Amata Law Offices – Page 12

A Civil Rights Law Firm Expands Their Client Base With Amata

June 18, 2025June 2, 2023 by Amata Law Offices

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.

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Paralegal Services Provider: What You Need To Know

June 11, 2025September 30, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

Today’s law firms are at no shortage of things to do. From handling an ever-increasing caseload to keeping up with the latest changes in the law, attorneys have their hands full. This is where a paralegal services provider come in.

What are Paralegal Services?

Paralegal Services are defined as the provision of legal services by a non-lawyer who is qualified to perform substantive legal work through a combination of education, training or work experience. These services may be provided to lawyers, law firms, businesses or individuals and can include everything from legal research and writing to assisting with closings, trial preparation and more.

Paralegal services give law firms the convenience of on-demand support staff to extend their operations. Through ticketing based systems, providers match clients with the right paralegal for the task at hand, making it easy to get started with little-to-no administrative hassle.

The use of paralegal service providers has increased in recent years as the legal industry has become more complex and competitive. The need for qualified support staff has never been greater, and paralegal services provide an efficient way to get the help you need without the overhead of a full-time employee.

This type of support can be especially helpful for small law firms who may not have the budget to support a full-time staff member, or for attorneys who handle infrequent legal matters.

What a Paralegal Service Provider Can Offer You

Paralegal services have become popular for good reason. They have a slew of applications and benefits to take advantage of, including the following.

Great Value at a Low Cost

What is perhaps the greatest advantage of using a paralegal service provider is the cost-effectiveness it offers. When you work with a paralegal service provider, you only pay for the services you need, when you need them. This is in contrast to a full-time employee, who you would need to pay even when there is no work for them to do.

With a paralegal, law firms can reap the full benefits of a highly trained legal professional without having to shoulder the full-time costs of salary, benefits, taxes, and more. This can free up a significant amount of money that can be used for other purposes, such as marketing or expanding business operations.

Flexibility and Scalability

Another advantage of paralegal services is the flexibility and scalability they offer. When you work with a paralegal service provider, you can increase or decrease the number of hours you need as your workload ebbs and flows. This can be a major advantage for small law firms or attorneys who handle a high volume of cases sporadically throughout the year.

Wide Range of Applications

As thoroughly trained and experienced professionals, paralegals are able to fulfill almost as many roles as lawyers themselves. The services they provide can be anything from research and writing to assisting with closings, trial preparation, and more. This makes them a versatile tool that can be used in a wide range of situations.

Virtual and Office-based Availability

If the past few years have shown us anything, it’s that the traditional 9-to-5 workday is no longer the only option. With the rise of the internet and advances in technology, more and more people are working remotely. This is true for paralegals as well.

Some paralegal service providers have a physical office where you can meet with them in person, while others are entirely virtual. This gives you the flexibility to work with experienced paralegals that are based in your city or a virtual paralegal that is located elsewhere in the country.

Considering Paralegal Services for Your Law Firm?

Amata Law Office Suites is a leading provider of paralegal and administrative support solutions to law firms across the United States. Our senior paralegals boast more than 20 years of experience in the field and are adept at handling a wide range of tasks, from research and writing to trial preparation and more.
Whether you need assistance on an as-needed basis or are looking for a more comprehensive solution, we have a package that is right for you.

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A Look at Hybrid Work for Small and Midsized Law Firms

June 18, 2025August 5, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

By Ron Bockstahler

We are going on our third year living with Covid-19 and some of the early predictions about a hybrid work/office model are starting to become reality. But the truth is, this reality looks different for almost every law firm and is heavily influenced by personal preference, type of law practiced, and individual situations. When it comes to creating the perfect hybrid work environment, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Over the past 30 days, I have worked with five law firms helping them to create a hybrid work environment that will allow them to optimize resources, maximize profitability, and maintain firm culture. All these firms were successful prior to the pandemic and their work volume has been consistently increasing since the pandemic began. Their challenges include maintaining firm culture, developing new associates, coordinating work projects, and keeping their work force from leaving for new opportunities. I will even add my own company, Amata Law Office Suites, into the discussion since we too have experienced similar challenges during the pandemic and are now wrestling with how we move forward. Let’s look at a couple of these firms, their situation and how, at least for now, they are moving forward with hybrid work/office solutions.

Let’s start by talking about the largest of the five firms I’ve recently worked with. Since the project is ongoing, I will not mention the firm name for confidentiality purposes. The firm is based in Florida, with locations in several other states. In Chicago they have 38 attorneys and occupy two adjacent floors in the Chicago loop, about 35,000 sq. ft. in total. I started talking with this firm about a year ago, late in 2021, as they were considering the best way to move forward with their office space. Like most of us, they wanted to see how the pandemic would play out and how their lawyers and staff would adjust to remote work before making any big decisions on their office space. With enough experience working remote and a lot of input from their lawyers, they are now ready to move forward with a hybrid work/office model they believe will work well for their firm. Their model involves giving up both floors at their Chicago office in a partnership with Amata Law Office Suites, with the firm maintaining twelve offices for lawyers and staff who have elected to come into the office regularly and four offices for hoteling among lawyers and staff that come into the office only occasionally. The firm is signing a licensing agreement with Amata and will use the common areas and conference rooms in the same way as other Amata client. The lawyers and staff without offices have elected to work remotely, only coming into the office for firm meetings or to occasionally meet with clients. By giving up their permanent office space the firm can reduce expenses by just under $800,000 each year.

Next is a three-attorney law firm with two staff members. For the partners of this firm, the remote work model did not suit their work preference. In fact, since the beginning of the pandemic, they have been coming into the office every day. It is common to see the partners meeting serendipitously to discuss a client or case they are involved in. They are all old enough to be empty nesters, so they can work at home without interruptions. Instead, they enjoy the camaraderie the office provides. If I were to rank the reasons lawyers give me for coming into the office, camaraderie and the social aspects would be at the top of the list. For years one of my favorite sayings when talking with my managers has been, busy makes busy. Create a busy environment and people will gravitate to that environment.

Want to learn more about how Amata helps law firms leverage hybrid work? We can help you find the right fit – start a conversation with us here.

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Five Things to Look for in Shared Office Space (Revised)

June 11, 2025July 22, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

By Ron Bockstahler

Recent events in the shared office space realm compel me to update this article with a couple of very important points that were not mentioned originally. Today I met with an attorney who was originally introduced to me more than three years ago when he was considering changing his office space. At the time, my company didn’t win his business because he wasn’t unhappy with his space and the perceived hassle of changing addresses for active cases just didn’t seem like it was worth it at that time. Two days ago, the shared office this attorney runs his law firm out of, a large international shared office company, provided a 13-day notice that they are closing the center and all tenants will have to relocate to one of their other locations or find new office space on their own. Now anyone that has ever looked for new office space knows that 13 days is hardly enough time to secure new office space and coordinate a move, especially if your firm has a large active caseload.

Last night I was reminded of another operator that closed their offices and gave their tenants less than two weeks notice to vacate. Many tenants believe that there is little chance of this happening if they join a large national or international co-working company or hared office provider. But almost all the large providers set up each of their locations as individual LLC’s, making it very easy for them to close the non-performing centers with little to no recourse to their parent company. When they do close a center, they provide a very short notice to force their clients to move to another one of their centers that are remaining open.

It’s impossible to eliminate the risk of a center closing, but here are a few questions to ask that will help minimize the risk of going through this very difficult experience. First, inquire about the remaining lease term at the center you are considering. If the co-working operator owns the building, ask them about future plans, what their building-hold strategy is and if the co-working operation has a lease with the building, even if both have the same owners. The next question is to find out what the current occupancy of the center is. We use 85% as a measure of full occupancy and anything under 70% is a red flag that the center could be on the block to close soon. The obvious exception to this is if the center opened less than a year ago and is in the early stages of leasing. To that point, a new center is generally a safe bet that it will remain open for the next 1-2 years, regardless of occupancy. Finally, make sure you understand if the operator is a local, regional, or national operator.

There’s no question that from time to time, offices will close for various reasons, many reasons that are out of the control of the operator. The issue is when operators do not provide adequate notice for tenants to research options and make an educated decision on a new office space. If an operator only has one center, that should be a red flag and you need to scrutinize the deal they are offering very closely. Regional operators usually have several centers, are privately owned, and generally go to extreme lengths to protect their reputation. Even if they do close a center, chances are they will handle it in a professional manner, providing as much notice to clients as possible to protect their reputation in the industry and in their areas they operate.

The last point I will make is regarding taking an office with another law firm. For example, I have worked with several lawyers that have taken an office with a law firm that has a direct lease. The comments I hear most often when a lawyer is electing this option, is the cost is cheaper than a professional co-working operator and they do not need to sign a lease. It is true that the cost is generally cheaper because the lessor law firm is looking to offset a small portion of their fixed expenses for a short period of time. However, the benefit of not signing a lease, often, becomes a liability when the law firm provides a very short notice, generally less than two weeks, that the lawyer must move out because the law firm has hired new staff and will need the office. This almost always leaves the renting attorney in a difficult position at the most inopportune time.

You still want to focus on paralegal support, professional atmosphere and amenities, private office options, the legal network opportunities, and location. But even before you consider these things, make sure you are working with a reputable operator and that the location you are considering checks all the boxes highlighted above. Doing due diligence prior to selecting your next office will save you time and money in the long run.

Looking to get the most out of your office space? We can help you find the right fit – start a conversation with us here.

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Law Firm Valuation Process and Considerations

June 11, 2025July 18, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

By Katherine A. Puffer, CPA/ABV, CPCU, MBA

Even if you’re not in the market to sell your law firm, there are several reasons to value your firm such as a possible firm merger, securing loan financing, the addition of new partners, and other business and personal matters such as your succession/exit strategy. It is not only important to know the value of your firm, but also the process analysts take to come to an estimated value. Several valuation approaches are used, and depending on your firm’s circumstances, valuation analysts may use a combination of the income, asset, and market approaches to estimate the value of the firm.

The Valuation Process:

To begin, the asset approach presumes that the value of the firm is best determined by the sum of the value of all the firm’s tangible assets subtracted by the liabilities, leaving the net value of its tangible assets (“net tangible assets”). Many firms maintain financial records using cash-based accounting, thus for valuation purposes, their cash-based financials are adjusted to accrual-based financials. For example, accounts receivable, work-in-progress and accounts payable are added to the cash basis balance sheet to arrive at an accrual basis balance sheet. The next step in an asset-based valuation is to adjust the accounting asset values to their market value. For example, fixed assets such as computer equipment are adjusted to their estimated market value (likely close to zero). Asset-based valuations generally do not contain “goodwill” which is the value of a firm over and above the value of its net tangible assets. As a result, the asset approach is generally used to estimate value of real estate entities, holding companies and unprofitable firms. For profitable firms, it provides a minimum value for analysts to consider.

The income approach values a firm based on cash that can be distributed to partners (“free cash flow”, “cash flow”). Free cash flow is not net income and for growing companies it is generally less than net income. Free cash flow takes into consideration the amount of income that must be held in the firm to fund accounts receivable, work-in-progress, purchases of equipment and other capital needs. For S corporations and LLC’s, distributions to owners to pay taxes are also deducted from net income to arrive at free cash flow. There are a number of methodologies that the valuation analyst can use under the income approach. The methodology chosen depends on whether future free cash flow is expected to grow steadily, vary from year to year or can be estimated based on prior year’s results. After future free cash flow is estimated or forecasted, it is discounted back to the valuation date based on the valuation analyst’s assessment of the risk of achieving future cash flows. For example, a lack of a firm succession plan adds to the risk of achieving future cash flows, increases the discount rate and results in decreased estimated value. Conversely, the existence of a repeating income stream generally reduces risk and the discount rate, resulting in increased estimated value. The final step in the income approach is to subtract firm debt. The income approach arguably provides the most theoretically accurate estimated value for a firm as it is based on the actual firm characteristics and results. ²

However, the accuracy of this approach is dependent on estimates of future free cash flow and the discount rate.

Finally, the market approach involves researching the sales of other law firms and utilizing information on the sale of firms with operating and financial characteristics similar to the subject firm to arrive at an estimated value. At a minimum, seven to ten comparable sales are needed to utilize this approach. Information provided on the sale of law practices and the nature of the practices involved is sometimes too incomplete to provide a basis for calculating a value indication.

Other Considerations:

Many law practices have buy-sell agreements in place to avoid fighting over value in the event that a buy-out must occur. Many of these agreements contain formulas that have nothing to do with the economic reality of the situation. This frequently causes fights among the owners. In certain jurisdictions, these types of agreements will not be considered indicative of value for a marital dissolution case.

In a law practice, there tends to be much more dependence on the professional than in other types of businesses. During the valuation process, the attributes of the professional(s) must be considered. Unusual skills, long work hours, a large referral base, and other similar factors will certainly affect the valuation, whether it ends up as a part of reasonable compensation or built into the discount or capitalization rate.

Probably one of the most difficult assets to value on the balance sheet of a law practice is work in progress. Unless the firm keeps really good records, this can be pretty tricky. This is particularly true for a contingent fee law firm.¹

When a professional practice is being valued for transaction or litigation purposes, it may be important to identify professional and practice goodwill separately and to discuss the likelihood that a portion of the professional goodwill can be transferred in a transaction.

Consistently high earnings do not necessarily indicate a high practice value for a number of reasons. If earnings are highly volatile, as they can be for a law firm with large contingent-fee cases, value tends to be lower based on the risk of achieving future estimated cash flows. A professional with an outstanding reputation may attract many referrals, but the resulting high earnings in the practice reflect professional goodwill, not practice goodwill. A professional may work much longer than normal hours, but the resulting high earnings may not increase the value of the practice.²

While, rules of thumb (formulaic: expressed in multiples of revenue or earnings) may provide insight on the value of a professional practice, it is usually only appropriate to use them for reasonableness tests of other valuation approaches.

For more information contact:

Katherine A. Puffer, CPA/ABV, CPCU, MBA
312-235-2866 (O)
847-477-1954 (M) [email protected]

Sources:

https://www.mondaq.com/unitedstates/strategic-planning/890134/what39s-your-firm-worth- understanding-law-firm-valuations https://www.olmsteadassoc.com/resource-center/law-firm-succession-exit-strategies-valuing-the- firm/

http://www.firmvaluation.net/asset-based-valuation-methods.html https://articles.bplans.com/rules-of-thumb-business-valuation-explained/ https://www.uschamber.com/co/good-company/ask-the-board/how-to-prepare-your-business-for- sale

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Developing New Associates

June 11, 2025July 8, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

By Ron Bockstahler, CEO

As most of the world is emerging from the pandemic and trying to figure out what the new normal will look like, many law firms and professional organizations are moving to a hybrid work environment. It’s not like most of us have a lot of choice. It’s an employee labor market and to keep great employees, you must be more flexible than in the past. This past Sunday I was at a benefit for The Simon Wiesenthal Center and sat with the co-managing partner of an 18-attorney law firm. At dinner he stated, “If I go into the office tomorrow and demand our attorneys come back to the office every day, most will quit. They all are in high demand, with too many options and do not want to come into the office every day.” He even referenced a law firm larger than his that recently announced they are transitioning to a 100% virtual work environment.

The one area my dinner guest was concerned about is how do you develop new associates if you rarely see them in person? It turns out this is a big concern for many firms that hire young associates. Virtual law firms have been around for years, and most have grown at a fast pace during the pandemic. The difference is most of the established virtual law firms such as FisherBroyles only recruit experienced lawyers or as they claim, “partner-level attorneys”. But if you’re a solo with ambitions of growing your firm by adding young associates, a purely virtual office model can be difficult.

In full disclosure, I founded a company that provides flexible office space to law firms back in 2002. So, I have been singing about the values of flexible and virtual office space for a long time, mostly on deaf ears in the legal community. Well, maybe not totally deaf ears, we do serve over 800 law firms. My point is, if you are a rain maker and want to grow your firm by hiring young associates to perform the lion’s share of the work, you need some type of office space where you can spend time with your associates to develop them. You are building a law firm based on a different business model than firms like FisherBroyles or Potomac Law Group.

In a different meeting with a founding partner of a 7-attorney law firm last month, this issue of developing new associates was a hot topic. This firm gave up the office space they had for 20 years midway through the pandemic and took a virtual office at one of my Chicago offices. It seemed like this would be a permanent arrangement since the senior partners are empty nesters and enjoyed working from home. But when two associates, with 5 and 7 years’ experience respectively, left for in-house positions, mindsets changed. The question became, how do we develop two new associates working 100% remotely? The solution they settled on was for most of the firm to remain virtual, but to add two permanent offices to spend 2-3 days each week working with the new associates in-person. When you break down the cost between 2 offices in a law firm office suite versus their long-time home with a direct lease, the savings amount to a bit over $240,000 annually.

More important than the financial savings, the firm has been able to create a hybrid work model that satisfies the needs of the partners and the young associates. I’ll keep singing the praises for flexible and virtual office space for 20 more years, but based on what I am seeing today, it won’t be on deaf ears. The legal industry is changing for the better and hopefully these changes will result in a more balanced work/life model that supports individual attorneys while allowing the firm to maintain the connection and culture that develops from in-person interaction between attorneys.

Want to find out more about how your firm could benefit from a hybrid work model? Start a conversation with us here.

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Reverse-Engineering A Law Firm To Improve Client And Employee Retention

June 18, 2025June 26, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

A Perspective by Ron Bockstahler, CEO

Raising six children has given me some insight into the creative mind. For years I have been amazed at how my children find creative ways to avoid their chores or how they will spend 20 minutes trying to convince me they completed 2 hours’ worth of homework in 15 minutes so that they can watch a show or go play with friends. Recently I was reading an article about a first grader that noticed his father was having difficulty with the car radio, so he explained to his father he should reverse-engineer it. After some investigation the father learned the young scholar was learning about industrial espionage at summer camp, where they were deconstructing toys or reverse-engineering them and using the parts to make new toys. College level instruction and material many consultants have built their careers on.

It seems law firms would be well-served to apply the same thinking this first grader used with his father’s car radio to their business operations. Start with considering how best to care for clients, with reasonable profit margins. Yes, profit margins are not a bad thing, but they are when the firm pays little to no attention to expenses with the mindset that they have near unlimited pricing power. When it comes to taking care of clients, this is best done by employees that enjoy their work and the work environment in which they spend most of their waking hours. For more years than I care to admit, I believed working set hours in the office demonstrated my quality of work and commitment to my employer. With age comes wisdom, or so we hope, which is why I have a different view point today.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating a work environment where we all can maximize productivity and happiness. Prior to the pandemic most of us came into the office 5 days a week and worked fairly set hours. It was our norm, what we grew up watching our parents do, and what we were groomed to do from an early age going to school. Although, somewhere between school and getting a full-time job we eliminated the long summer vacation we all enjoyed so much. Now that we are reverse engineering the work schedule, place of work and work conditions, maybe this is something that needs to be implemented into work life in some form?

Law firms and other professional organizations are competing for a small pool of available employees and the primary tool being used to lure these employees is compensation, a tool that can run counter to the best interest of your clients, since they are directly or indirectly picking up the tab. There are numerous articles highlighting the factors employees are taking into account when deciding which job offer to accept. As you are going through this reverse-engineering process of your law firm, pay attention to what your employees are asking. If they want flexibility, try to change your business model to allow the most flexibility possible. This may mean introducing flexible work hours, being creative with where they work, implementing a hybrid work model that still allows the firm to maintain the desired culture, or maybe implementing rotating sabbaticals for team members.

As you work through the reverse-engineering process of how your law firm operates, be open to new creative possibilities. Can you reduce your office footprint and reduce costs to your clients? Are employees more productive and loyal when allowed some freedom to choose when and where they are allowed to work? What is involved in creating and maintaining a culture? These are a few of the questions to consider as you work through this process.

I’ve been providing flexible office space and support services to law firms for 20 years and have never experienced the demand from law firms with 5-15 lawyers and support staff that I am seeing today. Is it possible the traditional office for small and midsize law firms is changing forever? As I client to a few law firms, I sure hope so. I will add that I expect to see corresponding cost reductions in the services I receive because today’s law firm should be able to operate with a lower overhead than was possible just 7 years ago. If they cannot, it may be time for clients to rethink the law firms with whom they work.

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Meet The Candidate Night with Special Guest Jesse White

June 11, 2025June 15, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

Deidre Baumann for Cook County Judge (Punch 177)

Meet The Candidate Night with Special Guest Secretary of State Jesse White

Amata is proud to host our next Meet the Candidate Night with community member attorney Deidre Baumann on the ballot for Cook County Judge.

Running for public office is a very big undertaking and an act that deserves our time to listen and learn about the candidates. Attorney Deidre Baumann, a life-long Chicagoan and dedicated civil litigator in our community is running for Cook County Judge and will be on democratic primary ballot on June 28^th. Deidre bring patience, compassion, experience and knowledge to the bench and asks for your support. She is endorsed by Secretary of State Jesse White, Congressman Danny K. Davis, Representative Omar Williams, Alderman Jason Irvin, Walter Burnett, Emma Mitts, Chris Taliafero, Roderick Sawyer, Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar, IVI-IPO, ChicagoNOW, Personal PAC, LGBTG IMPACT, Westside Voter’s Coalition PAC, and others.

Join us and special guest Secretary of State Jesse White

Date: Wednesday, June 22^nd,
Time: 5 pm – 7 pm
Location: 180 N. LaSalle St., 37^th Floor

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Amata Law Offices Suites supports Haymarket Opera | Chicago Entertainment

June 11, 2025June 14, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

We Welcome Back the Haymarket Ballet!

In the French tradition, L’Amant anonyme overflows with stylish dance, performed by members of the Haymarket Opera Ballet. Choreographed by baroque dance specialist Sarah Edgar, Haymarket welcomes dancer Kali Page Benz, Julie Brumfiel, Andrew Erickson and Emmanuel Ramirez. Alongside the delights of this charming opera, enjoy the elegance of early ballet this June!

The premier for Haymarket Opera’s rendition of L’Amant anonyme is set for Thursday, June 16^th. With Sunday’s performance sold out and only a few tickets available for Friday and Saturday, get your tickets today!

The Stage is Set by Chase Hopkins, General Director Haymarket Opera Company

It was a huge day for the technical team as the hand-painted scenery was unfurled and hung. Four crew members were needed to hand-tie these fabric panels into place, and even in their initial stages, they look beautiful. Designer, artist, and historian Wendy Waszut-Barret has created something very special for this production.

Our lighting designer, Brian Schneider also had a big day with our master electrician to rig the lighting. The next process will involve focusing the lights in the directions they should hit the stage and scenery. Following that, our team will use “light walkers” or stand-ins for the cast to test lighting levels and set cues for the show. We are running slightly behind on this schedule, but not to worry, it will sparkle when it’s done! Brian and I are also playing with the refracted light from dim chandeliers in the hall to emulate candle glow in the audience. We’ll see where that ends up, but I think it could be an added element that transports us back to the 18th century… without real candles of course. Enough wooden theatres have burned down to ensure that no modern theater allows for real flames on stage!

Costumes

Costumes had their final fitting, which is always such a joy. The cast have been creating their characters in staging rehearsals for the past two weeks, but once the gloves, hats, skirts, and coats are on, they come to life! The final fittings require a great deal of coordination with our fabulous costume designer, Stephanie Cluggish and the stichers that make each of the garments by hand. Now that they have had their final fittings, last alterations can be made ahead of the dress rehearsals and performances.

Similarly, wigs are being fitted and styled. Each of our 10 cast members, both singers and dancers will appear in period-style wigs. As we have learned, people of the 18th century were actually disgusting, their wigs and hair being no exception. For the comfort of our cast, we’ve chosen to ignore SOME historical practices to stay in line with health and safety standards of today 🙂 For the first time we welcome wig designer Megan Pirtle. Megan is a chicago-based designer with great experience from the Lyric and other theatres. As Megan finishes styling the wigs this week, I look forward to seeing the finished product with you at the performances!

Orchestra

On Monday we work with our fabulous orchestra. Craig will be leading these orchestra-only sessions ahead of work with the cast and the dress rehearsals. We welcome 8 specialists from around the nation who perform on 18-century wind and brass instruments. It should be a fantastic addition to our merry crew. Unfortunately, covid has already taken its toll, as Craig and I had to replace one of our natural horn players today. We are lucky to have sourced a replacement in such short notice! That’s what producing in the time of covid looks like now!

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Six Things That Keep a Paralegal Up at Night

June 18, 2025June 10, 2022 by Amata Law Offices

A great paralegal strives to deliver work on time and accurately.

They’re also vital to law firms because they handle everyday tasks on several cases at a time to keep the caseload moving in the right direction.

What do they worry about the most? They have the skills and talents they need to succeed every day, even in a busy legal environment.

We’ll take a look at six things that keep a paralegal up at night, and how they help bring success to a law firm.

1) Time Management

Paralegals are always busy with the daily tasks that keep law firms and solo practices running smoothly. There is plenty to do throughout the day, such as answering phones, talking to current clients, responding to emails, preparing documents, and getting ready for depositions.

With increased caseload comes increased workload, which is a good thing for your law firm.

When the daily tasks of running your practice become too much and you don’t have enough time to accomplish these tasks, perhaps it’s time to look into a paralegal to help alleviate your workload.

2) Caseload Management

Paralegals are at the front lines of caseload management. They know what cases should have priority and which ones have looming deadlines. They also know when and how to pass along messages to attorneys regarding important developments in the case, especially if the other counsel reaches out to make a pretrial settlement and it’s time to negotiate.

Would you rather just focus on the aspect of case law to focus on your clients? Or would you rather understand what cases need your attention first and foremost?

Paralegals can help you manage cases from start to finish. They use automated tools to keep track of things (Amicus is a good one), otherwise they would spend too much time doing extra busy work.

Automated tools and platforms also store information, documents, and filings, especially with cloud-based systems. Paralegals know these systems very well as part of their daily tasks, and they can alert you when to review documents ahead of filing them with the court.

3) Trial Prep

Preparing for a trial is a lot of work. You have to bring evidence, retrieve files, print out documents, and be ready for anything.

Paralegals can help you prep for a trial so you’re ready to follow court procedures, interview the other side’s witnesses, and learn how to talk to a potential jury.

Any paralegals you have on staff can take care of the paperwork and files. You should get ready to deliver the best possible results for your client.

4) Deadlines

Different court systems have varying procedures and filing deadlines. Your scheduling app keeps track of client meetings and court dates, but not necessarily when filings are due to the court.

Having a paralegal on hand gives you an extra helper to work on filings and documents ahead of deadlines so you don’t miss anything. Missing a deadline can cost you a case or give your opponent leverage against you and your client, particularly when there are motions due or if there’s a pretrial conference coming up.

5) Client Intake

How do you know what clients you should take?

There are varying levels of potential clients, from ones you know you should never take to ones that are great for your firm.

Paralegals have the know-how to understand what a good client would be for you. You can easily train a paralegal to handle client intake for you with a series of questions to ask potential clients.

Client intake interviews and questions are vital to making sure you can reasonably succeed in your case. You can’t win them all, but knowing vital information ahead of time can help you determine if you want to proceed.

Send along a list of questions (and the answers that a paralegal should know), such as:

What is your reason for contacting an attorney today?
Can you tell me more about your situation?
Have you ever worked with an attorney before?
Have you already consulted with an attorney about this matter already?
What outcome would you like to see from this case?
Do you have any documents you can show me?
Have you been served with court papers?
What expectations do you have with our firm?
How would you prefer we communicate with you?
Why did you choose to contact us?
What are your biggest concerns with your situation?
Have you considered attorney fees and your budget?

A paralegal can also answer many questions the potential client may have, such as what the next steps are, how much money should they pay, and what are any potential outcomes like.

Paralegals also understand the line between getting enough information and when talking to a potential client becomes a waste of time. Your paralegal has the panache to navigate client intake.

6) Maintaining Accurate Information & Documentation

Accuracy and details are everything in legal work. One wrong name, place, or date, and you could end up losing a case.

Paralegals are masters at knowing details and understanding what details are important. They document everything properly, save them in the right files, and help you maintain proper filing schedules.

When you have so many pending cases on hand, the details can slip away from you. Managing all of the information can fall to paralegals who are trained to handle such tasks.

Hire a Fully Vetted Paralegal to Assist You

Amata is an attorney services firm based in Chicago. We offer a wide range of support services, including paralegals who assist you with the daily tasks of your law practice.

Your paralegal can be virtual or on-site, whichever you prefer. We have a variety of on-demand options to fit your needs, whether you require a paralegal just to maintain caseload or need one to handle all administrative tasks. You don’t even have to hire a paralegal full-time.

Even better, the paralegal you hire is on our payroll and not yours, saving you money on benefits such as insurance.

Discover our paralegal services in Chicago.