Ahead of the Curve (Jan 2016 - 2 )
with ALA's Professional Development Advisory Committee
Purpose
If you are receiving "Ahead of the Curve" then you are an ALA leader with board, regional, chapter or conference planning responsibilities, or a designated ALA employee. The Professional Development Advisory Committee’s (PDAC) purpose in providing you this communication is to further its goal of periodically sharing topical information regarding the legal industry. Our hope is that one or more of the updates will provide a spark of insight to assist with your work on behalf of ALA as well as within your firm or legal department.
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT (ACA)
Are You Ready for the Reporting Obligations under Affordable Care Act in 2016?
"The Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting obligations are fast approaching in early 2016. This is the first year that the mandatory reporting obligations will be in effect, and employers have been scrambling to prepare the onerous reports and have them ready to be filed in the early part of 2016. The forms must be provided to employees and filed with the IRS. They will be used to determine whether an employer owes a payment under the employer shared responsibility provisions of the ACA and eligibility of employees for the premium tax credit." Read more.
Resource: Teresa D. Teare, Shaw Rosenthal, LLP
ethics
Antitrust watchdog to probe legal services
FINANCIAL
High-Margin, Complex Work Returns in 2016: How to Get Your Share
"Clients are making big time shifts to their spending. Large pockets of dollars are moving to areas where spending increases haven’t been seen in years. And these moves are creating new—and lucrative—opportunities for the law firms able to spot these shifts." Read more.
Resource: BTI Consulting Group
Metrics can tell the tale of a firm's fate
This article offers four tools that will give lawyers some strong indicators about the overall fiscal health of their firms, as well as provide a platform for asking more specific questions of firm leaders. Read more.
Resource: Edwin Reeser and Victor Li, ABA Journal
FUTURE FOCUS
Citi’s Law Firm Predictions: It’s Back to Slow Growth
"The relative success law firms found in 2014 was an aberration, not the new norm, according to year-end predictions for the industry from Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group and Hildebrandt Consulting." Read more.
Resource: Sara Randazzo, The Wall Street Journal
Law Firm Leaders are Optimistic going into 2016
Managing partners of the nation’s largest law firms are bullish about 2016 according to this annual survey of leaders of AmLaw 200 law firms. This five-page article discusses survey’s findings. Read more.
Resource: American Lawyer Media, Managing Partner Forum
HUMAN RESOURCES
The Right Way to Hold People Accountable
“How do I get my people to be more accountable for results? Accountability is not simply taking the blame when something goes wrong. It’s not a confession. Accountability is about delivering on a commitment. It’s responsibility to an outcome, not just a set of tasks. It’s taking initiative with thoughtful, strategic follow-through." Read more.
Resource: Peter Bregman, Harvard Business Review
6 Abilities Every Employee Needs To Be Successful
Previously, Ms. Lauby wrote about the skills that every employee needs to possess. In this article, she writes about abilities? Abilities are the qualities that we need in order to be skillful and ultimately successful. Read more.
Resource: Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender
EEOC Loses ADA Challenge To Wis. Co.'s Wellness Program
A federal judge has ruled that an Americans with Disabilities Act provision allows employers such as a Wisconsin plastics maker to require employees to undergo medical exams as part of wellness programs tied to voluntary company-subsidized health insurance, handing a loss to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission." Read more.
Resource: Kevin Penton, Law360
LEADERSHIP
Loss of Control: Lawyers’ Greatest Fear
"When lawyers are surveyed about what keeps them awake at night, their top issue is almost always a feeling that their offices or cases are out of control." Read more.
Resource: Dustin Cole, Attorney at Work
A New Metric to Evaluate Law Firm Quality
"Justice Potter Stewart’s celebrated 'I know it when I see it' obscenity test also applies to law firm quality. No one can quite say what it is, but most attorneys and clients claim to know it when they see it. This is a very subjective standard in a metric driven world." Read more.
Resource: Mark Cohen, Bloomberg BNA
Operations
What Exactly Is “The File”?
"It is drilled into us during ethics classes, studying for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination, and in continuing legal education courses: When a client requests it, you must hand over “the file.” But have you ever stopped to think, 'What exactly is the file?' The question is a lot more complicated than we are led to believe." Read more.
Resource: Megan Zavieh, Attorney at Work
SECURITY
Employees Take Sensitive Company Data When They Leave the Job: Survey
"Technology a company implements plays a major role when deciding to take company data. Tools such as Dropbox, Google Drive and email, makes taking files almost effortless." Read more.
Resource: Trudy Knockless, Legaltech News
Traditional Passwords are Becoming Obsolete: Survey
"The data indicates that businesses nationwide are increasing their cybersecurity budgets and exploring alternative authentication techniques to passwords." Read more.
Resource: Trudy Knockless, Legaltech News
Canadian Financial Regulatory Organization Releases Cybersecurity Guides
"The two guides look to help investment dealers protect themselves and their clients against cyber attack." Read more.
Resource: Zach Warren, Legaltech News
SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession Planning for Lawyers and Law Firms: Not Just a Good Idea, Now Required!
"Effective January 1, 2016, Arizona lawyers must have a succession plan. Yes, that’s must.The Arizona Supreme Court has added a new duty in Rule 41, Ariz. R. Sup. Ct.:The duties and obligations of members shall be…[t]o protect current and former client interests by planning for the lawyer’s termination of or inability to continue a law practice, either temporarily or permanently." Read more.
Resource: Patricia A. Sallen, Ethics at Law
TECHNOLOGY
How to Boost Your Office’s Wireless Network Like a High Tech Pro
There are some basic steps you can take to improve your office’s wireless network, without having to make (major) upgrades to your equipment. Here are 12 Easy Tips to help you Boost Your Wireless Network Like a High Tech Professional. Read more.
Resource: Brian Focht, The Cyber Advocate
Committee Members
Sharon Meit Abrahams, EdD - Foley & Lardner LLP
Mark Davey ~ Ricoh USA, Inc.
Anthony Greene ~ Jamison Risk Services
Eric Hightower, CLM, SPHR ~ Davis Agnor Rapaport Skalny
John Jakovenko, CLM, SPHR ~ Freeman Mathis & Gary
William Mech ~ ofPartner Consulting Services
Steven Morris, CLM, SPHR ~ Allen Matkins
Paul Morton ~ Burns & Levinson LLP
Savannah Robinson, MPA ~ Barnes & Thornburg LLP
ALA Liaison to Committee
Susan Hanf ~ ALA Sr. Director, Member Experience
Email: shanf@alanet.org
Website: www.alanet.org
Phone: 847-267-1252