Hope You've Been Keeping Score Because it is Time For a Quiz

Hope You've Been Keeping Score Because it is Time for a Quiz

Every business needs five things to survive and thrive. Clients, administrative procedures, procedures for getting the work done, a method to bill, and a way to collect the bill. In the past weeks, we have been discussing the second of these five categories to address when establishing a successful business.

During these discussions, you should have been keeping track of your score. We have gone over tips of law office marketing, management and economics. How many of these tried and true tips we have been talking about do you actively practice in your firm?

The following is a quiz that will tell you if you are actually using these tips in your firm’s daily routine. If you are not practicing these tips and receive a score of 50 or below, you are “In the Stone Ages.” If you score between 90 and 100 points, your firm is “Operating on the Cutting Edge” and should give yourselves a round of applause.

We have not listed all of the fail safe articles individually because they were just expanding upon the individual topics that we have already discussed, but it is still worthwhile taking them into consideration in your scoring so you can get yourself five extra points here if you have read all of the fail-safe tips and you have begun implementing any of them.

Good luck and look for next week’s article where we start our series on “getting the work done.”

Administration Quiz

Check Each Item And Give Yourself Five Points If That Item Is Routinely Accomplished in Your Office

5 ( ) A. Prospective New Matter Reports (Keeping Track of Potential New Matters)
5 ( ) B. New Matter Reports (Parties, Fees, Conflicts, Statute of Limitations, Deadlines)
5 ( ) C. Contracts
5 ( ) D. Engagement Letters
5 ( ) E. Non-Engagement Letters (Keep and Kick)
5 ( ) F. Tickler Card System for Statute of Limitations and Other Important Dates
5 ( ) G. Client Information Cards or Database
5 ( ) H. Conflict Cards Both Plaintiff and Defendant, or Database
5 ( ) I. Out of Sight, Out of Mind Cards (Monthly General Reminders)
5 ( ) J. Client Files: Backboards, LIFO Filing (LIFO: Last In First Out)
1. Correspondence
2. Documents
3. Financial
4. Notes, Facts, Memos
5. Pleadings
5 ( ) K. Separate Billing Files
5 ( ) L. Date and Document Chronologies
5 ( ) M. Trial Outline Forms and Binders
5 ( ) N. Thanks for Referral Letters as Condition Precedent for Opening Files
5 ( ) O. Tickler Cards as Condition Precedent for Opening Files
5 ( ) P. Lawyer Sign Off on Conflict and Fee Arrangements and Statute of Limitations or
Other Deadline Dates as Condition Precedent for Opening Files
5 ( ) Q. “For Your Information” Copies of All Incoming and Outgoing Mail to the Clients
1. Stamp: “FYI: No Action Necessary”
2. Stamp: “FYI: Please Call Me”
5 ( ) R. “For Your Information” Copies of All Incoming and Outgoing Mail to the Responsible Lawyer, the Assigned Lawyer, and the Assigned Legal Assistant on all Incoming and Outgoing Mail (Non-Verbal Communication)
5 ( ) S. Triage System of Establishing Priorities (Triage: Sorting Tasks by Likely Benefit from Immediate Handling or Likely Detriment from Procrastination)
1. Fatal Deadline or Damage Deadline
2. Deadline or Damage Able to be Postponed
3. When You Can Get to It
5 ( ) T. Work Flow Process Systems (Desk Clearing and Organization Techniques)
1. Circulation, File, Process, Pull
2. Client, Administrative, Personal, Junk
5 ( ) U. Phone Message Carbon (Permanent Record of Incoming Calls)
5 ( ) V. Reading Files (Filing a Copy of Every Letter You Write)
5 ( ) W. IOLTA and Private Trust Accounts
5 ( ) X. Legal Research Database
5 ( ) Y. Office Memo Manual
5 ( ) Z. Office Benefits and Holiday List
5 ( ) AA. Office Overtime/Comp Time/Sick Days/Vacation Days - Tracking System
5 ( ) BB. Tickler Card Due Date Posting System
_ ( ) CC. ADD YOUR OWN: FIVE POINTS PER ADDITION
Write In:

X 5 = + WRITE IN SUBTOTAL = YOUR TOTAL

POINTS: 90 - 100: ON THE CUTTING EDGE
80 - 90: GETTING THERE
70 - 80: COASTING
60 - 70: IN NEED OF HELP
50 - 60: INERT
UNDER 50: IN THE STONE AGES

Jim Wirken is a civil trial attorney and the Chairman of the Board of The Wirken Law Group in Kansas City.