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Tired of Working from Home? These Lawyers Share The Importance of Maintaining a High Quality Office Presence.

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Stephanie Sexauer

While some lawyers have enjoyed the flexibility of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, others have had enough. According to a 2020 survey from design and architecture firm Gensler, only 10% of U.S. lawyers want to work from home five days per week.

Stephanie Sexauer, a Chicago attorney focusing on probate and estate planning, can relate.

“Even before the pandemic, I was never somebody who wanted to be virtual,” Sexauer said. “I wanted to be in the office. My work demands that.”

Over the past three-and-a-half years, Sexauer has doubled her firm size from two to four team members at Sexauer Law, P.C. Everyone has come to the office almost every day throughout the pandemic. Technology may be a huge convenience, but she said it’s often easier to see coworkers’ expressions and review documents together in person.

Lawyers Largely Prefer the Office Over Home

Nearly half of lawyers polled in the Gensler survey cited scheduled client meetings as a top reason why they wanted to come into the office. For Sexauer, another reason is the quality office space that she receives at Amata Law Office Suites — Chicago’s first legal community of more than 700 attorneys and Class-A downtown offices — where she has operated her firm for nearly four years.

Until last month, when she moved to another Amata location, Sexauer’s office overlooked Michigan Avenue, with views of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park. She said her clients were consistently “blown away” by the space. As a result, she was able to attract even more clients.

“It was a beautiful location,” Sexauer said. “And it was great when clients would arrive. I could hear the front desk greet them so warmly.”

Fellow Amata-based attorney Jon Masini of Masini, Vickers & Hadsell, P.C., who specializes in construction and commercial litigation and also serves as a mediator and arbitrator, said his clients have also been impressed with his Amata office for the past two years. When he and his partners branched off from another firm, they wanted to maintain a downtown Chicago presence that was affordable and high quality for clients. Now, their 150 S. Wacker Drive office is also close to the Circuit Court of Cook County and public transportation.

“Amata is just perfect for both our firm and our clients,” Masini said, noting the elegant conference rooms. “In Chicago, meeting in the Wrigley room or Comiskey room is always a great icebreaker.”

Sexauer’s office moved to Amata’s 180 N. LaSalle St. location due to a recent consolidation, and Amata made the transition as seamless as possible.

Don’t let high commercial real estate prices deter you from maintaining a fabulous physical office presence as your firm grows. Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our Class-A law firm office spaces. Join the Amata community and find out how our flexible office options can help you save on costs and grow your business.

Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.

How to Bates Number or Bates Stamp Documents| PDF Skills for Attorneys

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Bates numbering (or Bates stamping) is a helpful way to keep track of the documents you sent or received in your case. Gone are the days of manually adding that control number to your documents or trying to recall whether you received documents from opposing counsel or from a third-party subpoena.

This inexpensive process is just another way to stay organized and take advantage of the tools in your PDF software.

Basic Questions to Ask and Information Needed

  1. Do the documents need to be Bates numbered in any particular order?
  2. Do any of the documents need to be re-unitized?
    • i.e. Logical document breaks
  3. Are there any designations needed?
    • i.e. CONFIDENTIAL
    • CONFIDENTIAL – SUBJECT TO PROTECTIVE ORDER
    • ATTORNEYS’ EYES ONLY
    • CONFIDENTIAL – TRADE SECRETS
  4. Identify the Bates prefix to be used, the starting number, and the number of digits/places
    • i.e. AMA000001

When Bates numbering documents, you want to be sure each document is its own PDF file.

If you receive a single PDF file that contains multiple documents (like an employment file or insurance claim file), you will need to ask if the document should be unitized.  Unitized means that each document is a separate file.

Best Practice Tip: Never combine multiple PDF documents into one document if you will be uploading documents to a document review system. Each document should be unitized so that you can flag, code, or comment on the individual document.

Steps for Bates Numbering Documents in Adobe Acrobat

  1. Place all documents you need to Bates number in a folder called “originals.”
    You might have a mix of Word docs, email files, and PDFs. You will need to convert all to PDF in order to Bates number them.
  2. Create a target folder called “Bates.”
    This is where you will put all the final Bates numbered documents.
  3. This is where you will put all the final Bates numbered documents.
  4. Then select the “Bates Numbering” option and click on “Add.”

  5. Add all the documents you need to Bates number.
  6. Arrange the documents in the order you want them to be Bates numbered. If you need to move a document up or down the list, select the document and use the “Move Up” or “Move Down.” If you added a document by mistake, simply click on “Remove.”
  7. The settings should match the following.
    Click Ok.
  8. Then specify the formatting.
    Select the font and size you want and check your margins.
  9. Add the bates number conditions.
    Insert cursor into the “Right Footer Text” box and then click on “Insert Bates Number”. Add an alpha prefix and specify the number of digits you want.
  10. Click Ok.
    Adobe’s coding will be inserted in the “Right Footer Text” box and you will see a preview of your Bates number. Make any adjustments here.
  11. OPTIONAL: To add a designation as well, you can add it to the “Left Footer Text” box.
  12. Once you click on OK, the Bates numbering process will begin.

Quality Check

Do a quick final check of your Bates numbered documents to ensure your Bates numbers are in the correct position and any designations are correct. A sample designation and bates number are below.

 

You run the practice while we run the office. Now, that includes expert paralegal support.

Amata Law Office Suites has tripled the Legal Support Services team to add senior paralegals with extensive expertise, over 100 years of it in fact. All led by Tisha Delgado, Director of Legal Support Services.

See how Amata’s paralegals can support your firm while your work from home, downtown, or even in another state. Contact Tisha for a consultation or for assistance.

Tisha Delgado | [email protected] | 312-741-1089

Amata Law Office Suites only provides legal support services to attorneys.

Amata Law Office Suites also offers office space for like-minded lawyers to collaborate and work. We provide our lawyers with comprehensive solutions to many of the problems they face on a day-to-day basis. Alternative Legal Services are offered as part of our model and allow solo or private law firms the resources they need to achieve success in their law practices.

Contact us today to learn more about how Amata can help you. Email [email protected]

Discover our paralegal services in Chicago.

How to Properly Redact Legal Documents | PDF Skills for Attorneys

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Stay out of the news and learn how to properly redact your documents. Personal identity information cannot be included in documents or exhibits that are filed with the court. Make sure you are not inadvertently exposing your client’s information and understand the correct way to redact, especially when using software to help you.

In the PDF Skills Webinar (see video) we covered:

  • Faux Redactions: How the media pulls ‘redacted’ content
  • Properly redacting in different PDF document types
  • Common struggles and how to troubleshoot

Below is the how-to tutorial for proper redaction using Adobe Acrobat.

Correct Redaction Setup in Adobe Acrobat

  1. Open your PDF document and select the “Redact” icon.
    Always use the software’s redaction tool

    which can be found in the panel to the right of your PDF document or in the Tools tab
  2. Once you click the icon, a Redact menu appears.

  3. In the “Redact Text & Images” dropdown, open “Properties” and make sure the redaction color selected is black.
  4. Click OK and you will go back to the Redact menu icons. You are ready to start marking your redactions.

The 3 Steps of Redacting Documents in Adobe Acrobat

Redacting is always three steps:

  1. Select or mark your redaction
  2. Apply the redaction
  3. Save the document

When you hover near the text or area you want to redact, your cursor will become either a selection tool that looks like a plus + or a symbol that looks like a book [I].

  1. Select or mark your redaction
    Select the text with the book tool or draw a box around what you want redacted with the plus tool.
  2. Apply the redaction(s)
    After you have marked a redaction, the blue “Apply” button will become enabled. ONLY click on the “Apply” button when all of your redactions have been marked in the document.
  3. After clicking “Apply” a pop-up box will appear
    Make sure the “Sanitize and remove hidden information” is enabled/turned on and click OK.

    Once you click on OK the redaction is burned in to the document and you see the resulting black box.

    NOTE: You are NOT done. You must now SAVE THE DOCUMENT properly.
  1. Save the redacted document
    You MUST save the redacted document to ensure that the information is permanently removed from the document as well as any metadata.

    Adobe adds the suffix “_Redacted” to the filename and prompts you to save the document.
    Click “Save” and your redaction is now complete!

Remember: Always use the REDACTION tool and redacting is always 3 steps.

  1. Select or mark your redaction
  2. Apply the redaction
  3. Save the document – this is where people are most likely to mess up!

If you simply draw a black box over information in your PDF documents, then you are not properly redacting. The media and all others can still access the information underneath the black box in the PDF.

Want to check if an item is properly redacted?

  1. Open your redacted file
  2. Highlight the area that is redacted and use CTRL + C to copy it
  3. Open a Word document and use CTRL + V to paste

A properly redacted file will only show the non-redacted information. Word may even pick up a picture of the redacted area and show that. No information that is redacted will be able to get grabbed in the copy-paste procedure. If you are seeing information you thought was redacted, your document has not been properly redacted, and you are at risk of exposing said info.

You run the practice while we run the office. Now, that includes expert paralegal support.

Amata Law Office Suites has tripled the Legal Support Services team to add senior paralegals with extensive expertise, over 100 years of it in fact. All led by Tisha Delgado, Director of Legal Support Services.

See how Amata’s paralegals can support your firm while your work from home, downtown, or even in another state. Contact Tisha for a consultation or for assistance.

Tisha Delgado | [email protected] | 312-741-1089

Amata Law Office Suites only provides legal support services to attorneys.

Amata Law Office Suites also offers office space for like-minded lawyers to collaborate and work. We provide our lawyers with comprehensive solutions to many of the problems they face on a day-to-day basis. Alternative Legal Services are offered as part of our model and allow solo or private law firms the resources they need to achieve success in their law practices.

Contact us today to learn more about how Amata can help you. Email [email protected]

Discover our paralegal services in Chicago.

Attorneys: Struggling to Maintain Good Mental Health? Learn How These Law Firms Support Their Teams.

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David Kirsh

From client meetings and long work days to demanding deadlines and tense relationships with opposing counsel, it’s a well-known fact that practicing law isn’t for the faint of heart. About a decade ago, Chicago civil defense attorney Daniel Arnett was ready to leave the legal industry and become a bartender due to his “insane” stress.

According to The American Lawyer’s 2020 Midlevel Associates Survey, nearly 50% of midlevel associates have anxiety. Three in four associates also said their firms negatively affect their mental health.  

“Sole practitioners get so overwhelmed from all of the built-up pressure, and they have nowhere to go with it,” said family law attorney David Kirsh.

While larger firms may have multiple partners for support, Kirsh said that doesn’t eliminate the pressure of clients regularly turning to their attorneys for important answers.

In addition to daily stress, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and added more anxiety. Courts closed, attorneys had to work from home and depositions were given virtually.

“There’s a whole new level of stress with technology,” said insurance defense attorney Margaret Bentley of Kelley Kronenberg. She explained that it’s now harder to determine the credibility of a witness without the ability to analyze in-person body language.

And all of this built-up pressure could ultimately impact client relationships. 

“You cannot make good decisions and serve your clients if you’re fighting internally and taking things personally,” Arnett said.

Attorneys Seeking Tools to Manage Good Mental Health

Margaret Bentley

Fortunately, resources are available for lawyers and staff struggling with mental health. Kirsh volunteers his time with the Lawyers’ Assistance Program to help lawyers and law students with substance abuse, addiction and mental health issues.

Before abandoning his legal career, Arnett sought help from coaches, seminars and books and ultimately followed his dream of opening his own law firm, Arnett Law Group, LLC. The firm has since grown to seven attorneys, and Arnett places mental health at the forefront of his efforts. He invited his team members to help revise the firm’s billing process, allowed them to work on a flexible schedule and checked on them throughout the pandemic via daily Zoom meetings. He even created a “Zen Den” at the office, a special forest-themed room where his attorneys can recharge.

“The culture here is unlike any other firm that I know of,” Arnett said.

While Bentley has learned tricks to minimize her daily anxiety, such as taking breaks throughout the day and staying prioritized, she’s grateful for the resources that Kelley Kronenberg offers its attorneys. Like Arnett, Bentley’s unit leader holds weekly Zoom meetings and stays in touch with the Chicago team throughout the day, as the firm’s headquarters is based in Florida.

Attorney Mental Health Starts in the Office

Bentley said another stress-reliever is Amata Law Office Suites, Chicago’s first legal community of more than 700 attorneys and Class-A downtown offices. She has been managing Kelley Kronenberg’s Chicago office at Amata since last year. Kirsh operates his firm here as well.

When the pandemic hit, Amata scanned lawyers’ mail for 90 days and handled document preparations (free-of-charge) to help reduce attorneys’ stress of managing their practices during a worldwide health crisis. With the help of Amata, Bentley and her team members were able to continue serving the needs of their clients without interruption or delay. She said she has been very happy with the services.

Don’t let long work days and demanding deadlines run you and your practice. Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our Class-A law firm office spaces. Consider joining the Amata community to learn how our business model is perfectly aligned to combat lawyers’ stress. We run the office while you run the practice.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Geo Bellas: Forty-Years of Game-Changing Tech for Law Firms | THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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His law firm’s first game-changing tech adoption was a trio of fax machines that outpaced the competition and he says AI is the next big player. But Geo Bellas – nicknamed Geo as a reference to Neo in The Matrix – hasn’t been a techie simply because of the success it’s brought his practice over the past forty years.

He says it’s also the fun of getting a “new toy.” Further proof that staying true to your passions in your legal career, and having fun, is an important aspect of long-term success.

Forty years of game-changing tech and what the future holds for the legal profession:

  • The first tech in his firm and why he adapted early (01:30)
  • A prediction of law firms’ futures (18:00)
  • Attorneys working with purpose (32:08)
  • Geo’s advice for younger attorneys looking to build storied careers (41:05)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

Legal innovation needs more than game-changing tech. It needs lawyers who change with it.

“I don’t think I ever sat there and said, ‘I got to do this, I got to go get this,’ I just wanted to get a toy. And, you know the old adage is he who dies with the most toys wins.”

“There is a movement to have a form of artificial intelligence decide small cases to eliminate the load on the courts…. The only thing is that computers haven’t learned to absorb all of the other factors…that help us make a decision. But eventually that’s going to happen and computers are going to take a lot of the work off of lawyers and lawyers are gonna have to find a way to fit into that new paradigm.”

“[Zoom] is creating the efficiency and lawyers are still adapting to it. I mean, I see lawyers, getting on…and there are still lawyers who sit there and have to have either their grandchildren, or somebody help them open up the Zoom window so they can participate in a webinar by Zoom. But that will change. There was a time where lawyers didn’t know how to use a fax machine. But they got [it], somehow they figured that out.”

GEORGE “GEO” BELLAS, An Early Adopter of Game-Changing Tech for Law Firms

Geo Bellas

Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer who has used technology in litigation for over 40 years. Geo’s firm serves as a trusted business advisor to business owners and has been promoting the use of technology in the practice for over 35 years.

www.bellas-wachowski.com
Blog: www.businessattorneychicago.com

Geo’s Social Media
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/georgebellas/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/george.s.bellas
Twitter: www.twitter.com/GeoBellas

Keep Reading About Game-Changing Tech in Law

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

What is an Alternative Legal Service Provider?

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If you’ve spent any time looking to expand or improve your legal offerings, you may have come across the term “alternative legal service provider.” For many practices, these services, commonly referred to as ALSPs, have become the new norm. They increase firm IP – for example, by adding expertise from contract paralegals to the matter – and do so at an affordable cost.

Especially for partners going solo or opening their own private practices, ALSPs provide a path forward. Hiring staff in-house isn’t always an option for the firm, especially not with the expertise their clients expect. ALSPs allow the firms to provide more competitive pricing without sacrificing quality and efficiency.

What is an ALSP, and how can it benefit your legal practice? In short: ALSPs take over the burden of tasks attorneys need not perform or provide additional expertise to assist a firm in a given matter or for long-term engagements through use of contract attorney and contract paralegals. This saves the attorney time, money, and boosts their firm’s IP, all at once.

Defining the Alternative Legal Service Provider

An ALSP is defined as any service that could normally be provided in-house by a law firm that is instead performed by an outside entity. It is not a law firm; it operates as an outsourced model that law firms can leverage to perform tasks that are too costly or time-consuming to perform in-house.

ALSPs offer a specialized service at-scale to meet with the demand of legal practices. With specialized tools, processes, and even technology at their disposal, an alternative legal services provider offers high quality service at affordable prices. As a result, ALSPs can outperform on the same tasks that are normally undertaken in-house.

The Thomson Reuters 2019 Alternative Legal Service Providers report found the top five services firms use ALSPs for are:

  • E-discovery
  • Legal research
  • Litigation and investigation support
  • Document review/coding
  • Non-legal/factual research

As the legal profession pivots from practicing in traditional law office space to operating from shared spaces, hybrid offices, and even the fully virtual law office, ALSPs provide expertise and efficiency for attorneys and law firms.

An Alternative Legal Service Provider Benefits Any Size of Legal Practice

A 2017 study by Georgetown Law School reported that over half of all law firms are using alternative legal service providers in some capacity.

While larger practices have been leveraging these services for a while to increase firm efficiency and lower overhead cost on work produced, partner law practices, solo attorneys, and boutique law firms can all leverage ALSPs to compete.

Private practice law firms are most likely to use the following types of ALSPs (as defined by Thomson Reuters):

  • Independent Legal Process Outsourcers (LPOs) – perform project or matter based work on behalf of the law firm
  • Managed services providers – usually handle on-going work for the law firm; like a contracted in-house legal team
  • Contract and staffing services – provide temporary staffing to the firm, from legal admins to skilled workers like attorneys and paralegals

For partner and solo practices that operate on limited resources or do not have the budget to hire full-time staff, an ALSP can also alleviate time spent on recruitment, training, and management of employees. Additionally, providers offer fully qualified employees that can immediately benefit your legal practice.

Alternative Legal Services Provided by Amata Law Office Suites

Solo and partner practice law firms rely on flexibility and adaptability to achieve success. At Amata Law Office Suites, we understand that time isn’t the only thing on your mind – quality of work and budgetary concerns come into play. We are committed to providing you with the services you need to accomplish the goals of your clients and focus on the practice of law, at a rate that assists your firm with running profitably and with expertise that contributes to your firm IP.

Our Legal Support Team Services

Expert Paralegal Support

For client matters, legal projects, and billable work, the Amata paralegals are some of the best in Chicago and led by Tisha Delgado, Chicago Paralegal Association President and litigation and e-discovery expert. Our paralegals average 27 years of experience each and have developed expertise in specific areas of law. As a team they provide support such as locating defendants and witnesses; preparing third-party subpoenas; Westlaw and LexisNexis legal research; document review; e-discovery and data collection assistance and more.

Additionally, they are knowledgeable on the inner workings of the courts, allowing them bring an efficiency to tasks like document processing that proves burdensome to many attorneys.

Better yet, their time is entirely billable by the firm back to the client and offered at cost-effective rates.

Legal Admin Support

For time-consuming tasks and attorneys looking to focus their own time on billable work, the Amata legal admin team steps in. They assist over 700 Chicago attorneys with client billing inputs, calendar management, mail processing, Microsoft office assistance and more.

Their assistance allows attorneys and firms to focus on the practice of law and relieve stress by outsourcing this non-billable work to a trusted partner at an affordable rate. Legal admin support is charged by the minute, not the hour, at Amata and fixed-fee items like court runs are also available.

Live Legal Receptionist Services

For solo attorneys, partner legal practices and boutique law firms, client intake processes are crucial for continued business and time-management. The Amata Live Legal Receptionist team brings proved process to firms just starting out or looking to improve call-management and client-intake efficiency.

Greetings, transferring processes, screening, and client-intake are customized specifically for the law firm. The team is also available at extended hours. While the typical workday is from 9-5, prospective clients don’t always operate on the same schedule – the Amata legal receptionist services operate from 7AM-10PM CST.

Amata Law Office Suites also offers office space for like-minded lawyers to collaborate and work. We provide our lawyers with comprehensive solutions to many of the problems they face on a day-to-day basis. Alternative Legal Services are offered as part of our model and allow solo or private law firms the resources they need to achieve success in their law practices.

Contact us today to learn more about how Amata can help you. Email [email protected]

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Looking to Increase Your Law Firm’s IP? These Lawyers Say Paralegal Services are Key

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Janaan Hashim

Last year, civil rights and immigration lawyer Janaan Hashim, Esq. was litigating a case when she hit a snag. One of her important witnesses wouldn’t be able to appear in court the next day due to his work schedule.

She needed a subpoena quickly. But with much of her focus on cross examinations, she wouldn’t have time to write and file it. Unfortunately, her firm didn’t have a paralegal on staff to assist.

“If we did not have him on the stand, it would have hurt our case significantly,” Hashim said.

Thankfully, there was another option. Hashim’s firm, Amal Law Group LLC, operates out of Amata Law Office Suites, a Chicago ALSP (alternative legal service provider) with a legal support team that is available to attorney members for things like contract paralegal support. Each of Amata’s paralegals averages 27 years of experience, which means it takes them little time to draft subpoenas and other documents.

On-Demand Paralegal Support When It’s Needed Most

Hashim turned to Amata’s team for help. Within a couple of hours, the subpoena was filed and her key witness was able to appear in court.

“Amata came to the rescue,” she said. “Their paralegals understand the nitty gritty of dealing with the court system. They don’t teach you that in law school.”

The value of paralegals’ skills is undeniable. They can handle back-office tasks more efficiently and other tasks that are sometimes beyond lawyers’ level of expertise, therefore boosting a firm’s intellectual property. For example, Amata’s paralegals specialize in litigation and investigation support, document review, e-discovery and legal research. But hiring an experienced paralegal can be costly and a difficult decision for small firms to make.

“As my firm is still growing, I don’t have the resources to hire somebody full-time,” said family law attorney Kellie Bylica of The Law Office of K.R. Bylica Flores, LLC. “So, I rely on the Amata paralegals on an as-need basis.” She said this approach is cost-beneficial for her clients, as the paralegal team can solve important problems while she spends more face-to-face time with clients.

Amata CEO Ron Bockstahler explains that an alternative to expanding your firm is partnering with an organization that provides built-in paralegal services, such as an ALSP. According to a 2018 study conducted by the Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute and other entities, roughly half of surveyed law firms said ALSPs can help expand their business, differentiate services and even retain client relationships. At the time the study was published, corporations had already reached or surpassed predictions for ALSP use in 2021. Software companies are also offering technology discounts to ALSPs as a way to tap into law clientele.

Amata: More Than An Alternative Legal Services Provider

Kellie Bylica

While Amata’s paralegal services are easily accessible to all Amata-based attorneys, like Hashim and Bylica, they’re also available to outside firms or corporate law departments looking to outsource related tasks.

Whenever Bylica and Hashim need one of these services, they have confidence in the quality of work that they will receive. They said it’s as though they vetted the paralegals as members of their own firms.

“Their training and expertise are superb,” Bylica said, noting their collaboration and ability to think outside of the box. “There’s never been a request they can’t handle. They’re always spot-on.”

Want to increase your firm’s intellectual property and niche expertise? Call us or visit our website and take an online or in-person tour of one of our six Class-A law firm office spaces. Consider joining the Amata community to find out how our experienced paralegal team can help grow your practice and eliminate the burden of back-office tasks.

Discover our paralegal services in Chicago.

Coleman & Vannucci: How Immigration Attorneys are Handling their Challenging Practice Area| THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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It’s our first dual-guest interview, with representatives from both areas of immigration law! Christina Coleman is a Canadian immigrant who owns her own practice and focuses on employment-based immigration while Katie Vannucci handles the family-based side as shareholder at a mid-sized Chicago firm.

They’ve been friends since law school, and both credit support for each other and in the legal community at large for their fortitude and patience with all a career in immigration law has thrown at them: from difficulties in launching a firm to the tumultuousness in their practice area through the past couple of decades.

Two immigration attorneys’ journeys in this changing area of law:

  • The variety of paths in immigration law for attorneys (02:17)
  • Practicing immigration law under an unpredictable administration (14:20)
  • Guiding clients through unstable times with shifting rules (29:00)
  • What Christina Coleman & Katie Vannucci want to see changed in the business of law (53:25)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

The mentality of immigration attorneys, and their community:

Christina: “I started doing immigration in 1998. And I think for the first five years we would have [details] on the postings on the wall. It’s like where you file [a] kind of petition, it might have changed once or twice in five years…[since then changes have] definitely been on an accelerated pace….It certainly feels like it’s been ramping up and ramping up.”

Christina: “One thing I love about the immigration community – and I really noticed it since I went out on my own – is everybody is so collaborative, so helpful. I did corporate defense work for six years, and maybe it was the particular lane I was in at Sidley, but, wow….You couldn’t just email a colleague and say: ‘Hey, have you ever had this situation? What should I do?’ You know, and it’s just been amazing, and I’ve felt so supported [in immigration law].”

Katie: “I think for me one of the things that I am lucky to have – and kind of going back to the fact that we have such a great supportive community – is talking about [the challenges]….A lot of times in our weekly meetings [at Ahlgren] we go around and we just talk about what we’ve seen that week, and to be able to talk through it with colleagues that understand and can relate to your own feelings- just going through it and processing it….is really, really helpful.”

Katie: “The biggest thing is hoping that we actually see some comprehensive immigration reform, that we finally see a way under the law that individuals [we can’t help as attorneys] finally have a path to be able to do something. Because that’s the problem. It’s not because people don’t want to legalize their situation. It’s because they can’t. And so I think [it isn’t] until we can recognize that and we can see the humanity in this, that we can finally reach across the aisle and come up with a good bipartisan solution to actually deal with the problem, instead of keeping-on kicking the can down the road and say ‘well, we’ll deal with it in another administration.’ I think we really need to come to grips with the reality and actually to do something to really fix the loss.”

CHRISTINA COLEMAN, EMPLOYMENT-BASED IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY

Christina Coleman

At her firm, RC Immigration Group, Christina develops and executes immigration strategies for a wide range of corporate clients in a variety of industries, including U.S. companies seeking to hire foreign workers and multinational companies transferring foreign employees and executives to the U.S. She also represents foreign investors and serves as immigration counsel to a corporate services law firm with particular emphasis in assisting European interests in the United States. In addition, Christina helps individuals achieve their immigration goals including obtaining work visas, family-based visas, and citizenship.

Previously, she practiced as a litigator at Sidley Austin, where she defended companies in complex federal and state litigation, including multi-district litigation. has significant experience working with students and was an Adjunct Faculty member at the DePaul College of Law. Originally from Canada, Christina came to the U.S. in F-1 student status and naturalized in 2006.

RC Immigration Group LLC: https://rcimmigrationgroup.com/
Christina’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-coleman/

KATIE VANNUCCI, FAMILY-BASED IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY

Katie Vannucci

Katie is a shareholder at the Law Offices of Robert D. Ahlgren and Associates, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, practicing exclusively in immigration law. In 2015, Kathleen was recognized by AILA as a Michael Maggio Pro Bono Honoree for her dedicated efforts to promote justice and provide access to counsel, and for her proven tenacity in the fight to end family detention as part of the AILA Artesia Project. She currently serves on the Executive Board of the AILA Chicago Chapter.

Katie was published in the 2016 and 2020 Edition of Illinois Adoption Law published by the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education; her chapter focused Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. She also serves on Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Board of Governors and is a volunteer coach for their moot court program.

Law Office of Robert D. Ahlgren and Associates: https://www.ahlgrenlaw.com/lawyer/kathleen-m-vannucci/
Katie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleen-m-vannucci-04abb97

 

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

When to Hire Law Firm Staff

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portrait of focused group of lawyers working in office

Solo and private legal practices often find themselves asking the perennial question of when to hire law firm staff.

You landed that case, the one with the prestigious client who could bring the firm a good deal of future work. Your firm’s attorneys are ready but this engagement will require hours of researching memoranda and creating reports and the client doesn’t want to pay the hourly rate of a lawyer for these kinds of activities. Realistically, you only have time to directly address the issues that need your expertise anyway.

A paralegal is key to your success. Hiring full-time staff would solve the problem, but do you have the time to find the right people? And can you justify the cost?

Contracting paralegal and legal admin services from an alternative legal services provider (ALSP) like Amata Law Office Suites could save you time and allow you to present impressive costs for high-quality work, ensuring this client continues working with your firm. And potentially getting you some referrals for work well done.

When to Hire Law Firm Staff, and When to Outsource From an ALSP

Time Management

Hiring the right paralegal for the project involves vetting the candidate’s expertise in the area of need. Are you confident you can find the right person for the job? Time is money; every hour you spend recruiting a capable paralegal is a billable hour lost. Once you make the right hire, onboarding that person also takes time. A full-time individual needs to become acquainted with everyone in your practice, your current clients as well as other support staff.

By contracting with an ALSP like Amata Law Office Suites, you’ll find professional, previously vetted, support staff (secretarial and paralegal services) ready to partner with you on an as-needed, pay-as-you-go basis. Developing relationships with Amata’s professional paralegals ensures you have the best person available for the client’s needs when that client returns with another project.

Monetary Considerations

Cost of Experience

Employing full-time certified paralegals and/or legal admin staff increases both your direct and indirect costs.

Direct expenses like…

  • salary
  • payroll taxes
  • employee benefits (such as insurance)

And indirect costs that increase as staff increases such as…

  • office space
  • equipment
  • software licenses

If you want a solid member to join your team, it’s going to mean much higher salaries as well. The Amata paralegal team, for instance boasts an average of 27 years of experience (as of 2020) and they specialize in certain areas of law. Expertise means they can excute items quickly and accurately for your clientelle, but that costs more money than an entry level paralegal. For solo and private practice firms, taking on the salaries that accompany this level of support and experience is not an option.

Since ALSPs charge for work done, however, you can receive this experience at a cost that is affordable. Plus, an experienced team can execute documents quickly. It may only take a staff member fifteen minutes to complete the work you need, which means you’re only billed for those fiftenn minutes. And you can bill your clients back for the work.

Cost of a Bad Hire

But the after-hire expenses represent only part of the cost. The U.C. Berkeley Institute for Research on Labor and Employment estimates recruiting costs for a new employee can range from $2,000 to $7,000. Ongoing expenses include the employer’s portion of FICA, 7.65% of the employee’s annual salary, healthcare coverage, unemployment insurance, and retirement benefits.

And what is the cost of a bad hire? The U. S. Department of Labor recently listed the average cost of a bad hiring decision at a minimum of 30% of the individual’s first year salary. In legal work, your service is your brand; a bad hire can turn away clients and leave you repairing a damaged reputation. It can also bring more of a headach to you as you try to manage inexperienced staff, versus having an experienced staff member who is only an asset.

Hiring Takes Work!

Unless you practice employment law (and are already well versed), you, as an employer of full-time staff, must now also stay current on HR policies. The legal requirements change from time to time; medical benefits need explanation and annual review, sexual harassment training is required by certain states. Plus, personnel problems can arise. Managing a larger staff adds complexity. You can avoid this work by contracting an ALSP like Amata Legal Office Suites to handle work instead of hiring yourself.

Before you decide to hire a full-time paralegal, legal admin, and/or receptionist, consider how your firm can benefit from contracting with an ALSP.  Gain the trust of that important client while saving time, money, and work by contracting with Amata Legal Office Suites. We provide impressive office spaces, and well-vetted paralegal and legal admin services. Contact us today for more information about our services.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Bill Belmont: This Investigative Firm Knows How to Help Attorneys. It was Built by One. | THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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Bill Belmont was a trial attorney, investigative attorney, worked in law enforcement, and nearly became an FBI agent before starting his investigative firm. He jokes he founded The Belmont Group with one goal in mind: to make more money so that his wife wasn’t relegated to the ‘hillbilly’ lifestyle he enjoyed.

Bill has considerable experience investigating civil and criminal matters in a wide range of industries including finance, fashion, entertainment and real estate. And he puts client relationships first, even over the money he claims he started this firm to earn. Jokes aside, helping people in tight situations is the real reason he started this work.

Life at an investigative firm isn’t all Ray Donovan. But it is fun.

Why Bill enjoys the latest stage in his ever-morphing career:

  • “Well, like every Jewish kid on Long Island. I wanted to be a cop…” (01:22)
  • How team sports help attorneys conquer their jobs (13:20)
  • Matrimonial cases. Ray Donovan. Catfishing situations. And more. (17:05)
  • Life is about the way you frame it (31:48)

Follow “The 1958 Lawyer” on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher

More than an investigative firm founder, Bill still loves the legal profession.

“I’m really a life coach when I think about it, right? My job is to motivate people to do the right thing. That’s what I do. I bring motivation to people so they can see the light and avoid the more complicated aspects to [their situation].”

“I always try to tell young people in the profession, both lawyers and investigators – I go back to my old law school and I try to mentor as much as I can – never chase the dollar. Chase the relationship.”

“I love the legal profession. I can’t stand when people talk about ‘Oh, I’m a recovering attorney.’ No buddy, that’s your problem. The legal profession is an amazing profession. I have friends I grew up with and who I went to law school who are doing a thousand different jobs: I’m an investigator, they’re in finance, some have their own businesses. But the one thing that’s great about the law is that thread runs through everything you do. There’s nothing you do in life, professionally, that doesn’t have some aspect of the law to it. So it’s a great, great activity.”

BILL BELMONT, INVESTIGATIVE ATTORNEY & FOUNDER OF THE BELMONT GROUP INVESTIGATIVE FIRM

Bill Belmont

Bill has over 30 years of experience in the investigation, due diligence, and security field. In addition to having worked as a law enforcement officer and trial attorney, he served as Director of Operations for the New York office of Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations.

He has overseen the management of hundreds of corporate investigations involving fraud, workplace misconduct, brand protection and theft of trade secrets. Additionally, he has managed hundreds of investigations for national and international law firms and has developed and implemented due diligence protocols for dozens of financial institutions to ensure the integrity of their investments. He provides clients with pre-incident consulting, including vulnerability surveys, threat assessments and crisis management plans and procedures. Furthermore, Bill provides security consulting services to clients for personal and private events.

Bill oversees the implementation of increased security measures for many corporate clients. He serves as a member of crisis management teams, assisting with contingency plans for critical occurrences, such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, computer network penetrations, business interruptions and incidents of workplace violence.

www.thebelmontgrp.com
Bill’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/williambelmont/

Have comments, questions, or concerns? Contact us at [email protected]

“The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” still defines the business of law…
It’s time for a change.

If you’re a lawyer, you’re familiar with the ABA article “The 1958 Lawyer and his 1938 Dollar” which gives our podcast its title, and its inspiration. That article was the start of the billable hour for law firms…And the last major change to the business of law, 70+ years ago now. Well, it’s past time for another change.

This podcast is all about bucking the status quo of the business of law. Your hosts Ron Bockstahler and Kirsten Mayfield run Amata Law Office Suites, providing law firms an alternative to the traditional fixed-cost business model that places unwanted stress on attorneys to work long hours that often-times lead to burn out, broken relationships and in many cases substance abuse. Each week they’ll discuss alternatives to the 12 hours days, endless rotation of clerks and paralegals, and the expensive offices leased to impress clients who rarely show up in person anymore. They’ll interview successful lawyers who are doing law differently, and finding a work-life balance while still running a successful firm.

Do you want to find a better way to run your law firm? It’s time for the next big change in the business of law, and you’ll get it here on The 1958 Lawyer.

More episodes of The 1958 Lawyer podcast

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.