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Judge Erika Orr: Women in Law, Parenthood, and Asking for What You Want | THE 1958 LAWYER Podcast

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It’s our first episode and the Honorable Erika Orr helped us launch with a bang. Determining what you want and then asking for it is a key driver of personal success and greater social change. Erika’s insights as woman on a journey to becoming a judge – owning her own law firm, working in corporate, and tackling motherhood – prove this over and over.

Key moments:

  • Hanging up her own shingle after the 2008 recession (8:40)
  • Conflicts for women developing career and family in America (10:13)
  • Asking for what you want (15:05)
  • What Erika Orr wants to see changed in law (19:06)

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

MEMORABLE QUOTES

“Part of [bridging the pay gap] is making sure women know they can make the ask, don’t be afraid to make the ask…. Even as a child I was empowered to speak my piece.”

“At some point [we’re going to have to] assess what our value system is around the working family…. There’s a cost factor to it but cost really is associated with whatever your value system is. It’s not an expensive proposition if certain things are important to you. We as a country are going to have to make a determination about what it is we want.”

“We need more people to dive deep and not be afraid to ask the questions of themselves.”

ERIKA ORR

CONNECT WITH ERIKA ORR

Erika Orr is currently a full circuit Cook County judge where she is seated in the Domestic Violence Division.  Prior to that, Erika was a solo practitioner and owner of the Orr Law Group, Ltd. in Chicago, where she specialized in domestic relations law.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erika.orr

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-orr-4a55971a/

Cook County Court, Judges Pages: http://www.cookcountycourt.org/Judges-Pages/Orr-Erika

FURTHER READING

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

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Lawyers Helping Lawyers And Their Clients

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Lawyers Helping Lawyers And Their Clients

Lawyers who practice solo or in small firms — the majority in the US legal profession — often lack the built-in referral sources found in larger firms and feel isolated without an office full of colleagues who can act as sounding boards. The resolution found by some Chicago lawyers is to create their own communities, which help them generate business, better serve their clients, and forge strong personal bonds — all without wearing a nametag and making small talk at a breakfast or seminar.  

Chicago lawyer Michael Fakaros, a solo who primarily handles real estate and probate matters, has experienced the limits of more formal professional networking. “Relationships based on business alone are not normally as strong,” he said. 

Fakaros prefers the more organic connections he’s been able to make at Amata’s 225 West Washington Street location, where he has practiced for more than 10 years. 

In Chicago’s only legal-centric work environment, it’s inevitable that lawyers talk to each other. Stopping by another attorney’s office with a legal question or to ask for a second pair of eyes to review a brief is common, even if the subject is outside the other lawyer’s practice area. “The constant interaction is very important for small firms and solos who don’t have other partners or associates to bounce ideas off of,” said Fakaros. 

Through these interactions, lawyers across practice areas get to know each other as people not just professionals, which helps make them more comfortable referring cases to each other. “These are attorneys I like and trust,” said Fakaros. “I know where they work—they aren’t going to hide from me when I call.” 

When his past or current probate clients have needed additional assistance he consults with Amata colleague Stephanie Sexauer, who does similar probate and guardianship work. They discuss decedent’s estates, disabled adult estates, and minor’s estates, as well as updates in those areas of law or procedures in the probate court. 

Fakaros has functioned almost as co-counsel – as a resource on personal injury matters that have a probate component – including probate court approval of settlements obtained in cases with personal injury lawyer, Steve Monroe of Marc J. Bern & Partners. The two occasionally refer cases to one another.

What can be good for lawyers, also benefits clients. Their full range of legal needs can be addressed by attorneys within the Amata community who become trusted advisors to make referrals once additional legal needs are made known by clients.

With more than 700 lawyers in seven downtown Chicago locations, representing 27 practice areas, Amata lawyers and their clients are fully supported, not just through the Amata legal service offerings but in more abstract ways, like having a range of expert choices for counsel and representation right next door.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Summer’s Over and Big Law’s Real Changes Are About to Take Hold

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Summer’s Over and Big Law’s Real Changes Are About to Take Hold

Written by Roy Strom – September 3, 2020

For firms locked into longer-term leases, they may have more space than they will need. Is anyone going to be interested in taking over that space? One possible answer is companies that offer on-demand work space targeted at lawyers.

Smaller law firms have closed their offices and turned to “virtual” rentals that provide offices and other services like a mailing address and document couriers, said Ron Bockstahler, CEO of Chicago-based Amata Law Offices, which specializes in renting to lawyers.

Read the full article at Bloomberg Law.

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Legal Support Lets Lawyers Do What They Do Best – Practice Law

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Ricardo Meza

The average lawyer in the continental United States spends just 2.5 hours a day on billable work, according to the 2019 Legal Trends Report by Clio, a law firm software provider. Practice time is often lost to administrative work that could be handled more efficiently by staff. With the right support, lawyers are able to boost their productivity and focus on growing their practices. 

With more than 700 lawyers in Amata’s network, Tisha enjoys working on a wide variety of matters. Attorney Ricardo Meza, a former federal prosecutor and owner of Meza Law, is now practicing from Amata’s 161 N. Clark office and has asked Tisha to help on a number of matters.  Ricardo has found Tisha to be knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the various projects and looks forward to her contributions.   

TISHA DELGADO | AMATA LEGAL SUPPORT TEAM

Tisha Delgado, Amata’s director of legal support services and a senior paralegal, works to ensure that the lawyers in Amata’s Chicago network get the assistance they need. Tisha, who has 24 years of paralegal experience and is president of the Chicago Paralegal Association, said she and her team focus on understanding each individual attorney’s needs and “pain points.” 

Tisha’s efforts often go beyond paralegal work. She has helped lawyers become more technologically savvy—and productive—by teaching them how to take full advantage of software and advanced application capabilities, including the suite of Microsoft Office. Amata’s additional legal support services include receptionists, and administrators who can help with tasks like scanning documents and court filings. “At Amata, you have your own office, and you’re not alone,” Tisha said. 

Terri Brieske, who practices family law from Amata’s 77 West Wacker Drive location, especially appreciates the support of paralegal Diana Garcia, who she works with regularly. Brieske often relies on her to review documents before they go out the door to ensure that there is a fresh review by a reader of the document’s contents. For example, when an opposing counsel put the wrong case number on a court document, Garcia caught it, saving billable time in the event the document was misdirected.

Terri Brieske

This professionalism is evident across the legal support services team. “Paralegals and administrative staff are always available to help—and when I say ‘always’ I mean always,” Brieske said. On a recent Friday, she had a busy day of meetings. By the time she got home and realized that critical client documents she needed to work on over the weekend had not been delivered, it was 9 p.m. 

With apologies, she called Tisha to see if she could help track down the missing package. “This was after hours on a summer Friday and she could not have been more accommodating,” Brieske said. Tisha traced the package—it had been delivered by the messenger to a business located in Brieske’s building—and Brieske was able to promptly focus on her client’s needs and finalize the emergency petition for a Monday hearing. 

When hiring legal support services staff, Tisha said Amata values experience. “Our attorneys don’t have time to train,” she said. “They need people who get it, and we speak their language.” 

Beyond the demand for legal support services, attorneys in Amata’s legal-centric work environment receive valuable services including: scalability, built-in networking, remote work options, customized contracts, legal services partnerships, a personal-requests portal, webinars, and CLEs.

Discover our legal support staff for lawyers in Chicago.

Changing Times Call for a New Legal Business Model

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Changing Times Call for a New Legal Business Model

Law firms and their cultures began to change long before COVID-19 hit. The pandemic has only accelerated the shift.

Many factors including, but certainly not limited to, changing norms, technology, mergers, increased focus on profits, the retirement of senior partners and the rise of non-equity partnerships have irrevocably transformed the old model. “The traditional law firm took care of its attorneys,” said Jacalyn Birnbaum, of the Chicago-area family law firm Birnbaum Haddon Gelfman & Arnoux, LLC. “There’s no daddy looking after anyone now.”

Birnbaum believes today’s lawyers need a work environment that allows them to be independent yet supported by a team that can handle the many administrative burdens of running a practice. In 2011, upon the break-up of their old law firm, Birnbaum and her current partners didn’t realize such a combination was possible.

Until on a Friday morning in late May of 2011, when Jackie serendipitously visited the new Amata office of a childhood friend who had just relocated her law practice to the 37th Floor of 180 North LaSalle Street – one of Amata’s seven attorney focused Chicagoland  communities.

“Amata was the perfect, turn-key solution.” Indeed, by the following Thursday, Jackie and her partners had made all necessary arrangements. BHGA, LLC was up and running as of August 1, 2011. It’s still growing.

With Amata responsible for administrative tasks – including managing reception and other shared areas, working with building management, and now, implementing COVID-19 safety measures – Birnbaum feels liberated. She finds the Amata environment has more in common with a business incubator than with typical leased office space.  “Amata lets you breathe so you can focus on the practice of law,” she said.

That breathing room fosters civility and openness. Amata lawyers get to know each other organically, connections are made, and a sense of community takes root. Birnbaum said she and other lawyers on her floor routinely interact and often form close friendships. Moreover, each Amata community includes attorneys in varied areas of practice and easy access to their special expertise, she says, is welcome and helpful.

For many lawyers, the need for a community of peers has been heightened in recent months: meetings and court appearances have gone virtual; law firms have responded to COVID-19 with layoffs, pay cuts, and other cost-cutting measures. In this uncertain climate, lawyers are seeking new ways to build and grow sophisticated practices.

As the legal landscape continues to evolve, Birnbaum recognizes and appreciates the value of the Amata community. “With law firms facing current economic realities, Amata came upon a business model that is perfectly attuned to these times.”

Call us today to learn how our virtual offices can help you successfully go solo with your law practice.

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  1. The Future of the Large Law Firm: Growth, Mergers and Inequality: https://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2020/01/06/the-future-of-the-large-law-firm-growth-mergers-and-inequality/
  1. Being a Law Firm Partner Was Once a Job for Life. That Culture is All but Dead: https://www.wsj.com/articles/being-a-law-firm-partner-was-once-a-job-for-life-that-culture-is-all-but-dead-11565362437

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Lawyers Going Solo Without Going It Alone

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Michelle Lawless Use Virtual Office

Most of the 1.3 million lawyers who practice in the US today are solos and lawyers working in firms of up to nine.  Attorneys taking the solo leap face an endless list of daily decisions and responsibilities that can distract them from focusing on what they do best – practice law.

When Chicago lawyer Michelle Lawless decided to go solo, she knew her biggest challenge would be figuring out how to handle the administrative responsibilities of a solo practice. “I was coming from a place that was a well-oiled machine,” said Lawless, who spent nearly 20 years as a large-firm partner before making the leap. “While there are a lot of resources available to solos, it’s about finding the ones that work best for your practice,” she said.

To address her concerns, Lawless eventually chose to rent a virtual office with Amata. She had heard about the company from other family law practitioners who appreciated that Amata allowed them to singularly focus on the practice of law. “I wanted a place where I would have the support I needed right out of the gate,” she said.

Endless choices for services and support can grow as one’s practice grows. Lawless started out as a “mail only” Amata client, working remotely. “Mail is actually still an integral part of the practice of law, especially with subpoenas, so in the very beginning, it was great to have someone telling me when I’d gotten mail from a person or business,” she said. Lawless then became a “virtual plus” client and was pleased that, wherever she was, she could receive client calls through an app without giving out her cell phone number.  She recently chose 180 N. LaSalle, one of six downtown Amata lawyer-focused communities.

Now, as she settles into her new space, Lawless, who used to have a big-firm team of associates, paralegals and assistants, focuses on taking systems that ran smoothly at her large firm and adapting them to her solo practice. She is working with Amata to develop a client-intake process that will free her from fielding preliminary questions from prospective clients. Amata staffers will handle these calls, asking questions provided by Lawless.

She is also hammering out a process that will allow her to efficiently send out subpoenas. At most large firms, the task involves several players. A paralegal typically drafts the subpoena for the lawyer’s review; the lawyer drafts the rider to the subpoena and ensures the right documents are requested; an accounting department employee prepares the check for the witness fees; and a legal assistant or paralegal drafts the accompanying letter, makes the necessary copies and ensures the subpoena is sent by certified mail.

Now, Lawless prepares the rider, the check, and the letter, and Amata’s paralegals help draft the subpoena. Her location’s admins make copies and handle the certified mailing. “Amata is willing to create a customized process for me,” Lawless said.

As she navigates the challenges of going solo, Lawless said it’s nice to feel supported by a team dedicated to finding the solutions that her growing practice demands.

Call us today to learn how our virtual offices can help you successfully go solo with your law practice.

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Home Office Deductions: A Refresher on the Rules

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Woman working from home

The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows taxpayers to claim a business deduction for expenses arising from the qualified use of all or part of a residence, as long as certain conditions are met.

This deduction can be a particularly attractive tax planning tool for those who meet one of the following requirements:

  • The home office is taxpayer’s principal place of business. A home office must be used regularly and exclusively to conduct business. Consequently, working on the kitchen table (which is also used for purposes other than work) doesn’t qualify, but a desk set up in a bedroom might.
  • The home office is where the taxpayer meets patients, clients, or customers in the regular course of business. This can be difficult to assess if the taxpayer operates out of different locations. In such cases, the IRS will look at things like the amount of time spent at the location. To assess where the principal place of business is, if a taxpayer has multiple work locations, consider the relative importance of the activities conducted in each location, the amount of time spent there, and whether another fixed location might compete as the principal place where work is done.
  • A separate structure not attached to the dwelling and used in connection with the business may qualify.
  • If the dwelling is the only fixed location of the taxpayer’s business. A space within it that is used regularly to store the business’s inventory or product samples may qualify as a home office.

These considerations generally apply to the self-employed, because employees who work from home are not entitled to claim a home office deduction even if the employer requires the employee to maintain a home office. (The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated employees’ ability to deduct unreimbursed job-related expenses paid with personal funds as miscellaneous itemized deductions.)

The following is something of an exception to this rule: if the employer sets up an “accountable plan,” which reimburses workers for business expenses, that reimbursement is not counted as income, and it is not subject to withholding or reported on the employee’s W-2. When setting up the plan, the employer must (1) ensure that reimbursed expenses are business-related, (2) substantiate the expenses within a reasonable period and (3) make sure that any unspent funds are returned to the employer within a reasonable period.

This means that to avoid raising red flags for the IRS that can result in the plan being treated as a nonaccountable plan, the business owner must set up the plan carefully, fully document all associated expenses and comply with any limitations or restrictions associated with deductible expenses.

Ultimately, the point is that an accountable plan is a simple way to shift deductibility of business expenses from the employee to the employer and offers the ability to mitigate tax liability by allowing business owners to choose which expenses are reimbursable and which employees will be eligible to submit reimbursements. These rules can get complicated, so be sure to work with a professional on these, and all home office tax issues.

Additional reading:

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Copyright ©

PPP: IRS and SBA Issue New Guidance

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Salary Loans Historical Photo

Like most new government programs, the PPP has been followed by a stream of clarifying guidance from the relevant federal agencies. Whether you have such loans already or are seeking to get them, you should be aware of the details.

Tax Responsibilities

The IRS has clarified that no deduction is allowed under the Internal Revenue Code for an expense that is otherwise deductible if the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a covered loan pursuant to the CARES Act. Also, the income associated with the loan forgiveness is excluded from gross income for purposes of the IRC. Further details are available in IRS Notice 2020-32.

Disbursement Rules

The SBA has issued guidance that answers questions about the PPP loans. A key question for businesses is whether a borrower can take multiple draws from a PPP loan and thereby delay the start of the eight-week covered period. No, says the SBA. The lender must make a one-time full disbursement of the PPP loan within 10 calendar days of loan approval. For the purposes of this rule, a loan is considered approved when the loan is assigned a loan number by the SBA. Further details are available in Docket Number SBA-2020-0022.

Corporate Group Loans

The SBA addresses an issue much covered in the press: Can a single corporate group receive unlimited PPP loans? The answer is no. Notes the SBA: “To preserve the limited resources available to the PPP program, and in light of the previous lapse of PPP appropriations and the high demand for PPP loans, businesses that are part of a single corporate group shall in no event receive more than $20 million of PPP loans in the aggregate. For purposes of this limit, businesses are part of a single corporate group if they are majority owned, directly or indirectly, by a common parent.” Further details are available in Docket Number SBA-2020-0023.

Businesses should note that guidance is subject to change, and for the latest information, they should stay in touch with financial professionals.

The Importance of a Professional

Many companies who are seeing success in applying for loans have been very active with their bank representative. It’s a difficult time and many are further exhausted from the first round of applications and rejections in, what feels like to many, a rigged game. However it is important you do not give up and continue keeping in touch with your bank representative; actively following up and applying for these programs.

Additional Readings

Copyright ©

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Secure Potential Clients Today – Save Money & Time Down the Line

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Secure Potential Clients Today – Save Money & Time Down the Line

This is part two in our series “Being Remote: Lessons to Take Back to the Office.” You can read part one here.

Business phone technology is an overlooked area of any attorney’s business. Most assume that by having a phone number, they are set. Like all areas of business, however, there is a better way, and attorneys who have this “better way” setup are not only functioning in a way that maintains the appearance their physical office is open right now, but they have also avoided the disruption to their business, client intake, and handling of potential customers that many others scrambled to fix during the first few weeks of shelter-in-place.

The “better way” business phone setup for attorneys is simple. You have:

  1. A professional appearance

    A live receptionist who answers your main line, knows you, know your business, and understands client intake

  2. Control over your schedule

    Either via screened calls, so you can choose who you want to speak to, or via the ability to redirect calls automatically to your partner when you’re in meetings, working without disruption, or on-the-go

  3. The ability to answer and make business calls from anywhere

    A crucial, and often missing aspect to the “traditional” law firm’s phone setup

You may be thinking, “I have one and two right now with my personal receptionist” or “my phone technology checks off items two and three.” And to be fair, that is a great start! But only attorneys who had all three of these services were able to keep focus on running their firms this past month, instead of scrambling to fix things.

These are the same attorneys who go on long vacations or travel overseas and don’t worry about interruption to their business. Attorneys who stay at home semi-regularly, with their client or opposing counsel never knowing they just dropped their kids off at school. These attorneys simply have it better, because they have more flexibility and control over their life and law firm. All from a simple business phone setup.

The business phone is your lifeline for adding potential clients to your pipeline.

In the digital age, the average person is more desperate for human connection. When a client is calling an attorney, that feeling is amplified. They want to hear a real person on the other end of the phone, and they want to feel both heard and supported by them. A professional law firm receptionist is invaluable for making these connections. They are also an expensive commodity for the modern firm.

As an attorney, however, you have a lot to do. You’re juggling work and life, and being on call for each client just isn’t possible. Unlike a doctor however, you can’t make rounds, and your clients aren’t in a room waiting patiently. Having a receptionist fielding your calls will satisfy your client’s needs for being attended too, while also allowing you to be in control of your schedule.

Additionally, the proper phone software can allow you to make changes to your call handling on the fly. If you need to adjust and redirect your calls to a partner you can do so on the backend. Or if you’d like a more personal touch you can send a quick email to your live receptionist and let them know how you’d prefer your calls handled.

This one simple measure ensures you continue adding clients into your pipeline without sacrificing anything.

The ability to take calls anywhere

This is the secret ingredient many attorneys phones are missing. Having control of your schedule, and having a live receptionist are nice, but they are both only at the top of their game if you can also make and take calls from anywhere. The technology exists for attorneys to go out and grab their coffee and lunch and breath of fresh air, and also still take the call from that opposing counsel or judge they have been waiting for. Amata’s own 3CX technology allows making and taking calls from your business phone line. And you’re not sacrificing you physical office device to do so. The number will ring to all devices, and you simply choose where to pick up from, cellphone of office phone.

When you’re in complete control of the calls you take and don’t take, you can also be in control of where you’re sitting walking and being, with no one else knowing anything different. Making an important call from the Chicago Riverwalk has never been easier than it is now.

By having a professional receptionist you have not only great client intake and by having control of your schedule you increase your billable hours (because being interrupted decreases your billable income more than you may realize). And you keep your firming running at the level you’re used to even during these strange times.

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Announcing our New Webinar Series “The 90-Day Sprint”

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90 Day Sprint

Ironically created and curated by a man who runs long-distance, Ron Bockstahler (CEO & Founder of Amata Law Office Suites).

A lot of people are giving advice right now. We’re overwhelmed by their invites to webinars, emails about new blog posts and articles, and we’re betting you’re overwhelmed too! This webinar series will cut through the noise.

We’ve invited all the professionals and experts who are giving attorneys advice to speak in one place: our weekly webinar series “The 90-Day Sprint.” By focusing on one concept each week, you can prepare your firm for success without feeling overwhelmed, or like you’re missing any information.

Over the next 90 days we will cover a handful of topics including:

  • Cyber-security and ABA Rule 1.6
  • Insurance practices for attorneys
  • Marketing on the micro level and creating strategies on the macro
  • Developing your client base
  • Practice management software
  • Time management and delegation
  • Maximizing the use of paralegals
  • Growing your brand

Come out of the next 90-days a better firm, and move ahead of the competition. Register for the Series.

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