Austin ALA

Monthly Luncheon Meeting

bmullen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 21:28:11 +0000

February 23, 2012
11:30 am	to	1:00 pm

Lunch & Learn Series
February 23, 2012
11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Headliners Club, 20^th Floor, Chase Tower
221 West Sixth Street, Austin, Texas

Ready, Aim, Speak! By Toni Beasley

Successfully delivering an idea, procedure or policy requires confidence and skill; however, before you utter that first word, you must take some important steps to be prepared. Toni Beasley will give us her best approaches for delivering an effective presentation, targeting different audiences and handling difficult issues that must be communicated to staff or management.

Credit in Communication Skills for applicants and for those needing recertification hours

FEBRUARY SPONSOR IS

RICOH, JEFFREY SHORT

RSVP to Diana Stangl at dstangl@wabsa.com no later than noon on Tuesday, February 21, 2012. The cost is $20. Bring your check payable to Austin ALA to the luncheon or mail to:

Diana Stangl
Walsh Anderson Gallegos Green & Treviño, P.C.
P.O. Box 2156
Austin, Texas 78768

$5 parking is available in the building’s garage. See registration table to obtain the validation stamp that must be provided to the cashier.

Chase Tower Parking Garage: The entrances are located on Colorado between 5^th and 6^th Streets and on 5^th Street between Lavaca and Colorado.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellation must be received before noon on Tuesday, February 21st to avoid the $20 cancellation fee.

Webinar – Employee Handbooks for Law Firms – Careful, Careful!

csims — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:57:17 +0000

[ February 22, 2012; 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. ] Employee Handbooks For Law Firms - Careful, Careful! (HR) We don’t need no stinking handbook! Yes . . . . we do. In today’s litigious environment, employee handbooks are essential for all employers. They are the most important tool for ensuring that policies are enforced properly and personnel matters are handled consistently, thus protecting your firm from future liability. Join this session to discuss the important dos and don'ts in drafting a handbook for your law firm without creating employee contracts. Learning Objectives: •Explain why having an employee handout is essential for your law firm •List essential handbook policies for all employees •Identify and create specific policies that are unique to a law practice Michael S. Cohen, J.D., is a Partner at Duane Morris LLP in Philadelphia in the firm’s Employment Services Practice Group. A highly-rated ALA speaker, he has trained and counseled employees throughout the country on employment subjects, including harassment prevention, diversity, discipline, hiring, firing, recruiting, performance evaluations and compliance. CLMSM Credit for live program only: 2 hours of credit in the category of Writing Skills (CM) for those seeking to fulfill the CLM application and 2 hours in the subject area of Communication & Organization Management (CM) for CLM Recertification. This Webinar has been approved for recertification credit toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). Continue reading →

Spring Educational Seminar

bmullen — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:40:55 +0000

March 29, 2012

The Education & Program Committee proudly announces

Connie Cornell,
Cornell Smith & Mierl

as the speaker for our Spring Educational Seminar.

CLM Credit for applicant and recertification has been approved.

More details to follow, but save the date because THIS you won’t want to miss!

Annual Managing Partner Breakfast

bmullen — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:50:23 +0000

February 9, 2012
7:30 am	to	9:00 am

Featuring John J. Michalik, J.D.
Former Executive Director of the Association of Legal Administrators
and Author of The Extraordinary Managing Partner

Location: The InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, Capital Ballroom
701 Congress Avenue
RSVP to ceastin@wabsa.com or 512-454-6864
Valet Parking Provided

Monthly Luncheon Meeting

bmullen — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:10:20 +0000

January 26, 2012
11:30 am	to	1:00 pm

Lunch & Learn Series
January 26, 2012
11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Headliners Club, 20^th Floor, Chase Tower
221 West Sixth Street, Austin, Texas

Todd Kading, Registered Fiduciary & Managing Director of LeafHouse Financial Advisors, LLC, will explain the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new rules for retirement plans that go into effect April 1st. These rules contain a new mandate for thorough disclosure of fees charged by service providers on covered plans. Most importantly, Mr. Kading will detail their impact on your fiduciary duties as a plan sponsor and ways to avoid conflicts of interest. He will also discuss cost-saving measures and tips for alleviating future compliance headaches. You will likely find that after complying with these new rules that your plan is better and more cost effective than before! Please join us for what promises to be an enlightening yet entertaining program. Be proactive, attend the session, and become your law firm’s in-house expert!

Credit in Financial Management for those needing recertification hours or for functional specialists who need additional education credit in order to apply for the exam.

Approved by the Texas State Bar for 1.5 hours of MCLE credit and so please extend this invitation to your Managing Partner/Shareholder.

JANUARY SPONSORS

ROCKFORD BUSINESS INTERIORS – RITA MARQUESS

SPEAKWRITE – JONATHAN JACKSON

RSVP to Diana Stangl at dstangl@wabsa.com no later than noon on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. The cost is $20. Bring your check to the luncheon or mail to:

Diana Stangl
Walsh Anderson Gallegos Green & Treviño, P.C.
P.O. Box 2156
Austin, Texas 78768

$5 parking is available in the building’s garage. See registration table to obtain the validation stamp that must be provided to the cashier.

Chase Tower Parking Garage: The entrances are located on Colorado between 5^th and 6^th Streets and on 5^th Street between Lavaca and Colorado.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Cancellation must be received before noon on Tuesday, January 24^th to avoid the $20 cancellation fee.

2013 Annual Conference Planning Meeting

csims — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:45:17 +0000

January 13, 2012 12:00 pm

January 15, 2012 12:00 pm

Gaylord National Harbor
National Harbor, Maryland

Regional Leadership Institute

bmullen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:45:27 +0000

February 10, 2012

February 11, 2012

Location: Hilton Rosemont/Chicago O’Hare, Rosemont, Illinois

Two-day event near ALA headquarters that allows Regional Leadership Teams to learn the responsibilities of their upcoming volunteer positions.

Webinar – Selling Blue Elephants: Client Marketing, Retention and Loyalty

csims — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:54:22 +0000

January 18, 2012
1:00 pm	to	2:00 pm

Is it hard to get your attorneys to focus on business development – the dreaded “marketing”? Wouldn’t it be nice to develop your marketing strategy scientifically to give your attorneys some assurance that what they do is the right thing to do to strengthen current client relations and attract specific new clients? Join this Webinar to discover ways to analyze your potential client audience to predict what clients want. Discover how to identify the “mind-set” preference of each client and know exactly what to say and how to deliver your message.

On Wednesday, January 18, 2012, Dr. Howard R. Moskowitz and Dr. Ken Rotondo will conduct a 1-hour ALA Webinar, “Selling Blue Elephants: Client Marketing, Retention and Loyalty.” Bring together as many individuals as you wish in your office or chapter meeting space.

• Invite your colleagues

• Invite your staff

• Invite your ALA friends

• Price: $129 for ALA members, location to be announced

SPECIAL CLMSM NOTE: for live program only: 1 hour of credit in the area of Legal Industry (LI) for CLM Recertification and 1 hour towards the additional hours of education required of Functional Specialists seeking to fulfill the CLM application.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012: 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Central; 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Mountain; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Pacific

For more information and to register: Selling Blue Elephants: Client Marketing, Retention and Loyalty

What’s Happening Austin Chapter? Happy Holidays!

bmullen — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:28:56 +0000

What’s Happening Austin Chapter?

The Holidays are Happening! I can’t believe this will be my last What’s Happening Update for 2011. This year has flown by. It has been such a pleasure serving you in 2011. I hope you take time for yourself and reflect on your accomplishments this year because you have successfully conquered tremendous obstacles. Hooray for you! I wish you and yours a very blessed and happy holiday season.

Here’s What’s Happening in the Austin Chapter . . .

TONIGHT:

Please join us for our Business Partner Appreciation Event tonight from 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm (come-and-go) at 401 Congress Avenue Frost Tower Suite 1160. Sample wines, enjoy tasty treats and thank our Business Partners for their sponsorship of the Chapter this year. Without their support we would not be able to provide the level of value in membership that we have enjoyed this year and in years past. This is such and important event for the chapter and your attendance is needed. Also, the business partner package registration for 2012 is now open and we need your help to encourage and empower our Business Partners to sign up again. Please take 30 minutes and stop in before you go home for the evening to say “Thanks.” You’ll be so glad you did! Invite below.

New Website:

Congratulations to Barbara Mullen, the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 Board and Website Committees for the successful launch of the new and improved Austin Chapter Website! Please check out to site, the Calendar of Events, the new Business Partner Listings, the Chapter Blog, the Committee Pages, and much much more by visiting: http://www.austinala.org/ It’s the same web address with a new Austin Attitude!

Next Chapter Meeting:

Our next Chapter Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26th at the Headliners Club. Please be on the lookout for information from Karie Rivkin on our speaker and topic.

Region 4 News:

Attached please find the minutes from the Region 4 Meeting in Kansas City. A few important highlights on the Regional and ALA levels are as follows:

The ALA Board recently created a Membership Criteria Task Force to review the criteria for regular and associate membership in ALA looking at the new roles of administrators to determine if recommendations should be made to amend the membership criteria
The ALA Board is looking at options to build strategic alliances with other legal organizations such as Legal Management Association and International Legal Technology Association (ILTA)
Upcoming Conferences: 2012 Annual Conference is in Honolulu April 22-26 and the Region 4 Conference in 2012 will be held in Denver on October 4-6
Scholarships: the Austin Chapter was awarded a scholarship to attend the Annual Conference in Honolulu for a first-time attendee. The scholarship will cover full registration and $400 in travel reimbursement. If you are attending the Annual Conference as a first time attendee, please send me your name for the Chapter drawing no later than December 31st.
Professional Legal Management Week (PLMW) will be reworked as most chapters do not recognize this week. More information will come soon.
Chapter Performance Objectives: a roadmap for Chapters’ success containing objectives including Chapters providing good education, advancing the visibility and profile of ALA in our local communities, focusing on involvement and diversity in our membership, and leadership training

Managing Partner Breakfast:

Attached please find a spreadsheet that lists the Managing Partner Contacts for each firm represented in our Chapter Membership. Please take the time now to review your firm Managing Partner Contact Information and reply to me with any changes by Friday, December 9th. We will be sending out Save the Date postcards to the Managing Partners this month.

Chapter Holiday Party:

What a blast! Thank you to Karie Rivkin and Committee for putting on such a fantastic event. The Malverde Room above La Contessa located in the 2nd Street District is a fabulous event space and I highly recommend you keep it in mind for your next firm event. The food was superb, the service was impeccable and the company was one-of-a-kind! A special thanks to Karie and Diana Stangl for making those mouth-watering desserts!

Chapter Newsletters:

The Chapter Newsletter Editor, Rose Sullivan rsullivan@pirkeybarber.com, needs your articles, pictures, and suggestions for the December 2011 Chapter Newsletter. Please e-mail her this week to be included in the nest Newsletter. You can earn $50 in cold, hard cash for your article contributions!

ALA Membership Renewal:

This year ALA has implemented an electronic only renewal application. You will no longer receive a renewal application in the mail. You can renew online now by visiting: http://www.alanet.org/members/duesindex.asp.

Remember to renew by January 31st to take advantage of the discounted membership renewal rate of $365.00. You must be an active member in good standing with ALA in order to remain a member of the Austin Chapter of ALA. Chapter renewals are due on March so be on the lookout for more information from Shary Gonzalez, Membership Chair.

Compensation & Benefits Surveys:

Austin Chapter: Please visit our website to order your copy of the 2011 Austin Chapter Salary & Benefits Survey: http://www.austinala.org/news-and-publications/compensation-benefits-survey/ or contact Elaine Nielsen at enielsen@gdhm.com for more information.

ALA: You can also purchase the ALA Compensation & Benefits Survey from the ALA Bookstore at: http://www.alanet.org/publications/issue/augsep11_an/ALAN-AugSept11-Browse.pdf#search=”salary survey 2011″

Happy Birthday ALA:

2011 marked the 40th Birthday of the Association of Legal Administrators. Happy Birthday ALA! Visit http://www.alanet.org/ala40/default.aspx and check out the history of “ALA Through the Decades.”

What’s Happening Austin Chapter? Happy November!

bmullen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:12:31 +0000

Happy November!

What’s Happening Austin Chapter? Gearing up for the Holiday Season? We are organizing Holiday parties, preparing year-end financials and 2012 budgets, coordinating holiday staffing and vacations and that’s only in our work lives. It’s definitely a busy time of year. While you are squeezing and giving thanks to your family and friends this holiday season, we hope that you will squeeze in some Austin ALA time too! I’ll tell you what I’m thankful for . . . I’m thankful for the opportunity you have given me to lead this chapter. I wish you a very, very Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s What’s Happening:

Community Relations: Shannon Athey-Briggs

The Chapter CCW event was held on the last Saturday of September at the Multicultural Refugee Coalition Center in Northeast Austin. There were members sewing, carving pumpkins, painting faces, working in the computer labs, putting together arts and crafts all with the members of the Coalition: children and adults alike. It was a fabulous and humbling experience. The families had a lunch for us, potluck style, which included culturally diverse foods for us to enjoy. At the end of the event, we were entertained by a group of girls who performed their native dance. The highlight of the event was when a tiny 3 year old joined the dancers. The joy on her face was so heartwarming. That dance was the member’s thank you to us for supporting them. I know that the other ALA participants would agree that it was overwhelmingly powerful. Shannon and the Community Relations committee did a fabulous job and we thank them for their efforts and creativity. It was a huge success!

Salary and Benefits Survey, Elaine Nielsen:
The Salary Survey is now available. 46 firms participated including 5 non-member firms. What fantastic participation and value! Don’t miss out. Buy your Salary and Benefits Survey today! Contact Elaine Nielsen.

November Chapter Meeting:
Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the November Chapter Meeting will be held earlier this month AND on a TUESDAY instead of a Thursday. Please join us on Tuesday, November 15th at 11:45 am at the Headliners Club for a special treat. Carol Arnold will be presenting “Lessons Learned as a Firm Administrator.” She’ll share her tips, experiences and stories. You won’t want to miss it!

What’s to Come:
October has proved to be our quiet month so far this year. However, we are at still at work doing what it takes to continue to make the Austin Chapter the BEST chapter ever! We are now 7 months into the chapter year and we’ve accomplished so much. I want to take this opportunity to thank the board, committee members and the chapter at large for these efforts. High Five to YOU!

Our chapter elves have been busy preparing events for November and December. There will be:

· a new website launch
· Over the Edge for Special Olympics at 4 pm on 11/7
· a Peer Connection event on November 17th
· a big end of the year recruiting mail-out to over 800 people
· a Chapter Holiday Party on December 1st
· a business partner advisory council and business partner event
· the board will be putting together the award submissions to ALA
· and more . . . so stayed tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!