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Month: June 2023

Amazing Networking Opportunities for Chicago Lawyers

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By Ron Bockstahler

If you’re anything like me, there are times we dread going to those scheduled networking events. Not that we don’t want to visit with people, but our schedules get busy, we fall behind on work, we sacrifice time with family, or whatever the reason, it can be hard to carve out the time for planned networking.

Yesterday my COO was telling me a fun story about this past Friday night. Our offices have been pretty busy, with more and more people back in the office. It was past 7 p.m., but still light out and she didn’t realize the time. She talks with a few clients that are still working and they ask her what she is still doing in the office. Without realizing the time, she tells them she is working, of course.

They tell her it is past 7 p.m. and offer her a beverage and ask her to join them in the Cognac room. It turns out to be a wonderful, serendipitous get together with a few clients she knows and one she just met that day. Turns out the client has an aunt that performed on Saturday Night Live and did some training at Second City. My COO has taken classes at Second City and they immediately were able to build on this and come up with a lot of fun memories to laugh about.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that experiencing those serendipitous moments, the opportunities for unplanned conversations with others is what I enjoy the most about going into the office. Nothing is planned, there’s no anxiety build-up or second thoughts about what I am missing or giving up to attend a social gathering. Just unrehearsed, natural conversation with peers, co-workers and friends.

It helps that my office is at Amata Office Suites, where I have the opportunity to meet people, other than my co-workers, in the café, hallway or Cognac room. In my business, just about 70% of our new clients come from referrals from existing clients. For lawyers, I’ve read that upwards of 80% of their new business comes from referrals from other lawyers. Having unplanned, unsolicited opportunities to build relationships with others than can refer you business is invaluable. Consider how your year would change if you received one referral form a serendipitous meeting each year.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how you can leverage Amata’s networking for your business, contact us here to get started.

Discover our networking events for Chicago lawyers.

Selecting The Best Virtual Office

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How do you select the best virtual office program? There has been a big increase in the demand for these programs recently. With the increased demand  many new players, looking to make a quick buck, have entered the playing field. Some are marketing companies, with no direct responsibility for the services you are receiving.

Others have very limited resources and experience in providing clients the services they need. When selecting a virtual office provider be sure to look into their history and to make sure they will be accountable for providing the services you are paying for. The most successful companies survive on their reputation, so providing the best service possible is how they win new clients.

Amata Office Suites has been providing Virtual office services for more than 21 years. Understanding how to take care of our clients is what we do better than anyone in the industry.

WHO USES VIRTUAL OFFICE PROGRAMS

Large firms are using virtual office programs to open in new cities. Since the pandemic began many small firms have converted to virtual office programs to reduce costs. Midsize firms that have given up traditional office leases now maintain a combination of physical office space in a coworking office, with a virtual presence for those employees that do not come into the office on a regular basis. Almost every business, regardless of size or the nature of the business, can benefit from maintaining some type of virtual office program.

SECURITY PROTECTIONS AND PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

When selecting the best virtual office, it is important they provide adequate security protections. Providing a home address and personal phone number can expose an owner to unnecessary risk. By using a virtual address for the company, an owner is better able to insulate their private lives from that of their business. In much the same way, separating an owner’s personal cell phone number from the business phone number helps to keep personal information separate from that of the business.

For most businesses a professional image influences their pricing models. Businesses with positive images in the minds of their consumers have more pricing power than those with a negative or neutral image. Companies with a prestigious address in a desirable location, immediately create a positive impression with clients.

COST SAVINGS

Renting or buying a physical office space can be a significant expense for businesses, especially startups or small businesses. Virtual offices offer a cost-effective alternative as they allow businesses to have a prestigious business address at a fraction of what a traditional office space would cost.

Virtual offices enable businesses to operate remotely and have a distributed workforce. Employees can work from anywhere, and the business can have a presence in multiple locations, creating a global presence. Firms can have local addresses and phone numbers in various countries or cities, helping them establish credibility and connect with local customers. This flexibility allows for increased productivity, profitability, and work-life balance for employees.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Virtual office services can include mail handling, a prestigious address, and many additional services that are provided a’ la carte. Many providers specialize by industry. For example, Amata Office Suites provides call answering with client in-take for law firms and professional service companies. Using a provider that provides a phone and phone app eliminates the expense of sourcing a separate business phone provider.

Administrative support can include the use of professional administrative assistants, paralegals and virtual assistants. Taking advantage of these resources will reduce a company’s fixed expenses, reducing risk.

Access to conferencing facilities is another benefit to using a virtual office service. The most prestigious virtual office providers provide access to meeting rooms, with the latest conferencing technologies to host in-person and virtual meetings. This provides businesses access to prestigious meeting rooms when needed, without the need for a dedicated office space.

Speak with an Amata team member to find out how your firm can benefit with a virtual office program. Contact us today.

Discover our virtual offices in Chicago.

Maximizing the Value of a Full-Time Employee

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Employee utilization rates may be the most ignored or misunderstood stat in small businesses and law firms. Instead of using quantifiable data, many small businesses rely on emotions or intuition to determine when it is time to hire a new employee.

What metrics is your company using to ensure an employees’ time is effectively utilized. Is there accurate data available to help determine when to make a new hire?

It is hard to imagine a law firm that generates revenue through billable hours hiring an additional lawyer if their current lawyers are only billing 10 hours each week.

EMPLOYEE UTILIZATION USING BILLABLE HOURS

We define employee utilization as the hours an employee is engaged in productive work divided by the total hours the employee is paid.

Generally, employees are paid for 2,080 hours annually (including vacation and sick time, excluding overtime). If you expect your employees to generate 1,352 billable hours each year, their utilization rate will be 65%.

Once an employee consistently reaches the utilization rate goal, it is time to hire an additional employee to continue growing your business. If the employee continuously fails to reach the utilization rate goal, it may be time to reevaluate if you have the best employee for the job.

ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE UTILIZATION

For employees that do not generate revenue through billable hours, such as my companies accounting team members, require them to maintain a work log each day detailing what they worked on and how long it took. A simple spreadsheet is easy to create for each employee to log into throughout the day. This is a valuable tool for employees that work remotely and those that work in the office.

Understanding how much time employees spend on productive work versus time spent surfing the internet, emailing friends, and shopping will help companies increase productivity. Just knowing accountability measures are in place will quickly increase productivity among team members. A Google search on office worker productivity statistics may surprise you. The average office worker is productive 31% of their workday. In an 8 hour day, employees are not doing productive work for 5.5 hours, yet companies are paying for those hours.

BEST PRACTICES

To maximize employee utilization, here are some best practices to consider:

  1. Effective Workforce Planning
    Analyze your business needs, forecast workloads, and plan your workforce accordingly. This involves understanding the demands of different projects, departments, or seasons and aligning your staff resources accordingly.
  2. Clear Communication and Goal Setting
    Ensure that employees have a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations. Set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals with your employees.  This enables them to prioritize their tasks and utilize time effectively.
  3. Efficient Task Assignment
    Match employees’ skills, expertise, and interests with the tasks they handle. Assign tasks based on strengths and provide opportunities for growth and development.
  4. Optimize Work Processes
    Streamline workflows and eliminate unnecessary steps or bottlenecks that can hinder productivity. Encourage employees to provide input on process improvements and implement their suggestions when possible. This will lead to increased efficiency and reduce time wasting activities.
  5. Regular Performance Monitoring
    Implement a system to track and monitor employee performance, enabling management to identify areas where employees may be underutilized or overburdened. Provide constructive feedback and offer support to help them overcome challenges and improve performance.
  6. Training and Skill Development
    Invest in training programs and provide opportunities for employees to enhance their skills. This helps them become more versatile and capable of handling a broader range of tasks, improving their overall utilization.
  7. Flexibility and Cross-Functional Collaboration
    Promote a culture of flexibility and cross-functional collaboration. Encourage employees to share their skills, knowledge, and experiences with one another. Foster a dynamic and resourceful workforce that can adapt to changing needs and fill gaps in different areas.
  8. Effective Time Management
    Work with employees on how to set priorities, avoid multitasking, and minimize distractions. Encourage breaks to maintain a healthy work-life balance and avoid employee burnout.
  9. Technology and Automation
    Deploy tools to streamline repetitive tasks, minimize manual effort, and free up employees’ time. Implementing the right tools can significantly increase overall productivity and employee utilization.
  10. Recognition and Rewards
    Recognize and reward employees for their achievements and efforts. A positive and motivating work environment can boost employee morale, engagement, and overall productivity.

Remember, maximizing employee utilization is not synonymous with overworking employees. It is crucial employees are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. An alternative to overworking employees or hiring new employees before revenues justify them is Amata’s on-demand virtual assistants, executive assistants and paralegals. Amata can assist with overflow work, back-up when a full-time staff member is out or on a temporary basis while the company is searching for a new full-time employee.

Would you like to speak with Amata team members to find someone that is a fit for you? Contact us today.

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A Civil Rights Law Firm Expands Their Client Base With Amata

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For years Amata has partnered with the Chicago-Kent College of Law’s Solo and Small Practice Incubator program, providing participants office space at no charge and reduced costs on support services while in the program. Once participants graduate the program Amata continues supporting them with programs that scale in cost to allow them time to build up their law practice.

One such participant has been an Amata client since 2017, building a thriving civil rights law practice. Over the years, the firm has used many of the services Amata offers, scaling those services based on the needs and revenue of law firm. Without paying any full-time employees, the firm’s owner has Amata team members answering calls, logging messages, and calling clients to schedule appointments. During periods the firm is getting ready for trial, Amata’s paralegals assist with trial preparation.

Recently this firm expanded the role Amata’s staff plays in new client in-take. As in the past, Amata’s receptionist answers the phone for all callers. With potential new clients, the receptionist takes down the caller’s name, contact information, and a brief description of their situation. This information is shared with the attorney via email. When the attorney wishes to pursue the matter, Amata’s staff calls the potential new client and, using a 25-question in-take form. Once complete, the Amata team member schedules an appointment for the attorney to meet with the potential client either in-person or by video call. The firm has also started using Amata’s Spanish translation team members while expanding the firm’s client base.

Without jeopardizing the ability to provide exceptional legal services to clients, the firm is able to scale expenses up and down with the workload, maximizing profitability while keeping costs to clients affordable. For example, when the firm had two cases going to trial at the same time, Amata’s team was engaged for 12 hours of work. The client was billed $1,020 for this work and invoiced their client $2,040.

This flexibility has allowed the firms partner to enjoy practicing law, maintain a healthy work/life balance, and to maximize the number of clients the firm is able to assist.

Looking to have your law firm supported so you can add more clients? Contact us today.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.