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Keen Attention to Detail? But Mistakes Happen!

11/30/2017

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Mistakes happen.  To all of us.  We are humans after all! 

But mistakes can usually be fixed.  But they can only be fixed if they’re acknowledged. So here’s the crucial thing to remember about mistakes – as soon as you know you’ve made one, make sure you immediately tell the person who needs to know about the mistake.  It may be your supervisor or the senior partner working on the file.  It may be the client.    Covering up mistakes only compounds the problem.  So ‘fess up and solve the problem.  

Here are a couple of examples:  

You send out a letter by fax.  It’s going to the client and all other defence counsel but you print up an old fax cover sheet and it includes the fax number of counsel for the plaintiff.  You’re in hurry, it’s late in the day, there’s a deadline, you send the letter to all the right people, plus the wrong person.  

You have binders and binders of documents from your client’s list of documents.  Included in these binders is a single small binder of privileged documents.   Opposing counsel is coming to look at the documents and you put the binders into a boardroom.  You include the binder of privileged documents.  

Think about these mistakes from the other side for a moment.  

If you were plaintiff’s counsel and you received a letter clearly not meant for you, what would you do?  Of course you would immediately destroy the letter – without reading it – and call counsel on the other side and let them know what you’ve done.   If you were opposing counsel and found a binder of privileged documents in the binders you were reviewing, what would you do?  Put the binder aside and immediately bring it to the attention of the person who provided you the binders.   Mistakes made by other counsel or their staff are about your integrity.  You cannot take advantage of a mistake and no other counsel should take advantage of your mistake.  But in order to avoid the possibility that opposing counsel has read the letter or the binder of privileged documents by mistake, you have options.   If a letter has been sent to opposing counsel by mistake, immediately telephone that counsel and tell them what has happened.  If you can’t reach counsel, speak to the assistant.  Ask them to destroy the letter.   Follow up by immediately sending a letter repeating the request.  Then let your client know what has happened so that if a problem arises from this mistake, they are prepared for it.   If you have missed a deadline by mistake, call opposing counsel.  Apologize for missing the deadline and ask them to grant you what time you need to complete the document.  Remember that you’re asking them for a favour so don’t push for too much time.   

The decision as to whether the client needs to know of the mistake should be made by senior counsel.  In some cases, the problem is fixed and the client doesn’t need to know it has happened.  In others, it is imperative that the client knows so that damage control can be done.  

In the end, the most important thing to do is to figure out a way to adopt best practices to help you be more attentive to details (ie checklists) so that the same mistake doesn’t happen again.  If you’ve sent a letter by fax to the wrong party, check every fax carefully before it is sent out to ensure that only those who should be receiving the fax do receive it.  If identifying privileged binders is a problem, mark them with yellow labels.   

Mistakes do happen, but remember that we can learn from them and use the knowledge to make our systems as mistake-proof as possible.

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5 Best Practices When Working in a Small Firm

11/29/2017

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It often happens that support staff move from a large law firm to a smaller one.  This transition can be stressful because small firms work quite differently than large ones.  In order to make the transition as smoooth as possible, here are a few best practices:
  1. The ebb and flow of work in a small firm is much more noticeable than it is in a big firm, to succeed, embrace teamwork.  Be prepared to assist other departments. If a lawyer is getting ready for trial, be prepared to set aside your tasks (unless they have a hard deadline) and lend a hand. You can always catch up later. 
  2. Be prepared to do many things you haven’t done for years.  You might serve coffee, do huge amounts of scanning or photocopying, open and close files, maybe even do some bookkeeping which may include chasing lawyers for their time sheets.
  3. Find out what the firm culture is. For example if the dress code is likely to be less formal, you’ll still have to look professional. 
  4. Build positive relationships with your colleagues, at the same time, respect their boundaries.  Trust takes time to build. Smile. Don't be judgemental. Don't engage in petty activities like gossiping.
  5. Value your service providers. Know their names, start with this list: couriers and printers, court reporters and registry agents.  They will take the place of Central Services and, in some ways, they are more flexible.  You can pick and choose the people you want for any particular job. Your relationships with these outside suppliers will be crucial and you need to treat these suppliers well.  Remember, if you’re flexible when you’re not in a rush, they’ll help you out when you are.
Working in a small office has a great many rewards so give it (and yourself) a chance to enjoy it. 
 
 

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Professionalism as Key Legal Support Staff Skill

11/27/2017

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There is a difference between professional skills and professionalism. When we talk about personal presentation – both when you are job hunting and when you are on the job – we are talking about professionalism.

Professionalism may be easy to say but it is not that easy to achieve, especially early in your career. It takes time to learn what is and what is not appropriate. One of the best pieces of advice you can follow is to find the person in your office (or if you are still looking for a job, in your life) who best exemplifies the way you want to present yourself. Emulate them. Watch what they do and how they do it. Watch how they treat people and think about how they are treated in return.

If you present yourself well, people will respond to you on a more positive level. It is human nature to respond to others in the way they present themselves. If you present yourself with dignity and grace, people will respond to you that way.

These few aspects of professionalism will help set you apart from other applicants or other staff:
  •  Look professional – wear clothing appropriate to your job and always be well-groomed and tidy. Even the smallest change in your attire will change the way you are treated.
  • Act professionally – use good manners. Treat clients, other staff, lawyers and anyone else you encounter in the course of your job politely and professionally. Remember that old saying do unto others. It is just as true in the office as it is anywhere else.
  • Be cheerful without being too friendly. Smile when you greet people, they will respond and your encounter will begin on a positive note.
  • Present yourself with confidence and enthusiasm. Employers notice both these qualities and, although confidence may be difficult to achieve early in your career, be confident in your ability to learn.

 Here are some easy ways to polish up your presentation:
  1. Spelling – In law, words matter. It is our stock-in-trade. Print out and read correspondence and documents before you pass them on.  Yes, you may have used spell check but it does not differentiate between words like “there , their or they’re”.  These are two of the most common mistakes editors see and they should never happen.  It’s ALWAYS means it is.  They’re ALWAYS means they are.
  2. Tone of voice – Keep your voice low.  Sound travels in the oddest ways so even if you think no one can hear you, they probably can.  It is distracting to be listening to someone else’s conversation, even if they are talking about business.
  3. Phone – When taking handwritten, text (SMS), or email messages, spell the name and set out the phone number correctly.  You might find it helps to keep a list of frequently heard names and numbers so you do not have to ask for them or look them up.  Be cheerful and professional when you answer the phone.  Your office may have a policy as to what you say when you pick up the phone, if they do not, use your name – Kate Jenskins speaking – and speak clearly.  The person on the other end of the phone will appreciates this courtesy and your conversation begins on a good note.
  4. Correspondence and documents – The same goes for correspondence and documents.  Perhaps the lawyer or assistant signing or reviewing the document will catch it if you’ve spelled someone’s name wrong, but what if they do not?  Take a few seconds to check the spelling of names and addresses before you send it on, you’ll look good.
  5. Your personal space – No one can keep their desk,  office and desktop tidy all the time, that is an impossible task in a law office.  But keep it as neat as you can.  And if you have just gone through a tremendously busy time and there is paper or electronic files everywhere, take the time (even if it is only five minutes) to clean it up before you go home.  You will appreciate the effort the next morning and so will everyone around you.
  6. Courtesy – There is no way to guess ahead of time the correct response to every situation in which you find yourself, but there are two things that will always stand you in good stead:  be polite and be discreet.
  7. Discretion – Remember that you never know who is standing behind you in the grocery store line-up or sitting at the next table in a restaurant.  Never say anything that you don’t want overheard. Loose lips sink ships.
There you go, a crash course in presentation.  Polishing up your presentation gives you great results for very little expenditure in time or energy.  Just try it.

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    Dom Bautista

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  • HOME
  • EMPLOYERS
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  • CANDIDATES
    • Our Services for Candidates >
      • 30 Minute Career Coaching Service
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