Resources

Whether your team started in one place and dispersed over time or you built a distributed team from the ground up, training and collaboration can be challenging. Technology has come a long way in making it easier for people to work from home or multiple office locations around the world. With the right technology and culture, your team can be just as effective apart as they are together.

In this ebook, you’ll learn:

• How to deliver quality training to all team members—wherever they are.
• How to build a culture of collaboration and learning.
• How to use technology to seamlessly connect and collaborate across geographic lines.

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Ready to get serious about your firm’s training program? Affinity’s experts show you exactly what it takes to create a highly effective training program and reap the productivity, accuracy, and efficiency benefits that go with it.

You’ll learn:

• Why just-in-time content delivery is critical to retention.
• How to ensure 100% relevance to an employee’s job role.
• Which training formats are most effective.
• How investing in training can actually increase your revenue.
• The benefits of a collaborative training environment.
• A better way to approach new hire training.
• How to establish an organizational culture of learning.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has made it abundantly clear that many legal organizations are too reliant on on-premises technology. The need to quickly shift from an in-office to a work-from-home model taught law firm leaders that the ability to access data and software remotely was not a “nice to have,” it was critical.

We’ve compiled the information in this ebook to show you how (and why) to move some—or all—of your mission-critical data and technology to the cloud.

In this ebook, you’ll learn:

• The benefits of SaaS as compared to on-premises software.
• How to define your requirements and shop for the right cloud solutions.
• How to see immediate positive impacts by addressing “low-hanging fruit” in your organization.

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Founded in 1970, Petosa Law LLP provides legal services to mortgage lenders, servicers and real estate professionals in the state of Iowa. The firm, focused since 2003 on the default servicing industry, supports clients in the areas of foreclosure, bankruptcy, loss mitigation, eviction and post-foreclosure closing coordination.

When the firm’s 2013 CaseAware® implementation stalled, Petosa turned to the default services team at Affinity Consulting for help.

Why should you map your processes? Because “that’s the way we’ve always done it” isn’t a justification for anything. The steps involved in any particular legal process cannot (safely) only reside in someone’s head, and a failure to document and review processes on a regular basis is a recipe for waste and inefficiency.

We’ve compiled the information in this ebook to serve as an introduction to the exercise of process mapping, which is an important first step toward improving your organization’s efficiency and effectiveness.

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Why documenting your processes is so important.
• How to build your workflows.
• The real benefits of process mapping, from lower costs to happier clients.

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In 2012, the American Bar Association promulgated amendments to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct which dealt with technology and data security. 38 states have adopted some or all of those changes. Rule 1.6 requires a lawyer to make “reasonable efforts” to prevent the disclosure of confidential client information. Comment 18 further stipulates that “reasonable precautions” must be taken to prevent client information from falling into the wrong hands. In a digital world, the exact meaning of “reasonable efforts” and “reasonable precautions” may be subject to debate. However, it’s hard to argue that doing nothing to protect client data would meet the standard.We’ve compiled the information in this ebook to help you establish best practices in your office and discover the inexpensive or free tools that will make sure your confidential information remains confidential.

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn how to effectively encrypt your data.
• Gain an insider’s perspective on firewalls, password managers, two-factor authentication, and much more.
• Get actionable steps for developing policies and procedures to ensure client data is protected.

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Would you believe it if we told you that each employee in your organization wastes 91 hours a year—more than two 40-hour work weeks?According to a 2016 study by Robert Half Technology, office professionals waste 22 minutes each day dealing with technology-related issues. That’s 91 hours a year! These issues manifest in two forms: hardware or software malfunctions and an organizational failure to train employees to properly use the technology tools they have. If you feel that training at your organization has failed, you are not alone. But you can do something about it!

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn why most organizational training programs fail.
• Gain insight into the ways employees learn and how to make sure training “sticks.”
• Get actionable steps for creating a failure-proof training plan.

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Legal accounting is a little different than standard business accounting, as there are unique financial issues within a law firm environment, including trust accounting and client costs advanced. Retainers and trust funds are particularly important to understand, as attorneys have an obligation to adhere to the Rules of Professional Conduct and ethics opinions that govern them. This ebook addresses the fundamental concepts of a legal accounting system, including various rules that directly affect the management of client trust funds.

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn about the five main components of every law firm’s financial system.
• Get actionable steps for using your time and billing software more effectively.
• Gain insight into client trust accounts and your responsibilities for keeping client funds safe.

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Mindfulness is more than just a buzz word—it’s the real deal. New studies, stats, and research on the benefits of mindfulness in life and in business seem to be popping up daily on the Internet. But why should law firms and legal professionals care? What’s in it for you? Admittedly, change in general is tough, and mindfulness can be a tricky concept to master. But if you could change the way leaders in your organization lead, and the outcome of that transformed leadership was unprecedented success and wellbeing—not only in your business, but also in your life and the lives of those around you—wouldn’t you do it?

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn about the benefits of mindfulness, from improved mental focus to lower stress levels.
• Discover what mindful leaders look like and how cultivating mindfulness in yourself will positively impact those around you.
• Get actionable steps for transforming yourself into a mindful leader.

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Most lawyers do not have a digital client file that is complete with all emails and other documents, and the digital file is rarely in chronological order. These two shortfalls are the primary reasons why firms still maintain a paper file and an electronic file. Document management systems solve this problem.  Stated succinctly, a document management system is the ultimate electronic document and email filing and searching system which will allow a firm or legal department to easily create complete electronic matter files.

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn how to use AI to save and organize email.
• Discover how to save time with full text and Boolean logic searching.
• Get next steps and overviews of the main players in the legal document management software space.

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Founded out of a passion for entrepreneurship and a commitment to excellence, Cameron Law Office Chartered is a Twin Cities-based law firm focused on commercial real estate, and business transactions, outside business counsel, and commercial litigation. President and founder John Cameron launched his law firm 29 years ago, right out of law school. The firm’s mission is the same now as it was then: to deliver smart, practical legal advice and litigation services that help companies, investors, and entrepreneurs achieve their goals.

With a highly focused organization consisting of attorneys and paralegals, the small, yet agile, Cameron Law Office team has always known how to deliver results. However, as their portfolio of clients, case load, and staff size grew, Cameron knew it was time to evolve.

To achieve effective time, document and email management, we have to “get organized.” In order to be organized today, we absolutely must figure out how to manage digital information. According to one study, we receive via digital delivery (email, text, social media, on our phones, computers, etc.), the equivalent of 140 newspapers of information per day. This can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a system in place to process that digital information.

In this ebook, you’ll:

• Learn how your reliance on paper is making you less efficient and less effective.
• Find out how the benefits of paper reduction far outweigh the costs.
• Get an actionable roadmap for achieving a paperless office.

Get your copy now!