be … I haven’t had to face that yet.’  The case study brings everyone together on a common playing field to apply (in theory) our newly acquired skills. 

When I first read the case study (several weeks in advance of the course), I panicked.  I lacked the perspective, the skills and the confidence to attack the myriad of problems at the fictitious Knight & Day.  My initial solution for the newly-hired Administrator:  see if her previous job was still available!  I set the assignment aside for several days until a real-time problem at my real-time firm woke me in the middle of the night.  Feeling overwhelmed by what I perceived as an unbreachable roadblock at work, I attacked the problems at Knight & Day with a fierceness and vision that surprised me.  Right or wrong, I wasn't going to abandon this Administrator to the certain failure of indecision. 

Arriving in Denver, I turned to the schedule:  7:30 – 5:00 each day with an hour for lunch and one bathroom break each in the morning and afternoon.  The breakdown on the 3-day course:

Principles of Law Office Management:  role responsibilities, firm culture, strategic planning, partner compensation, business development, risk management, and alternative billing

Financial Systems:  law firm financial statements, accounting controls, trust accounts, client costs, profit center reporting, budgeting, and ownership compensation models

Operations:  utilization of space, staffing needs, technology plan, project management, using/evaluating outside vendors, space and equipment leases

Administrator as Leader:  Leadership styles and techniques, personality types as it relates to working relationships, and goal setting

Day 1.  A quick introduction identified us as a diverse group geographically spanning Anchorage, AK to Guadalajara, MX; from 4 attorneys to 370; with concentrations in HR, Accounting, Practice Management and the all-purpose Office Administrators.  We jumped right into the principles of law firm management and the changing role of Legal Administrator to Chief Operating Officer.  After a short lunch, we bravely waded into financial management, GAAP, the balance sheet and Profit & Loss statement. 

Based on my informal survey at the afternoon break, the temperature read “shock and overwhelm”:  Yvonne R. (on HR update): “If only I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then” and Cathy A. was not alone in “looking forward to a liquid dinner.”

  I asked myself, ‘What was my role in Strategic Planning?’ and how could I set aside the time to apply what I was learning?

Day 2 started with espresso, a headache and HR.  At lunch I went back to the hotel to take a nap.  The afternoon launched into Operations:  knowledge management, technology and project management including effective leadership, identifying team members and getting project buy-in at all levels. 

There is only so much information that can be absorbed in such a short time.  Fortunately, we were each provided with a color coded 5” binder filled with PowerPoint slides, background materials and a bibliography for each learning module. 

Day 3 finished out Operations and closed with Leadership.  Each of us had completed a Meyer’s Briggs personality assessment and we discussed the impact of our tendencies on learning, mentoring and communicating expectations.  The group dwindled as early flight times took their toll on attendance.  Reluctant to miss anything, participants brought their luggage into the meeting room, staying right up to departure.

For the most part, we operate alone in our respective firms.  To borrow an analogy from the presentation, we are the funnel in the hour glass.  It is my experience with ALA events (and this was certainly no exception) that the connections made are as valuable as the instruction.  From Denver, CO to Pasadena CA; from Cleveland, OH to Big Sky Wyoming, we have a common experience and an email resource to share our triumphs and frustrations.

Thanks again ALA! 

Report Card:

Material:            dense, rich, and well-presented

Instructors:        experienced, well-qualified and engaging

Organization:     4 stars

Rose Sullivan, Office Administrator, Pirkey Barber, LLP