PDF - Association of Legal Administrators

April/May 2014
Vol. 2014, No. 2
"Management"
Don't Miss:
Pg. 14
Did you “Exceed the Limits”?
Pg. 20
Mentoring Remotely
Pg. 23
What You Can’t See
Is My Diversity
Table of Contents
EVENTS
4
Calendar of Events
10
April / May 2014 New Members
12ALAMN General Meeting
NEWS
9
Know your Legal Jargon
13ALAMN Shining Star
MEMBERS
3
2012-2013 ALAMN Officers & Directors
10
New Members
29
Get to Know Your Board
COLUMNS
5
President's Letter
13Bridging
14
Did you “Exceed the Limits”?
16ALAMN 2014 Conference Prize Winners
20
Mentoring Remotely
22
Community Service
25
What You Can’t See Is My Diversity
26
Diversity and Inclusion Book Review
REPORTS
8
Question of the Month
11
Large Firm Administrators Group
11
Facilities Management Special Interest Group
MORE INSIDE
3ALAMN Mission Statement
7
2013 Business Partner Sponsors
19
HCBA Connection
28
Advertisers in this Issue
The Verdict Staff
Editor
Advertising
Carlene Holter
Lindquist & Vennum
612.371.6228
cholter@lindquist.com
David R. Astramecki
Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P.
612-347-9189
dastramecki@meagher.com
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor of The Verdict are welcome and can be e-mailed to cholter@lindquist.com. In your letter, please include your name, firm name,
mailing address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. Letters that do not contain full contact information cannot be published. Letters typically run 150 words or less and may be edited. Your letter can be on any topic. You will be contacted before your letter is published. Thank you.
2
THE VERDICT - April / May
2014 - 2015 ALAMN Officers & Directors
President
Deborah O’Connor, CLM
Best & Flanagan LLP
612.339.7121
doconnor@bestlaw.com
Education
Pamela Gerads
Merchant & Gould, PC
612.336.4668
pgerads@merchantgould.com
Past President
David Oxley, CLM
david.oxley@comcast.net
Finance
Tracey Skjeveland, CLM
Merchant & Gould, P.C.
612.371.5211
tskjeveland@merchantgould.com
President-Elect
Katherine Hubbard
Olup & Associates
952.835.4070
kmh@oluplaw.com
Membership
Sarah Didrikson
Nilan Johnson Lewis
DIRECTORS
Administration
Wendy Bartlett
Metropolitan Airports Commission
612.726.8192
Wendy.bartlett@mspmac.org
Communications
Sarah Evenson
Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen, PA.
612.435.6354
sle@andersonhelgen.com
612.305.7614
sdidrikson@nilanjohnson.com
ALAMN has adopted ALA's
Mission Statement
To improve the quality of management in legal services organizations; promote and enhance the competence and professionalism
of legal administrators and all members of
the management team; and represent professional legal management and managers
to the legal community and to the community at large.
THE VERDICT - April / May
3
Calendar of Events
April
June
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5
1 - HR Committee
11:30 am
1 - ALA Webinar "Leading
with Integrity"
2:00 pm
Location Felhaber, Larson
2 - Large Firm Administrators
12:00 p.m.
Location Oppenheimer Wolff
& Donnelly
6 - HR Committee
3 - ALA Webinar “Surviving
or Thriving?"
11:30 am
Location Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi
8 - ALAMN General Meeting
11:30 a.m.
Location Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi
10 - Financial Management SIG
12:00 p.m.
Location Gray Plant Mooty
10 - IP SIG
11:45 a.m.
More information to follow by email
Location Merchant & Gould
12:00 p.m.
Location Bowman and Brooke
7 - Large Firm Administrators
11:30 am
Location Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi
19 - 22 - ALA Annual Conference
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
20 - Facilities SIG
12:00 p.m.
Location Winthrop & Weinstine
21 - Community Service
Committee Meeting
11:30 am
Location Briggs and Morgan
4 - Large Firm Administrators
12:00 pm
Location Stinson Leonard Street
10 - ALAMN General Meeting
11:30 am
Location TBD
17 - Facilities SIG
12:00 pm
Location TBD
19 - Small/Medium Group
11:30 am
Location Town and Country Club,
St. Paul
26 - Simpson Shelter Meal Service
5:00 pm
Location Simpson United Methodist
Church (basement) 2740 1st Ave S,
Minnepolis
13 - Cook for Kids at Ronald
McDonald House
9:00 a.m.
818 Fulton St SE, Minneapolis &
2525 Chicago Ave S, Minneapolis
15 - Facilities SIG
12:00 p.m.
Location Fredrikson & Byron
16 - ALA Webinar “Working with
Excel PivotTables - Part 2"
2:00 p.m.
Location Merchant & Gould
16 - Small/Medium Group
4
11:30 am
Location Town and Country Club,
St. Paul
THE VERDICT - April / May
THE VERDICT - June / July 2013 - 4
From the President of ALAMN
By: Deborah O’Connor, CLM
From the President of ALAMN
Last April, I was fortunate to be
in Washington, D.C. attending
the ALA Annual Conference. I
was sitting in a session by Peter
Sheahan, President of Change
Labs, and he had just stated,
“Time, and change, is actually
really slow – until it is not. And
then it is really, really fast.” How
appropriate! I was just nominated as President-Elect,
and my first thought was I had a year to become more
comfortable (less anxious) with the role of President
of ALAMN. Well the last year has flown by, or to paraphrase Mr. Sheahan, “And then it went really fast.”
However, a Board member gained signals the loss of
another. I want to extend a sincere thank you and a
fond farewell to Annette Kojetin who served as Finance Director through January when her career
path took her out of the legal field. Michele Sauder,
who has served on the Board for the last five years,
will be stepping off as well. Michele will be sorely
missed, as her dedication to the chapter through service and volunteerism is boundless. She conducted
Board meetings professionally, with intelligence and
compassion shining through, and we have all benefited greatly from Michele’s service to ALAMN. Personally, I will miss seeing Michele and Annette on a
regular basis as I consider both to be friends.
I am still anxious when I reflect on attempting to
follow the lead of the great leaders our chapter has
been blessed with. Not many chapters can boast of
having in their ranks a past ALA President, two current ALA Regional Directors, and a member who is
currently on the ALA Committee on Diversity and
Inclusion. My own involvement with ALAMN started
slowly, as an attendee of the Small/Medium Committees educational meetings, and has continually expanded over the last fifteen years to my new role and
challenge as President of ALAMN. Thank you to the
membership for this great opportunity.
A special thank you to David Oxley as well, for his
time, vision and numerous contributions to the chapter. David will remain on the Board as Past President.
Finally, thanks are in order to the members who have
stepped up to fill chair positions, as well as participate at the committee level. You are the people that
help create a great experience for our membership.
So whether you are at the beginning of your term, or
will be stepping down, thank you for your dedication
to the chapter.
As the Board begins the new term, I would like to welcome two new members. Pamela Gerads, Director of
Human Resources at Merchant & Gould will be joining
us as the Education Director and Sarah Evenson, First
Administrator at Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen,
will fill the Communications Director position.
A special shout out to our Business Partner & Conference Committee for the great conference! Those of
you who were able to attend, I am sure will agree it
definitely Exceeded the Limit. Thank you to the committee and co-chairs, Catherine Gorr and David Astramecki.
[ continued on page 6 ]
THE VERDICT - April / May
5
From the President of ALAMN - Cont.
continued from page 5
There is still time to register for the ALA Annual
Conference. This year’s conference will be in Toronto, Canada, May 19 – 23, 2014, and will have more
than 90 educational sessions, with varying formats,
more than any conference in the past in addition to
numerous networking opportunities. You may learn
more about the conference by visiting ALA’s website.
There is even a Justification Toolkit you may use to
seek approval to attend the conference.
I am looking forward to the next year, and working
with all of you, and hope it doesn’t go “really, really
fast!” If you have any questions, concerns or comments regarding ALAMN, please feel free to contact
me by phone at 612-843-5838.
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THE VERDICT - April / May
2014 Business Partner Sponsors
Emergent Networks LLC
Alerus Financial
BMO Harris Bank
Associated Bank
Nuance Communications
Business Data Records
Computex Technology Solutions
Henricksen
Loffler Companies Inc.
Marco, Inc.
Ricoh USA, Inc.
The Gunlocke Company
U.S. Bank
Verus Corporation
Wells Fargo Bank N.A.
Aramark Refreshment Services
Assurity River Group, Inc.
Beacon Hill Staffing
Berry Coffee Company
BillBLAST
Bremer Bank
CBIZ, Inc.
cicayda
CITech Solutions, Inc.
Coffee Mill, Inc.
Complete Graphics, Inc.
CORT
Cushman & Wakefield/NorthMarq
Doherty Staffing
Enventis
FedEx Services
Fluid Interiors
FRSecure
Greiner Construction
Hays Companies
Imaging Path
Integreon
IST Management
IVDesk
Jones Lang LaSalle
Kelly Law Registry
LexisNexis
Merrill Corporation
milliCare by Facility Services, Inc.
Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance
MOTG - a Xerox Company
MSpace/iSpace
NightOwl Discovery
Northland Business Systems, Inc.
Office Depot
Parameters
Robert Half Legal
Roskop Construction LLC
S&T Office Products
Shred Right
Solbrekk Business Technology Solutions
Sovran, Inc.
Special Counsel
Stonebridge Bank
SUCCESS Computer Consulting, Inc.
Thomson Reuters
TW Telecom
UPS
Verizon Wireless
Willis of Minnesota
ABA Retirement Funds Program
ADV Document Systems, Inc.
Bertelson Total Office Solutions
CAPTRUST Financial Advisors
Client Connection
Crane Data Forensics
Depo International
Education Partners, Inc.
Erickson Marketing, Inc.
Exceptional Engraving
Gardner Builders
Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC
Quality Resource Group, Inc.
RJ Ahmann Company
Studio Hive, Inc.
Tower Legal Solutions
THE VERDICT - April / May
7
ALA Question of the Month - March 2014
Question:
My managing partner and I will be making a presentation on "Law Firm Economics 101" to our associates
and junior partners. Can ALA help me find resources
on this topic?
Answer:
You're in luck — there's plenty of material to give you
and your managing partner a head start on this program. Below are selected resources.
ALA's own material makes a good first stop.
The ALA Management EncyclopediaSM has several articles that are right on point. Begin with "Financial Benchmarks and Ratios for Law Firms" by Julien P. Ayotte; also
check "ALA Guide to Partner Capital Accounts" by William
Curran and "Profit Planning" by H. Edward Wesemann.
Links to these articles are under the Financial Management heading on the Encyclopedia's home page.
Our 2013 annual conference included a session presented by Ron Seigneur, a frequent speaker at ALA
events, on "Profitability 101" — right on point for your
program. You may also want to consider ALA member
Dean Boeschen's session "Budget GPS — Take the Direct Route." If you weren't with us in National Harbor,
or you missed obtaining the handouts, please email
InfoCentral@alanet.org to request them.
The September/October 2011 issue of Legal Management included consultant Ed Poll's article "Engagement Budgets: The Key that Unlocks Collections and
Cash Flow." This item discusses why any attorney needs
to pay attention to revenue at every stage of a client
matter, from engagement to final invoice.
"What Financial Information Should Your Firm Be Tracking," originally published in the Orange County Chapter newsletter, is very good for definitions of financial
terms and other basic concepts.
Ranging farther afield — several articles published in
ABA journals are excellent resources for this topic. One
particularly good piece is Bill Cobb's "The Real Economics of Your Practice," originally published in 2004 but as
valid now as it was then. More recently, "The Economics
of Partnership for New and Aspiring Partners" summed
8
THE VERDICT - April / May
up a panel discussion on what is expected of new partners for them to succeed in their new role. And "Profiting When the World is Flat" discusses managing client
work for better profitability.
Ed Poll, mentioned above, comes up often when
searching for law firm financial-management issues. His
website offers quite a few pithy articles on that topic:
•• "Finance Tips: 25 Quick Tips for a Healthier Bottom
Line" won't be entirely pertinent to newer associates, but some of these pointers can be helpful in
establishing good habits.
[ continued on page 9 ]
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ALA Question of the Month - March 2014 - Cont.
continued from page 8
•• "Owner or Employee? Financial Literacy and Openness Build a Partner's Perspective" discusses key financial metrics.
•• "Making Money: Your Practical Guide to Profit," Part I and
Part II– more information on financial benchmarks.
•• "Cash Flow: How to Get It, How to Keep It" discusses
realization as a critical measure of financial success.
•• "Take the Mystery Out of Financial Metrics" covers
three essential measurements of profitability. "The
Faces of Law Firm Financial Impropriety" offers tips
on recognizing potentially unethical conduct involving financial matters.
Consultant Ed Wesemann's article "Milking the Cash
Cow" discusses using leverage to generate profits.
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Many of Wesemann's essays focus on financial matters,
including profitability and metrics.
One of the ALA Management Solutions staff all-time
favorite websites for thoughtful, well-reasoned discussions of issues challenging the legal industry is the Adam
Smith, Esq. blog written by Bruce MacEwen. His 12-part
series "Growth Is Dead" is a set of superb articles on how
and why the industry has changed drastically, and how
firms must respond to survive and prosper. It's not exactly "Law Firm Econ 101" but any practicing lawyer would
benefit from reading the material. This series is available
as individual blog postings, an e-book or a paperback.
We hope this will help you hit the ground running. Best
of luck with your program!
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THE VERDICT - April / May
9
April / May 2014 New Members
Please welcome the following ALA members who recently joined ALAMN:
Mike Nelson
Executive Assistant
Olmsted County Attorney’s Office
151 4th Street SE
Rochester, MN 55904
507.328.7614
nelson.mike@co.olmsted.mn.us
Vicki Johnson
Sr. Financial Analyst
Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi, LLP
800 LaSalle Avenue, Suite 2800
Minneapolis, MN 55402-2015
612.349.8458
vljohnson@rkmc.com
ALAMN 2014-15
Membership Renewal
If you haven’t already done so, please be sure
to renew your ALAMN 2014-15 Membership.
Avoid the hassle of having to go through
the new member application process and
renew today!
To renew, go to: www.ala-mn-org
Questions?
Contact Wendy Bartlett at 612.726.8192 or
wendy.bartlett@mspmac.org
10
THE VERDICT - April / May
Sylvia Naim
Practice Group Staff Supervisor
Faegre & Benson
2200 Wells Fargo Center
90 Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
612.766.7309
sylvia.naim@FaegreBD.com
Norma J. Thayer
Director of Administration
Zimmerman Reed, PLLP
1100 IDS Center
80 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402-2141
612.341.0400
Norma.thayer@zimmreed.com
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Large Firm Administrators Group
Karen Reynolds of Gray Plant Mooty hosted the March
meeting of the Large Firm Group. The implementation of task codes was a significant topic of conversation: are the codes mandatory? How good is the data?
What issues have firms encountered with billing? How
long did it take for full acceptance for those firms that
made it mandatory? The general consensus was that
while there may be some grumbling at first, attorneys
and staff quickly become accustomed to entering
task codes, and practice groups find the data valuable.
Other discussion topics included using consultants to
drive down the costs of records storage, professional
development for non-partner track attorneys, the acceptance of litigation support software by younger
attorneys, requests from clients for sponsorships, and
support for attorneys serving on boards of directors.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 2
at noon, hosted by Barbara Clark of Oppenheimer.
Finance Management Special Interest Group
The Financial Management Special Interest Group met for
its first meeting of 2014 on Thursday, March 13 at the office
of Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P. Our host was David Astramecki.
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The open forum meeting included dialogue on a range
of topics including an informative discussion on the
implementation, adoption, and use of task based billing
codes for time entries primarily driven by client requests
for matter level budgets categorized by phase or task
and entered into their respective third-party e-billing
system. Other topics included the proposal initiated by
congress to move professionals service organizations
from cash to accrual based accounting, the need for cyber insurance coverage, the identified scam from asset
recovery services targeting law firms, and a general discussion on law firm technology currently used and under consideration such as e-billing hub, time and billing
systems, payable and expense reporting systems, the
responsibility for support within the law firm for those
systems, and participation in or use of this year’s law
firm peer analytic reports.
The next meeting will hosted by Shelbie O’Brien at Gray
Plant Mooty, 500 IDS Center, 80 South Eighth Street, and
is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, 2014 at Noon.
The Right People…The Right Choice…
The Right Solutions
THE VERDICT - April / May
11
ALAMN General Meeting
Tuesday, Apr 8, 2014 11:30 AM
Move from table to table to meet members you don’t
know or have not connected with recently and learn
how they have worked to adapt to these changes in the
ever evolving legal industry! Buffet lunch will be served.
Speed Networking – Speed Problem Solving: Presented by your esteemed ALAMN colleagues recognized
for their vast wealth of experience!
Location:
Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi
Join us on April 8, 2014 starting at 11:30 at the offices of
Robins Kaplan Miller and Ciresi for a whirlwind Speed
Networking – Speed Problem Solving event! What’s
on your mind? How to get reluctant leaders to lead?
How many attorneys can a legal administrative assistant really handle these days? How do you adopt the
next must have technology? So we’ve moved on from
diversity and now its “inclusion?” What does a productive attorney/board/staff meeting look like? How do
we embrace client electronic billing demands?
Contact:
Mariel Piilola
Phone:
952-896-3398
Email:
mpiilola@larkinhoffman.com
Register for this event:
General Meeting Registration April 2014
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THE VERDICT - April / May
Bridging
The Community Service Committee would like to
extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our generous
members and business partners who contributed to
our collection of household supplies and tools to benefit Bridging. Our efforts were a huge success and resulted in $225 in cash donations and 104 household
items which will be used by Bridging to set up new
homes for those transitioning out of homelessness and
poverty. A special thank you to our Platinum Sponsor,
Emergent Networks for co-sponsoring this event and
to Greiner Construction for getting into the spirit with
their creative donation of Stanley screwdrivers.
ALAMN Shining Star
Tracey Skjeveland is an ALAMN Shining Star for
her continued commitment to the success of the
ALAMN board. When a position on the board
unexpectedly became vacant, Tracey graciously
volunteered to simultaneously cover her current
board position and the vacant board position
without blinking an eye. Tracey’s willingness to
step in and handle these duties during the transition period has been immeasurably valuable. Her
efforts have enabled the ALAMN leadership to
continue to concentrate their attention on providing the best services to our members
with no interruption
in service. It is this
unwavering willingness to support our
chapter that make
Tracey’s an ALAMN
Shining Star.
Tracey Skjeveland
THE VERDICT - April / May
13
Did you “Exceed the Limits”?
By: Patti A. Ploehn, Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.
How often do you have the opportunity to get so
much more than what you paid for? That is what I
feel when participating in ALAMN events. The 2014
ALAMN Education Conference & Exposition “Exceed
the Limits” was no exception.
Inspiration, education and networking were the
themes of the day. Billy McLaughlin – wow, what do
you say about a man who had it all, lost everything,
and found his way back. Here is a man with tremendous musical talent who had to learn how to play his
guitar in an entirely new way. After years of practice
and determination, his career is bigger than ever. He
truly inspired me to realize that there is always another
way to get things done, no matter what the challenge.
With diverse breakout sessions, there is always something new to bring back to the office. It may be something new or something that our firm is currently
working on and planning for – law firm succession
planning. What should we know and what pitfalls
are waiting if we avoid the issue? In the morning session, Alan Olson of Altman Weil shared many of his
thoughts on how administrators need to be involved
and start be planning for their own succession!
Lunchtime gave us great energy, as did Dean Savoca,
our afternoon keynote speaker. He asked us to look at
our own leadership wheel – were we strong and even,
a good solid tread, or did we have our bumps and
worn areas? Me, I need to visit the tire shop! Dean encourages you to look at yourself and build up your weak
spots to become a better and more influential leader.
I enjoyed Dean’s presentation at lunch so much that I
went to his afternoon breakout session. I truly enjoyed
his take on personality types. We have all seen the grid
of communication styles. Dean changed it up and
truly gave me a practical picture of whom I am and
how to understand and communicate with others. He
is truly a coach who is engaging and funny!
14
THE VERDICT - April / May
The Exhibit Hall time provides exceptional opportunities to meet new vendors, greet old ones, and learn
what is new in their fields. Our Business Partners are
critically important to the success of ALA-MN. Without
them, we would not be able to provide the educational experiences we all enjoy.
The Reception is always a great time to meet and
catch up with old friends and meet new ones. In addition, a great opportunity to win a number of prizes!
Congratulations to the following winners of gift certificates provided by ALA-MN:
•• Karen Reitmeier - Lindquist & Vennum, LLP
•• Jim Schroeder - Gray Plant Mooty Mooty &
Bennett, P.A.
•• Craig Wilson - Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A.
•• Pamela Gerads - Merchant & Gould, P.C.
•• Julie Munneke - Briggs & Morgan, P.A.
From coffee gift baskets to Microsoft Surface Pro 2,
iPad, Timberwolves tickets and wine gift cards, our
Business Partners “rocketed” it with their giveaways.
A special thanks to the Business Partners who know us
well enough to “Exceed the Limits” when it comes to the
Booth presentation and participating in our “Best Of”
contest. Congratulations to Ricky Bobby, his wife and
crew from Loffler who took home this year’s trophy!
THE VERDICT - April / May
15
ALAMN 2014 Conference Prize Winners
Prize
Sponsor Level
Microsoft Surface Pro 2
Platinum
Apple iPad Mini (Wi-Fi, 16 GB)
Gold
Kindle
Gold
$200 Visa Gift Card
Gold
iPad
Gold
Nexus 7 Tablet
Silver
Silver
2 Timberwolves Tickets
Zipline Gift Card
Silver
Smack Shack Gift Card
Silver
$100 US Bank VISA Gift Card
Silver
WatchGuard XTM 33 Wireless
Silver
Firewall
Ruckus ZoneFlex 7300 Series
Silver
$50 Gift Card
Silver
Coffee Gift Basket
Copper
Bluetooth Speakers
Copper
$100 Target Gift Card
Copper
Flowers
Keurig Coffee Maker
100 Gift Card
$100 VISA Card
iPad Mini
iPad Mini
Crave $50 Gift Card
Coffee Gift Basket
Timberwolves Tickets
Timberwolves Autographed
Basketball
Timberwolves Tickets
Glass candy bowl and Sherpalined throw blanket
Sponsor
Emergent Networks
Alerus Financial
Associated Bank N.A.
BMO Harris Bank
Nuance
Computex
Loffler Companies, Inc.
Marco, Inc.
Ricoh USA
US Bank
Verus Corporation
Winner
Mary Anderson
Bob Karau
Dana Noss
Craig Wilson
Tracey Skjeveland
Curt Okerson
Tracy Johnson
Ingrid Johansen
Barb Ell
Patti Ploehn
Lori Maynard
Verus Corporation
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
ARAMARK Refreshment Services
Assurity River Group, Inc.
Beacon Hill Staffing
Brice Duffy
Terry Giel
Greta Larson
Kim Hansen
Laura Broomell
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Copper
Beacon Hill Staffing
Berry Coffee Company
BillBast
Bremer Bank
CBIZ, Inc.
CBIZ, Inc.
cicayda
Coffee Mill, Inc.
Complete Graphics
Complete Graphics
Karen Reitmeier
Mary Healy
Wade Peterson
Mark Brauch
Jeremy Chambers
Mike Nelson
Cheryl Thompson
Dan Lewis
Terry Giel
Dan Gruber
Copper
Copper
Doherty Employment Group
FedEx Services
Vicki Johnson
Darlene Downs
[ continued on page 17 ]
16
THE VERDICT - April / May
ALAMN 2014 Conference Prize Winners - Cont.
continued from page 16
Prize
Sponsor Level
Haworth LIM task Light
Copper
Wine
Copper
Wine
Copper
Wine
Copper
iPad Mini
Copper
iPad Mini
Copper
100 American Express Gift
Copper
Card
$100 iTunes Gift Card
Copper
Smart Board
Copper
Aveda Gift Card
Copper
$100 Manny’s Steakhouse Gift
Copper
Card
$150 MasterCard Gift Card
Copper
Phillips Recording Device
Copper
Keurig Brewer and Coffee
Copper
Carousel
Iittala Designer Vase
Copper
$100 Amazon Gift Card
Copper
Chair
Copper
Chair
Copper
Target Gift Card
Copper
One Free Applications Class
Copper
Oscar Gift Basket
Copper
LENOCA ThinkPad Tablet 2
Copper
Copper
2 Timberwolves Tickets
Mophie Juicepack
Copper
Coach Purse
Copper
Sponsor
Fluid Interiors
FRSecure
FRSecure
FRSecure
Imaging Path
Integreon
IST
Winner
Colette Canniff
Karen Deneen
Valerie Studer
Mary Laschansky
Abby Hollander
Lee Hawks
Sharon Pinska
Jones Lang LaSalle
MOG – A Xerox Company
Merrill
MSpace/ iSpace
Janna Highly
Kim Ess
Sarah Didrikson
Mariel Pillola
NightOwl Business Solutions
Northland Business Systems
Office Depot
Shawna Christensen
Wayne Honeyman
Catherine Gorr
Parameters
Robert Half Legal
S&T Office Products, Inc.
S&T Office Products, Inc.
Shred Right
Sovran, Inc.
Special Counsel, Inc.
SUCCESS Computer Consulting
UPS
Verizon Wireless
Willis of Minnesota, Inc.
Keith Bagge
Chong Lee
Debbie Muntean
Bryce Hustad
Dave Astramecki
Ellen Drasin
Mary Lee Reiner
Gregg Steiger
Vicki Nagel
James Fowler
Bill Wills
THE VERDICT - April / May
17
ALA Webinars
ALA Webinars can be viewed at no cost to ALAMN members at Merchant & Gould each month. Sign up by registering online or by contacting Pam Gerads by phone:
612-336-4668, or email: pgerads@merchantgould.com
Webinar: "Surviving or Thriving?"
Thursday, April 3, 2014
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Central Time
The pressure to be available and on call during every waking moment of the day - and the sleeping ones too - is
on! Let’s look at what it takes to set boundaries that are
healthy for you and your firm. Explore the conversation
that creates parameters for work and play, take a look at
how you play a role in the development of expectations,
and what it takes for you to change that internal messaging. Along the way you will receive some specific tools for
relieving stress, being mindful and present to your life - at
both work and home.
Webinar: "Working with Excel PivotTables - Part 2"
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Central Time
If you are already using basic PivotTables, you do not want
to miss this chance to turbocharge the power of Excel’s
most powerful function. Learn how to extend the functionality of your PivotTables by adding calculations inside
your PivotTables, apply advanced filtering techniques,
and build PivotCharts to communicate the real meaning
behind the numbers in your PivotTables graphically.
18
THE VERDICT - April / May
Webinar: "Leading with Integrity"
Thursday, May 1, 2014
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Central Time
With just the right touch of humor, Jeff Lanza, retired FBI
Special Agent, will help you to develop, inspire and maintain a culture of integrity. Chronicling real FBI cases that
show the root causes of unethical behavior, he will provide a positive framework for creating an environment
that will help ensure your employees maintain their moral compass. Join this engaging presentation to take back
a renewed sense of accountability, truthfulness, commitment to priorities and a well-defined mission to your firm.
HCBA Connection
April 2014
Updates for Legal Administrators and Law Office Managers from the Hennepin County Bar Association
2014 Bar Memorial:
Remembering Our Colleagues
The annual Bar Memorial ceremony provides an opportunity for attorneys, judges, law firms,
and others in the legal community to gather in honor of those who have recently passed away.
This year’s memorial takes place:
Wednesday, April 30
From 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
At the Thrivent Financial Auditorium, 625 Fourth Ave South, Minneapolis.
Held as a special session of the Hennepin County District Court, the memorial will be presided
over by Chief Judge Peter Cahill, who will be joined by the robed Hennepin County bench, as
well as justices and judges from other jurisdictions. The main address will be given by Lewis
Remele of Bassford Remele.
We invite you and the attorneys in your office to attend the Bar Memorial to gather with
those who have recently lost a family member, colleague, or friend and pay respect to these
remarkable individuals who proudly served the legal profession during their lifetimes.
The HCBA’s Bar Memorial Committee appreciates your assistance in its efforts to memorialize
Hennepin County attorneys who have passed away. Please let us know of any colleagues who
pass away during 2014 who should be memorialized at the 2015 session. For more information,
contact Joy Hamilton at joy@hcba.org or 612-752-6614. Thank you.
To Be Memorialized:
Sandra K. Agvald
William C. Herber
Vicki M. McIntyre
Don C. Aldrich
Ted Christopher Hoffstrom
Russell D. Melton
James Anglin
James Fergusson Hogg
Dwight D. Opperman
Donald Banks
Maclay Reed Hyde
William Lambert Orr
Bud Greensweig Bernard
John E. Jansen, Jr.
Gregg S. Orwoll
William D. Birch
William John Joanis
Eric David Paulsrud
David A. Clapp
Richard Walter Johnson
Elizabeth Benson Peterson
George Xavier Connor
Bruce Richard Sanborn Johnson
James Harry Ranum
Charles A. Cox
Ann Johnson
Mollie Gordon Raskind
Thomas M. Crosby, Jr.
James Kempf
Charles William Ries
Erika Mozangue Drayton
Robert J. King
Nancy A. Sullivan
Christine Drucker
Joseph George Kohler
Julie Ann Tigges
William Edwards
Ken Kohnstamm
Paul VanValkenburg
Gene O. Enockson
James Joseph Krieger
Michael Vellon
Thomas H. Garrett III
Norman W. Larsen
Justice Rosalie Wahl
James N. Grathwol
Jerome H. Lewis
Joseph D. Zwak
Gregory Gerald Heacox
Roger Magnuson
Bar Benefit Raises
$145,000 for Legal
Services Programs
On March 11, the annual Bar Benefit gala
raised over $131,000 for the Hennepin
County Bar Foundation. An additional
$14,000 was raised for the Volunteer
Lawyers Network through its silent auction
and raffle held at the Bar Benefit.
Held at the Minneapolis Marriott City
Center Minneapolis, the Bar Benefit was an
evening of fellowship, fun, and fundraising,
attended by over 400 members of the
legal community. In addition to providing
financial support for legal services, the Bar
Benefit also provides an opportunity for the
legal community to honor those who have
distinguished themselves in pro bono work.
This year’s Pro Bono Publico awards were
presented to:
• Jay Wilkinson, of Mid-Minnesota Legal
Aid (recipient of the Distinguished
Service award, recognizing a career-long
commitment to pro bono);
• Judge Jay Quam, of the Fourth Judicial
District, (recipient of the award for
Excellence in the Public Sector); and
• Perry M. Wilson, recently retired from
Dorsey and Whitney (recipient of the
award for Excellence in the Private Sector)
Founded in 1968, the Hennepin County
Bar Foundation is dedicated to the mission
of promoting equal access to justice for
the people of Hennepin County. Toward
this end, the foundation makes grants each
year to organizations involved in promoting
the administration of justice, public legal
education and the delivery of legal services
to the citizens of Hennepin County.
Over $1,000,000 in HCBF grants have been
distributed in the last 10 years, supported in
large part by funds raised at the Bar Benefit.
Hennepin County Bar Association • Proudly serving legal professionals and the public • www.hcba.org • 612-752-6600
Mentoring Remotely
By Jeff Gau, Marco CEO
I place a lot of value on mentoring as part of the leadership equation. Mentoring is a one-on-one interaction
and it’s got to be personal. While it’s certainly easier to
mentor someone when they work in the same office
building, that’s not always possible due to multiple office locations. This creates a challenge for a company to
learn how to effectively mentor remote team members;
however, it does not mean that because they work in a
branch office, they won’t get the coaching they deserve.
Although the tools and tactics may differ in mentoring
remotely, the same principles apply. Here are a few steps
I take to more effectively mentor from a distance:
Leverage technology that increases engagement.
While I agree that face-to-face communication is the
best method, new video conferencing technology gets
you 80 percent there. It gives you some face time, allows you to see body language and makes you feel like
you‘re almost in the same room. Connecting employees
between our multiple locations is the primary reason
why Marco has made a significant investment in Telepresence video conferencing this past year. (And, the ROI
on this investment has been significant).
Find extra eyes and ears.
When mentoring remotely, I find myself relying on a
circle of people who can help keep me in the loop
about the individuals that I am mentoring. They let me
know when the person is working extra hard, facing
business challenges, or sometimes even situations of a
personal nature. They can be your eyes and ears to help
keep you connected.
Keep notes on each visit.
I often jot down some points we covered during our
routine meetings and highlight any action items to
focus on before the next meeting. This allows me to
quickly remember our previous sessions and pick up
where we left off. It also shows the person you are mentoring that you are listening and you care.
Send notes between visits.
When mentoring remotely, leaders need to be intentionally more consistent with their contacts. Sending a
note, email or even a text message between your regularly scheduled meetings can go a long way in building
a mentoring relationship. For example, I like to send
20
THE VERDICT - April / May
links to relevant articles I think they may have an interest in. I also keep a stack of thank you notes and cards in
my desk to send out when appropriate.
Use social media.
We tend to mentor people we like so often those business relationships turn into friendships. Tools like Facebook and LinkedIn help me stay connected with the
people I mentor. I learn about what’s happening in their
lives and have an opportunity to make a comment on
their wall, in an email or the next time I see them. When
done correctly, social media can be an excellent tool for
personalizing your business relationships.
[ continued on page 21 ]
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Mentoring Remotely - Cont.
continued from page 20
Cultivate a mentoring team.
You do not need to go this alone. After assessing the
needs of the person I am mentoring, I intentionally seek
out other team members to assist in coaching the individual. Often times that can mean having co-workers
that are experts in their field connect with the individual to help them gain a better understanding of areas
such as finance, technology, or client care. Providing
the person with a well-rounded business experience
certainly helps prepare them for future promotions.
Participate in face-to-face opportunities.
Whether it’s a personal event, community fundraiser or
client visit, I make it a point to travel to our other markets to personally spend time with those I’m mentoring.
Although that requires some significant windshield time,
I know they appreciate it and it has been proven to be a
productive use of my time. This can take on an element
of fun as it mixes a little bit of business with pleasure.
While mentoring remotely is a little more complicated;
when done correctly, it can be leveraged as a best practice
for employee development and retention. Just the other
day, I had a team member at a branch office make a point
to tell me: “You know I’d never think about leaving without
talking to you first.”That first rite of refusal is priceless.
Practicing intentional, consistent and personalized communication while engaging others to help in the coaching process are key to building strong relationships with
the people you mentor – no matter where they’re located.
Author Bio:
Jeff Gau is CEO of Marco, a 740 employeeowned company founded in 1973.
Jeff served in the United States Air Force and
is a University of North Dakota graduate. He
joined Marco in 1984 as a sales representative
and held various management positions before he became president in 2003 and CEO in 2007.
Jeff is member of the American Coop Dealer Group Board, the CentraCare Health System Foundation Board, the National Sharp Dealer Council
Board, the Cisco Channel Advisory Board, the Stearns-Benton Workforce
Council and the Greater St. Cloud Economic Development Corporation
Board of Advisors. Jeff has served as Chair of the United Way Campaign for
Central Minnesota, St. Cloud Area YMCA and New Beginnings.
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THE VERDICT - April / May
21
community service
On February 13, 2014 ALAMN members and business
partners served a delicious meal for 110 guests at the
Simpson Shelter in Minneapolis, The menu included
tater-tot hot dish, pickles, croissants, fresh grapes and
strawberries and for dessert, Girl Scout Cookies and
chocolate dipped pretzel rods!
Special thanks to Kathy Hubbard, who coordinated
this meal and the volunteers in the kitchen. Not only
does our group prepare and serve the meal, but many
hours go into planning the menu and shopping for
groceries and paper products.
A tour of the facility was given and several bags of
towels, hand towels and washcloths were donated to
shelter guests.
Upcoming events for the Community Services
Committee include:
•• Ronald McDonald House meal on Sunday, April 13,
2014. We will need 20 volunteers to help prepare
and serve the lunch meal. We will start at 9:00 a.m.,
serve lunch at 11:30 a.m. with cleanup following.
•• The next Simpson Shelter meal is scheduled for
Thursday, June 26, 2014. We will need 1 5 - 2 0
volunteers to help prepare and serve the evening
meal. We will start at 5:00 p.m. and are finished
between 7:30 - 8:00 p.m.
You can sign up for these events on the ALAMN Website!
Thanks to the following for making this another successful ALAMN Community Services Committee event:
Kathy Hubbard
Olup & Associates
Tracy Smith Smith, Gendler, Shiell, Sheff,
Ford & Maher
Cheryl Nelson
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi
Gina PetrellaMarco
Janet Tschida
S&T Office Products
Gayle Zabel
S&T Office Products
Tom Millin
Bowman and Brooke
Pam Gerads
Merchant & Gould
Tracey Skjeveland Merchant & Gould
Makena Skjeveland (Tracey’s daughter)
Pat Stender
22
THE VERDICT - April / May
Cousineau McGuire
NOT A DEPOSIT
NOT FDIC INSURED MAY LOSE VALUE
NOT BANK GUARANTEED
NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY
Community Service Photos
THE VERDICT - April / May
23
What You Can’t See Is My Diversity
By: Katherine M. Hubbard
What do you think of when you hear the word “diversity”?
Do you envision an American-Indian woman, an amputee
Veteran, or perhaps a transgender individual? What about
a Caucasian man? You read correctly, it said a Caucasian
man. You see, diversity comes in all shapes and forms.
To illustrate my point, I would like to introduce you to
David Oxley. David is a husband, father, grandfather,
friend, CLM, German-jazz enthusiast, member of the
board of directors of ALAMN, and visually impaired.
Hold the phone, David Oxley is visually impaired?!
Where is his cane, his guide dog, his cool sunglasses?
Ok, he has the cool sunglasses and wore them to our
lunch during which he graciously agreed to let me interview him for this article.
David was diagnosed in 1998 with Cone Dystrophy. He
is one of only 10,000 people worldwide to have Cone
Dystrophy. Our eyes have cones and rods which help
us see. Our eyes use the cones to see color and the
central portion of our vision.
David’s Cone Dystrophy is a degenerative condition
which permanently damages the cones.
I asked David what some of the biggest difficulties
he deals with on a daily basis due to Cone Dystrophy.
David said the two greatest challenges are facial recognition and driving distances. David relies heavily on his
peripheral vision, his memory from prior encounters,
and a person’s voice to help him identify who he is “seeing”. He says not intently focusing, but instead letting
his eyes relax, enables him to have great clarity when
driving. In all instances, David said a sense of humor is
an invaluable coping mechanism.
When he was first diagnosed, David greatly intensified
his work schedule. His lovely wife Anne asked him what
he was doing. David told her he was working as much as
he could before his condition worsened. Anne patiently
explained that David could do everything he did now,
no matter what stage his condition progressed to, he just
had to retrain his brain and learn to do things differently.
Let me ask you: how quickly did your view of David
change once you knew he was visually impaired? Yes,
I used the word “view” intentionally. David and I leave
you with this challenge: spend a week in a wheelchair
navigating your workplace. What obstacles did you
face? Were you able to see the receptionist seated at
their desk? Could you open your lobby doors or reach
the button for the top floor in the elevator? How about
those restrooms, easy to get in and out? Could you
reach the necessary office supplies from the copy room?
Now try doing these tasks with partial or no visual input.
How is that Times New Roman font working for you?
Would something in an Arial work better? Would the
implementation of some adaptive technology make a
visually impaired worker’s productivity soar?
It is so easy to have pity-based emotions for those who
have physical challenges. What is needed is a deeper
understanding of their journey so we can be part of the
solution to greater inclusion. When we see diversity as another initiative thrust upon us we cheat ourselves and our
employers. We must start seeing diversity for what it is: an
opportunity to tap into unique and valuable human capital
that will improve our workforce and our relationships.
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THE VERDICT - April / May
25
Diversity and Inclusion Book Review
by Shari Tivy
MOVING DIVERSITY FORWARD
How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing
and companion book
WHAT IF I SAY THE WRONG THING
25 Habits for Culturally Effective People
Myers has coined the phrase "Diversity is Being Invited
to the Party; Inclusion is Being Asked to Dance." Using
that premise she has crafted "Moving Diversity Forward"
with thirteen dance lessons to use in understanding
diversity and inclusion, the difference between the two,
and how to navigate the dance floor of inclusion.
Myers uses her own bias, conscious and unconscious,
personal lessons learned throughout her life and experiences as a diversity consultant as we sashay through
the book. Because she is willing to show her vulnerability and own biases she gives us permission to admit our
own. Providing numerous examples and tests you may
take to uncover your unconscious bias, the first half of
the book is invaluable in understanding how deeply
rooted those biases may be and how hard we need to
work to manage them and become more inclusive.
The book helps us understand a life of privilege; one
most of us don't even recognize because it is our reality.
"I imagine that the more unearned privilege one has,
the harder it is to see them." The lessons learned in this
dance course pertain to not only our personal bias and
interactions but translates to our professional environment. She explores and teaches us how "bias, privilege
and behaviors that stem from them can harm not only
those in the target groups but also the entire work
team organization."
Just as valuable as her dance lessons are the appendixes. In addition to an appendix of available resources,
Myers includes an appendix of "Lifetime Benefits of
Being a Working Class White Person in the Early 21st
26
THE VERDICT - April / May
Century." Some will find these statistics startling. Privilege examples include:
•• White babies have half the chance of dying as an
infant and less than half the chance of growing up
in poverty
•• White youth have 1/48th a chance of being sent
to juvenile prison on a drug charge
•• During a recession a white employee is less likely
to lose their job
[ continued on page 25 ]
Diversity and Inclusion Book Review - Cont.
continued from page 24
•• White families have about 40% higher median
family income
•• White families are less than half as likely to be poor,
to experience food hardship or to experience
housing hardships
•• White households average 10 times as much wealth
and 5 times the retirement and pension assets
The companion book "What If I Say the Wrong Thing"
takes us from the discovery stages and dance lessons in
her first book to practical application of managing our
bias and creating a more inclusive culture. This easy-toread problem solving book helps us answer the questions
•• What should I say?
•• What should I do?
•• How do I keep from saying the wrong thing?
•• What do I need to know about myself and others
so I speak out inclusively?
Each of the 25 chapters discusses specific habits to develop as Myers presents a dilemma or situation in which
you may find yourself uncomfortable, biased (conscious
or unconscious) or unprepared. You will likely see
yourself in several of the examples. She provides tips
on handling each situation to make you more culturally
effective whether you are the perpetrator or the spectator. Here's an example:
"At a cocktail party for newly matriculating students at
a university, Jane, an admissions associate, and Tom,
a classics professor, arrive early. As they pick up their
name tags, Tom, reviewing the remaining tags, says to
Jane, "Good grief, it's like the United Nations here; what
ever happened to the good old days when people had
simple names like Tom and Jane. I can't pronounce half
these names. I know we're looking for diversity, but
pretty soon we're going to be in the minority here!"
Ouch. From that start Myers addresses the various
culturally ineffective issues in that example and follows
it up with five tips for both Tom and Jane.
For more information on either book including more
excerpts and ordering information, click this link to the
Moving Diversity Forward website:
www.movingdiversityforward.com/?page_id=17
Author Bio:
Ms. Verna Myers, the principal of VMCG and a nationally recognized expert in diversity issues within law firms and other legal settings, has been
advising law firms about recruitment and retention of attorneys of color
since 1992 when she began as The Boston Law Firm Group's first Executive Director. Under her leadership, the Group, a consortium of the largest
law firms in Boston, Massachusetts committed to increasing the representation of attorneys of color, made significant progress in minority recruitment and addressing issues of retention. As Deputy Chief of Staff for
the Attorney General of Massachusetts (1997-99), Ms. Myers successfully
designed and led a comprehensive diversity initiative, increasing minority recruitment; conducting diversity, anti-discrimination and sexual harassment trainings; and performing outreach to better serve the state's
diverse population.
Ms. Myers practiced corporate and real estate law in Boston for six years
at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault LLP and at Fitch, Wiley, Richlin & Tourse LLP.
She graduated from Harvard Law School and received a Bachelor of Arts,
magna cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University.
For more information about Ms. Myers and VMCG Consulting visit her
website at www.vernamyersconsulting.com.
THE VERDICT - April / May
27
Advertisers in this Issue
PageAdvertiser
28
Alerus Financial
6
Associated Bank
12
BMO Harris Bank
11
Business Data Records
13
Computex Technology Solutions
24
Emergent Networks
18Gunlocke
26Henricksen
20
Loffler Companies
8Marco
21Nuance
10Ricoh
22
U.S. Bank
25Verus
9
28
Wells Fargo
THE VERDICT - April / May
Get to Know Your Board
Name The Most Famous Person You’ve Had A Face To
Face Encounter With (“Brush With Greatness”).
Wendy Bartlett
I think the most famous person I’ve had a face to face encounter with is Kevin McHale—his son and my son were on the same
high school basketball team. Kevin’s presence in the gym could have been rather intimidating given his height and his legendary
celebrity status, but he was very down to earth—truly a great guy.
Sarah Didrikson
Franklin Graham. I volunteered back stage at the Billy Graham crusade serving
snacks and Franklin Graham came up to the booth during the time I was back there.
Sarah Evenson
I’ve met many famous people, but the one that I geeked out the most about was
Hulk Hogan. I loved watching wrestling growing up and always took my vitamins
and said my prayers per Hulk’s orders. He is just as huge as you would imagine and
was nice enough to take a photo with me. Hulkamania is running wild, brother!
Pamela Gerads
Probably the closest face to face encounter I had was with
Bill Clinton (when he was president) at a resort I was staying at in St. Thomas.
Kathy Hubbard
What’s in a name? According to my mother, not much. In the late 80’s/early 90’s there was a club in the Lumber Exchange Building that had gambling and was the “it” place to be on the weekend. My mom really wanted to go and so being a great daughter, I
took her. While we were standing in line to get into the club, a limo pulled up and two large men and one small man emerged and
proceed to cut in front of us in line. My mom was irritated by this encounter and turned to me and loudly exclaimed, “Who does that
little man think he is?!” The little man turned around, looked at us and said, “My name is Prince.” My mom, not knowing who he was,
said “Big deal”. Prince laughed and walked into the club. And I believe that is why Prince changed his name some years later.
Deb O’Connor
Harmon Killebrew.
Dave Oxley
IWhen I was a kid, Larry Groce (who charted the single "Junk Food Junkie" at #9 and is the host of Public Radio's Mountain Stage
program) spent several weeks as an "artist in residence" at my school.
Tracey Skjeveland
I have two. First I was at an event at which Harmon Killebrew was also attending. I talked to him for about 15 minutes and what
a down to earth genuinely great guy. My second encounter was with Fred Hoiberg, a former Timberwolves player and now the
head coach for the Iowa State cyclones. My son and I ran into him while tailgating at a football game.
THE VERDICT - April / May
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