Posts Tagged ‘law office’

Law Office Relocation, Part I

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Recently, I received a call to help a small law firm move its offices. They were not moving far from their current location, but as I’ve learned over the years, the distance a firm is moving is not the most important thing. The same things have to be done to insure a “less stress” relocation process whether moving next door or across town.

With the new office space drawings in hand, we met with the contractor, the office furniture representative, the computer company, the VOIP providers and others. Planning wall removal, furniture placement and outlet spacing are some of the first things to be done. This is to ensure that when the movers arrive with the furniture, the pieces not only fit where needed, but they also have phone and electrical outlets available in the correct locations.

Making selections such as flooring, paint colors and window treatments are next on the list. The selections for this law firm were made based on current furnishings as well as personal preferences. If you haven’t managed this type of commercial move before, this is a great time to get someone to help who is good with colors and textures. Sometimes that helpful person is an ASID Interior Decorator and, sometimes, it’s the guy at the paint store!

Here’s a tip - if you need to match paint color and can’t remember the number from the old paint can, take off a light switch cover and remove a small paint sample. Most good paint stores will be able to match from that sample.

Now that the initial plans have been made we will begin the demolition phase of the job soon. I will keep you posted as the project progresses.

See the pictures below of the new office space … taken after meeting with the contractor but before renovations.

"Before" Office Entrance

"Before" Office Entrance

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"Before" Reception Area

"Before" Reception Area

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"Before" Conference Room

"Before" Conference Room

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"Before" Storage Space

"Before" Storage Space

Integrated Legal Office Systems Lead to Productivity, Part 1

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

 

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” We have all heard the saying, but what does it mean in an office environment?

 

I have learned over the years that when you say the words “get organized”, different people will hear different things.  One person may think “communication”, another person may think “spatial order” and another may think “time management.”  Actually they are all correct; I will give you some Keys to remember when planning the systems in your law office.

 

Lee’s Keys #1 Design your Waterfront Property© for Maximum Use

 

How many of you have Waterfront Property©? Actually, anyone who works in an office has it! It’s a term I coined to describe the space around your desk or credenza – or the area where you do most of your work. 

 

When you sit in your chair, hold your arms out to your side and turn in a circle, this area is considered your Waterfront Property©.  It’s the most valuable piece of property in your office because it is where your most important work is done.

 

One of the main complaints I hear about a person’s Waterfront Property is “what do I do with all this stuff”?  We tend to keep lots of “stuff” around us in our Waterfront Property area especially if we are visual people.  And we tend to keep this Waterfront Property “stuff” in piles, rather than in files.  

 

Someone with lots of piles is creating what I call “horizontal filing”. These people have difficulty finding information quickly because most of it is paper based. If a matter or case is not closed, then we tend to keep the information in paper form, and most of the time it’s filed horizontally rather than vertically.  This creates a pile that must be lifted and moved every time information is needed.  This equals more time wasted.

 

Many law practices wait until the case is closed before they consider the ways they keep the information. Remember that information in a combination of paper, electronic, and scanned documents is often a good way to handle a case or a legal matter.

 

Always send the closed case hard copy information to an AAA Certified records management center rather than using a mini warehouse unit, or closet, or attic of the building you are in. The difference in these options is dramatic and failure to manage and store your records properly could have serious consequences.

 

When horizontal filing is the organizing problem, I teach people Lee’s Key #2.