Law Office Skills

by Edwards, Linda L.

• ISBN13: 9781401812294
• ISBN10: 1401812295
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-12-23
• Publisher: Cengage Learning

Summary

This book is a survival kit for anyone new to the legal arena. It teaches students what it means to dress, act, and behave professionally. How to use the phone, voice mail, and e-mail effectively and professionally. It explains how to efficiently manage their time. Demonstrates common billing practices and the mechanics of timekeeping, the mechanics of opening and organizing files, the mechanics of organizing documents, and the mechanics of docket control systems. Teaches how to cope with the realities of office politics and how to work effectively with "challenging" clients, attorneys, and staff. Practicality is the cornerstone of this text. Students who use this text should be better prepared to work as paralegals and generally more useful to employers than those who do not.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Professionalism	1	(28)
Dressing Like a Professional	3	(3)
Nonverbal Messages	6	(2)
Greeting Others	8	(2)
Language and Behavior	10	(3)
What it Means to Be Professional	13	(7)
Taking Directions	20	(9)
Telephone Etiquette	29	(28)
General Rules of Telephone Etiquette	30	(5)
Putting People on Hold	35	(1)
Taking Messages	36	(2)
Modern Technology	38	(1)
Speakerphones	38	(1)
Voice Mail	39	(1)
E-mail	40	(4)
Dealing with Difficult People	44	(4)
Calling Others	48	(9)
Time Management	57	(36)
Time Management---Getting Where You Want to Go	58	(3)
Purpose of Time Management	58	(1)
Assessing Your Relationship to Time	59	(2)
Knowing Where You Want to Go	61	(7)
Pareto Living	61	(1)
Determining Your Present Goals	62	(1)
Setting Goals	63	(5)
Why Aren't You Getting Where You Want to Go?	68	(10)
Common Time ``Stealers''	68	(5)
Procrastination	73	(5)
Getting Where You Want to Go---Easier and Faster	78	(5)
Creating an Orderly Work Environment	83	(10)
Timekeeping and Billing	93	(26)
Importance of Accurate Timekeeping	93	(1)
Fee Arangements	94	(4)
Billing Practices	98	(5)
Collection of Fees	100	(3)
Ethical Issues in Relation to Fees	103	(3)
Timekeeping	106	(13)
Need for Accurate Timekeeping	106	(1)
Billable versus Non-Billable Time	107	(1)
Calculation of Billable Time	108	(1)
Mechanics of Keeping Time	109	(10)
File Management	119	(28)
Importance of a Good Filing System	119	(2)
Organization of Filing System	121	(8)
Alphabetical System	122	(2)
Numerical System	124	(2)
Alphanumeric System	126	(2)
Indexes	128	(1)
Retrieving Files	129	(2)
Opening Files	131	(3)
Organizing Files	134	(8)
Why File Organization Is Important	134	(1)
Central Index	135	(1)
Pleadings Index	136	(3)
Discovery Index	139	(1)
Deposition Schedule	139	(1)
Working File	140	(2)
Closing Files	142	(5)
Document Management	147	(28)
Managing the Flow of Documents	147	(3)
Importance of Good Document Management	150	(1)
Responding to Requests for Production	151	(8)
Reviewing Documents	151	(4)
Organizing Documents	155	(1)
Numbering Documents	155	(2)
Copying Documents	157	(1)
Filing Documents	158	(1)
Opponent's Response to Request for Production	159	(6)
Selecting Documents	160	(1)
Organizing Documents Produced	161	(1)
Reorganizing Documents	162	(3)
Preparation for Trial	165	(2)
What Can Automated Systems Do?	167	(8)
Docket Control	175	(22)
Importance of Docket Control	176	(2)
Deadlines	177	(1)
Court Dates	177	(1)
Appointments	178	(1)
Organization of Docket Control Systems	178	(11)
Calendaring	179	(2)
Tickler System	181	(5)
Review of Files	186	(3)
Manual Systems	189	(1)
Computerized Docket Control	190	(7)
Office Politics	197	(24)
What Is Office Politics?	197	(2)
Is Office Politics Necessary?	199	(1)
Do ``Good'' People Engage in Office Politics?	199	(2)
Acquiring Power	201	(2)
Scoping Out Your Political Environment	203	(4)
Building Relationships with Others	207	(4)
Building Alliances	207	(1)
Minimizing Conflict	208	(1)
Working with the ``Enemy''	209	(2)
How to Build a Power Base	211	(10)
Human Dynamics in a Law Office	221	(30)
Stresses in a Law Office	221	(4)
Good Client Relations	225	(5)
Communication	230	(6)
Working with Challenging Clients	236	(4)
Working with Attorneys	240	(3)
Working with Legal Secretaries and Other Staff	243	(8)
Appendix Supplemental Reading	251	(16)
Working with People Who Make You Want to Scream
Who Are the People Who Make You Want to Scream?	251	(1)
General Principles	252	(4)
Common Varieties of PWMYWTS	256	(8)
Aggressives	256	(1)
Passive-Aggressives	257	(1)
Rude People	258	(1)
Negativists	258	(1)
Chronic Complainers	259	(2)
Know-It-Alls	261	(1)
Workaholics	262	(1)
Perfectionists	263	(1)
Pygmalion Effect	264	(1)
Are You a Person Who Makes Others Want to Scream?	265	(2)
Index	267