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Wednesday, August 20, 2008  
 
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This Month
Presidential Pencilings - Vendor Appreciation
Section Meetings
Spotlight - Multi-Office Section
Support Our Troops Overseas
September General Meeting - Low Tech, High Impact Communications
Priorities
Small Firm - Scrapbook
New Member
September 11 - Remembered
2005 Law Firm Financial Management Conference and Exposition
ALA/Robert Half 10,000th Member Pyramid Campaign
Job Bank – Current Openings
2005 Annual Chapter/Vendor Golf/Casino Outing
ALA Monthly Focus
Form I-9
2005 Salary & Benefits Survey
Calendar of Events
Future ALA Conferences 2006-2009

ALA Partners
Merrill Corporation
Legal Network
Attorney Resource
Ajilon Legal
Robert Half Legal
Denitech
Océ Business Services
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Presidential Pencilings Board Meeting Minutes
Vendor Appreciation by Patty Stewart

In our professional lives, most of us recognize that it takes a team effort to be successful in jobs of great responsibility.
Obviously, it takes a competent staff that has great skills and an even greater attitude. It also takes an understanding family when late hours are worked. Also, it helps to have a network of professionals in similar positions to learn from and commiserate with when there are problems with not-so-apparent solutions. However,

more often than not, we tend to forget one very important group who is, in some form or fashion, a contributor to our professional success – our vendors.

The vendor relationships that I have developed throughout the years have not only served me well but have also been one of the joys of the job. It’s always nice to be able to pick up the phone and talk to someone with a friendly voice who knows me, my firm, and what our expectations and needs are. More importantly, it’s been essential to know that I work with vendors who have expertise that can be counted on and that I can learn from. I’m sure we would all say that our vendors are experts, friends and sometimes sounding boards.

At our September 8 membership meeting, we will be honoring our ALA vendors for the contributions that they have made to our Chapter. These are companies who have given scholarships, advertised in the newsletter, played golf with us, sponsored “happy hours” or meetings and have, generally, been standing in the wings asking “how can we help?” Please make a special effort to attend this meeting as it’s our chance to say “thank you” for the support, friendship, and expertise they have brought our organization.

Life at the office is busy. Sometimes it’s hard to take a call from someone you don’t know, especially when you think they are trying to “sell” you something that you don’t really need. Sometimes it’s easy to take relationships for granted. However, if we are lucky, we all have a network of family, friends and others who not only cheer for us when we have a win but are also right there in our corner when we are struggling. Let’s not forget all of those who support us – family, friends and, yes, even vendors. See you in September!

Next ALA General Meeting – September 8th.


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When you select a reprographics company, you’re not just buying copies. You’re choosing people – and you need people you can trust!

Merrill’s people – and our exceptional understanding of document management – are what set us apart! Your Merrill representative is an experienced and knowledgeable partner who will recommend the combination of services you need to ensure your job is done right.

Your Merrill representative has the resources necessary to coordinate multiple-site projects from start to finish:

 

Nationwide network of reprographics facilities

 

Full spectrum of traditional document services

 

Automated job tracking system

 

24-hour, seven-days-a-week network means staff and equipment are available to handle extra workload when your projects demand it.


Quality and Confidentiality Assured

Trained, experienced people and proven systems give Merrill built-in flexibility to handle projects of all sizes. And every Merrill employee understands the vital importance of client confidentiality. We’ve been handling highly sensitive, confidential materials effectively for more than 30 years.

Reprographic Services:

 

Black & White Copying

 

Document Scanning

 

Image Printing

 

Color Copying

 

Oversize Copying

 

Digital Laser Copying

 

Bates Numbering

 

Binding

 

On-demand Printing

Additional Services:

 

National Project Management

 

Electronic Discovery Services

 

On-site Facilities Management

 

Domestic & Off-shore Coding

 

Web-based Data Repositories

 

Translation Services

 

MERRILL CORPORATION
333 N. Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
For more information call Loren Sauter at 214-698-9777.

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Section Meetings

All ALA Section Meetings are held at the Belo Mansion, unless otherwise noted.

Human Resources
Julie Bagby
   Tel: 214.999.6130
   Email: jbagby@mailbmc.com
David Stine
   Tel: 214.969.1292
   Email: david.stine@tklaw.com

Financial Management /Systems Technology
Chris Hills
   Tel: 214.220.7983
   Email: chills@velaw.com
Galen Evans
   Tel: 214.987.9600
   Email: galen@FletchSpring.com

Small Firm
Emily Carrington
   Tel: 972.960.3202
   Email: emilyc@texasatty.com
Robin Gavitt
   Tel: 214.273.2400
   Email: robin@momnd.com

Facilities
Tina Cunningham
   Tel: 214.969.2889
   Email: tcunningham@akingump.com
Sandy Robertson
   Tel: 214.999.4247
   Email: srobertson@gardere.com

Multi-Office Firm
Shari Doidge
   Tel: 469.227.4684
   Email: shari.doidge@sdma.com


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 Spotlight
Multi-Office Section by Nita Starnes

The August Section Spotlight shines on the Multi- Office Firm Section, led this year by Shari Doidge. The Multi-Office Firm Section addresses issues encountered by firms with offices in more than one location. The meetings are beneficial to administrators working in the “home” office, as well as the administrators of regional office locations.

The Multi-Office Firm Section meets the second Tuesday of each month at noon in the Carrington Room of the Belo. The group typically follows a round-table discussion format,

Mary Driskell

addressing members’ questions and various “hot topics.” The group frequently encounters questions such as, “Is that decision made locally or nationally?” or “Are systems or forms generated locally or nationally?” Obviously, firms with more than one office encounter unique challenges. The Multi-Office Firm Section meetings provide a forum for addressing a wide variety of topics in order to determine how other firms are handling the same or similar issues.

Shari Doidge and Judy DelBiaggio
Pam Breier
Julie Bagby &
Nancy Riley

I recently attended a Multi-Office Firm Section meeting and was immediately impressed by the camaraderie and open discussion. The attendees were on the same wave length. Perhaps because it is a small group, everyone was willing to offer a suggestion or a “war story” to assist the members who submitted questions and raised issues from their personal situations. Topics covered during that meeting ranged from an extensive discussion of the staff review process, and related electronic evaluation products, to various internal policies specific to attorneys.

I left the meeting feeling like I had just had lunch with friends, with the added bonus of having increased my professional knowledge bank! Shari extends an invitation to all multi-office members by saying, “If finding out how other firm administrators deal with the unique multi-office law firm challenges helps you gain insight into your own situation, then the Multi-Office Firm Section is a great group to check out.”

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Dallas Chapter ALA announces an opportunity to Support Our Troops Overseas!

Please help the Dallas Chapter ALA afford to send some much needed items to our family members and friends stationed overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Personal care products, snack foods, reading material and fun stuff to help pass the time are in short supply on the front lines. Here's how you can get involved and make a difference for a soldier or an entire unit.

1. Provide contact information for a family member or friend who is stationed overseas. We will ship them a gift box of assorted necessities, some fun stuff that will help remind them of home, and a note letting them know that we support and appreciate their bravery.

2. Make a donation to this cause so that we can generously support as many family and friends (and the unit) as possible. Your check should be made payable to "Dallas Chapter ALA" and can be mailed to Sandy Reinhardt (our Treasurer) at Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, LLP., 6688 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1000, Dallas, TX 75206. We would greatly appreciate donations of $20 or more, but we will gladly accept smaller contributions, pocket change, and gold bullion.

3. Volunteer to assist with collecting donations (in July), shopping for the supplies (in August) and packing the gift boxes for shipment (in September). Contact Jeff Gill at 214-939-5720 or jeff.gill@hughesluce.com to volunteer and for more information.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The Lonestar Administrator is published by the Dallas Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators ("Dallas ALA"). The Editor welcomes articles, letters, suggestions, and comments. Reprint requests and articles should be directed to the Editor. Vendors interested in advertising in the newsletter should contact the Advertising Manager. Opinions expressed in articles and advertisements contained herein are strictly those of the contributors and advertisers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dallas ALA or its members. Reprinting of any portion of this newsletter by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, is prohibited without permission of both the Editor and the Author.

Newsletter Editor: Nita Starnes - Law Department Administrator,

Centex Corporation,
2728 N. Harwood, Dallas, TX 75201-1516,

Voice:   214.981.6531,
Fax:     214.981-6849,
E-mail: nstarnes@centex.com.

Advertising Manager: Cindy Stanley - Office Manager,

Little Pedersen Fankhauser LLP,
901 Main Street, Suite 4110,
Dallas, TX 75202,

Voice:   214.573.2302,
Fax:     214.573.2323,
E-mail: cstanley@lpf-law.com

Article Deadline 11th of Every Month

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September 8th General Meeting
Presented by Barbara B. Miller

No way can professional relationships be nurtured by technical solutions. Face-to-face communications are still critical to being heard, and to understanding matters. Discover opportunities and barriers to building rapport and agreement in your career, as well as suggestions to deepen customer/client loyalty.
Barbara B. Miller has served over 300 national and international organizations and thousands of people over the past 15 years. Serving as

 
Barbara
B. Miller

a training, coaching and speaking consultant in communication improvement, she has worked with professional services firms and corporations in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, as well as 40 of the AMLAW 200 law firms.


 
Additionally, Barbara has: