A’LA CARTE ISSUE 3, 2014 A PUBLICATION OF THE NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS Inside this issue: President’s Message 3 Chapter Board Members 4 Committee Chairs 5 August Chapter Luncheon 6 Welcome New Members & Affiliate Members 9 Calendar of Events 13 Business Partner Sponsorship and Expo 14 What Will Matter by Michael Josephson 23 Meet Our Committee Members 24 ALA Business of Law Conference 32 September Chapter Luncheon 33 Cable, Internet and 37 Phone Services at Work and at Home by Jim Beck 2014 Chapter Retreat 40 October Chapter Luncheon 47 Adobe Acrobat Pro X Basics by Bonnie Schloegel 48 Casa Jefferson Mission 50 Go Green: Truths & Myths by Judy Anderson 53 PICTURE PERFECT! Newsletter Sponsor for the New Orleans Chapter Association of Legal Administrators Full Service Litigation Copy Support BASIC SERVICES LIST Litigation Copying ABOUT OUR COMPANY… * At Southern Imaging Solutions, we have a simple philosophy. 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When I attended the regional meeting and the President’s Breakfast at the Annual Conference in Toronto earlier this year, I first learned that ALA would undergo some changes over the course of the next year or two. The Association has hired a consulting firm and through a series of studies and surveys, it was determined that some changes would be necessary and incorporated over the next year or two to better position ourselves as the undisputed leader for the business of law and increase the viability of the organization. At Chapter Leadership Institute (CLI) held in San Antonio in July, it was again announced ALA would be undergoing changes. The new fall conference format was announced. The regional conferences have been replaced with one Business of Law Conference and held in four cities across the country. Attendees may now attend the conference in the city of their choice. It was also announced that the Association of Legal Administrators will undergo a name change. The new name will cover a wider and more diverse spectrum to include all the roles its members play. While we are all professionals involved in the administration of law firms, we are all not administrators. As members, we are engaged in diverse areas of work such as finance, marketing, human resources, information technology, library, etc. In addition, our name does not always translate appropriately internationally to convey the executive/managerial level of our membership. The new name has not yet been determined but will likely be unveiled sometime in 2015. At that time a new logo and website will also be rolled out. If you’d like more information about the coming changes, you may review ALA’s website, under “Strategic Plan” (http://www.alanet.org/chapters/mo/strategicplan.aspx). Malcolm Martin, Janet Dotson, Paulette Ziblich and I attended the Business of Law Conference held in Chicago, IL in September. Because this was not a “regional” conference, there weren’t the usual familiar faces. However, we had the opportunity to interact with conference attendees from all over the country. Being somewhat reserved, this was a very positive, growing experience for me. On the local level, you have noted our board is implementing some exciting changes, as well. We had the opportunity to meet neighboring chapters, such as the Mobile Chapter at CLI. Our Directors learned about the plight and struggles smaller chapters face. We realized as a Chapter we are able to provide opportunities to our members, that smaller chapters cannot. We decided to reach out to the Mobile Chapter and invite them to participate and attend our retreat, as affiliate members of our chapter. It was an amazing experience and we look forward to many future opportunities to network with Mobile and other neighboring chapters. We learned our peers in the Mobile Chapter have much to offer us and we are excited about the opportunity to share and broaden our network. Now we are in the midst of our membership drive, “ALA Takes the City, Building by Building.” Many of you have embraced this outreach and offered your firm as a meeting place for the informational meetings to be held. All members are encouraged to participate. We are identifying and inviting non-members to attend and learn about the fantastic opportunities available through ALA membership. What does the future hold for the New Orleans Chapter? Over the next few years we will have a new name, logo and updated website. We may add more affiliate members from other chapters. As we move into 2015, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary as a chapter and look for more innovative ways to meet the needs of our members. Exciting, isn’t it? I don’t know exactly when all these changes will take place but they are coming. I do know we have an incredible T.E.A.M. and if everyone does “something” can you imagine what we will accomplish? Jo Ann Light - Page 3 - 2014 NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER BOARD MEMBERS President Jo Ann Light, CLM Larzelere Picou Wells Simpson Lonero, L.L.C. [email protected] President-Elect, Shannon Hanken, CLM McCranie, Sistrunk, Anzelmo, Hardy, McDaniel Past-President & Welch, LLC Lynn Martin Johnston Frilot L.L.C. [email protected] [email protected] Secretary Laura Lee Isom Lee, Futrell & Perles, LLP [email protected] Treasurer Kathleen Nuebel, CLM Chopin Wagar Richard & Kutcher, LLP [email protected] At - Large Directors Carlotta Duhe' Kasey Courtney Johnson Johnson Barrios & Yacoubian [email protected] Lewis, Kullman, Sterbcow & Abramson [email protected] - Page 4 - T. E. A. M. Together Everyone Achieves More! 2014 NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER COMMITTEE CHAIRS Business Partner Committee Lynn Johnston, Past President, Chair Cheryl Innis, Co-Chair Carrie Dunn, CLM, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] By-Law, Ad Hoc Cheryl Innis, Co-Chair Malcolm Martin, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] Calendar & Events Committee Kasey Courtney, Co-Chair Laura Lee Isom, Co-Chair Rebecca Lapeyrouse, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Communications & Marketing Dianne Klibert, Co-Chair Rachel Koenig Kiedrowski, Co-Chair GayNell Lerille, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Community Connections Linda Soileau, Co-Chair Melissa Tokar, Co-Chair [email protected] Legal Community Outreach Markell Currault-Holmes, Co-Chair Teresa Douglas, CLM, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] Membership Bonnie Aucoin, Chair [email protected] Nominating Committee Lynn Johnston, Past President, Chair [email protected] Professional Development Patricia Hennessey, CPA, CLM, Co-Chair Kevin Randazzo, Co-Chair [email protected] [email protected] Salary Survey Committee Ray Lightell, CPA, CLM, Chair [email protected] Website & Listserve Committee Carlotta Duhe' [email protected] [email protected] ALA INTERNATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES CLM National Committee Stephen Wolf, CPA, CLM Region 4 Council Representative Jo Ann Light, CLM - Page 5 - [email protected] [email protected] AUGUST LUNCHEON MEETING RALPH’S ON THE PARK Jo Ann Light and Brian Kennel, Speaker, Performance Management Consulting, LLC, who spoke regarding Attorney Compensation Issues Brian Jenkins, Lynn Johnston and Colin Shea. Brian Jenkins, Benefit Consultant, Jo Ann Light and Colin Shea, Benefit Consultant with Gilsbar Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, WINNERS! WINNERS! Prizes where given away by Gilsbar. Lynn Johnston was the winner of a wine basket and Renee Hymel was the winner of a $100 gift certificate as a precursor to the Expo. ALWAYS A PARTY! The second liners, Lynn Johnston and Carrie Dunn, were joined by Cheryl Innis, Teresa Douglas and Stephen Wolf. - Page 6 - - Page 7 - New Orleans Chapter 2014 - Business Partner Sponsorships KING OF MARDI GRAS Elmwood Records Center QUEEN OF MARDI GRAS JESTERS OF MARDI GRAS Hub International Austin Capital Brooke Staffing Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa Gulf Coast Office Products Iron Mountain 1ST Management Services, Inc. Lauckgroup LexisNexis Nuance Communications Rippe & Kingston, LLC The Quality Group Thomson Reuters Ricoh USA Inc. Universal Data, Inc. ROYAL COURT OF MARDI GRAS ABA Retirement Funds Executone Systems Company of Louisiana, Inc. Gilsbar, Inc. Multitech Office Machines TW Telecom ROYAL PRINTER/ROYAL NEWSLETTER SPONSOR: Southern Imaging Solutions, Inc. Have you visited your Chapter Website recently? Need to find a local Business Partner? Want to know who our Business Partner Sponsors are? Want to know what your Chapter’s Board has been up to? You can view the Board’s minutes on our website. Want to email one or all of our members? Want to view a current or past newsletter? - Page 8 - WELCOME ABOARD! Scott DeRouen Shields Mott, LLP New Orleans, LA Misty M. Methvin Keogh Cox & Wilson, Ltd. Baton Rouge AFFILIATE-SECONDARY MEMBERS MOBILE, AL Ariana H. Moore Executive Director South Alabama Volunteery Lawyers Program David P. Constantine Business Development & Compliance Logical Computer Solutions (ALA Lifetime Member, Past President) Christine Chancery Cumbie Chief Operating Officer Gardberg, Clausen & Kemmerly, PC Patty D. Risher Administrator Frazer Greene Upchurch & Baker, LLC Sherry S. Cates Regional Office Manager Adams and Reese LLP Katherine W. Willis Administrator Johnstone Adams Sandra K. Anderson, Firm Administrator Amanda D. Tanner, Bookkeeper McDowell Knight Roedder & Sledge, LLC William H. Kiszla Firm Administrator Armbrecht Jackson, LLP James T. Allen, CLM, Executive Director Terri F. Cane, Office Administrator Hand Arendall, LLC - Page 9 - - Page 10 - - Page 11 - - Page 12 - Calendar of Events November 2 Daylights Savings Time Ends (2:00 a.m.) November 3-5 Human Resource Management Conference for Legal Professionals - Paris Las Vegas Hotel—Las Vegas, NV November 6 ALA Webinar—Financial Management—It’s More Than Just Billing and Collection hosted by Kristan Kremer, King, Krebs & Jurgens, PLLC located at 201 St. Charles Avenue, 45th Floor, New Orleans, LA 70170 (504-582-3800) November 7-8 ALA Board of Directors Meeting November 8-9 Regional Nominating Committee Meeting November 11 ALA Webinar—Risk Management Considerations in IP Practice (not scheduled) November 12 New Orleans Chapter Board Meeting November 14 VOA—Operation Backpack—Work Party to Decorate for “Kidz Shopping Day” Alice Harte Elementary School, 4422 General Meyer Avenue, New Orleans, LA (Westbank) November 15 Community Connections November 20 Half-Day Seminar “Accountability and the QBQ” - Kristen Lindeen 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (Continental Breakfast at 8:00 a.m./luncheon at noon) (Nominating Committee to be selected for 2015-2016 Board of Directors), Hotel Monteleon, 214 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA November 27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday, ALA Headquarters Closed December 10 New Orleans Chapter Board Meeting December 11 New Orleans Chapter Christmas Luncheon, Commander’s Palace - Page 13 - - Page –14 - - Page –15 - - Page 16 -- - Page 17 - Congratulations to the Business Partner Chair, Lynn Johnston and Co-Chairs, Cheryl Innis and Carrie Dunn for staging an extraordinary event! The 2014 Business Partner Expo was simply amazing! The Business Partner Committee is a great team and their commitment to planning a successful event was clearly evident! Despite the fact, a family emergency prevented Lynn from attending, the evening went off without a hitch. The success of the Expo can only be credited to the strong leadership, advance planning and preparations made by this team. Thank you to all the volunteers who had a hand in this massive undertaking. Thank you to all of you who attended the event. Thank you for bringing guests from your firm. Thank you to our Business Partners who continue to support and encourage our chapter. Our chapter has a strong network of business partners and they are committed to our success, both collectively as a chapter, and individually as firm administrators. We are definitely “in this together”. Jo Light, Chapter President ALA REGION 4 MANAGEMENT TEAM Director Greg Madden Rhodes Hieronymus Jones Tucker & Gable Tulsa, OK At-Large Director Katie J. Bryant, CLM Udall Shumway, PLC Mesa, AZ Regional Representative Grover J. Brittain McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP Denver, CO Regional Representative Tracy Clark, CLM, MBA Bowman and Brooke LLP Dallas, TX Regional Representative Jerry G. McPeake Minor & Brown, PC Denver, CO - Page 18 - - Page 19 - Editor: Dianne Klibert Editorial Policy This newsletter is published by the New Orleans Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. Opinions expressed in articles and advertisements are strictly those of the contributors and advertisers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the New Orleans Chapter or its members. Comments, suggestions, and articles are welcomed by chapter members and vendors. Reprinting of any portion of this newsletter by any means including photocopying, scanning or any information storage system, is prohibited without the permission of the Editor or the New Orleans Chapter. FRONT COVER COMPLIMENTS OF MARSHA PETRIE SUE RETREAT SPEAKER - Page 20 - - Page 21 - “T.E.A.M.” (Together Everyone Achieves More) Jo Ann Light Chapter President New Orleans Chapter, you are amazing! Everyone wants to be part of a “winning” team and you are definitely winners! Regardless of the cause, you step up and contribute your time and energy. We have accomplished so much in the past few months. Credit is due to the strong leadership by the committee chairs and the work of dedicated volunteers. By the time you read this article, you will have your Salary Survey in hand, a result of thoughtful planning by the committee and the participation of many members who compiled and submitted their information. We enjoyed a spectacular Business Partner Expo in August which surpassed all expectations. Again a result of thoughtful planning by the committee and participation by many members and business partners. Our education program planned by the Professional Development Committee has been outstanding this year. Our Community Connections Committee kicked off Operation Backpack and through your generous donations more than $4,000 in school supply purchases (including cash & checks) was collected. We will have the opportunity November 15 to participate in a “shopping event” for the kids and roll right into a holiday gift drive to assist CASA Jefferson, Inc. Our retreat was a huge success! The weekend was our first effort to liaison with the Mobile Chapter. It was wonderful to greet our fellow ALA members and we look forward to many more opportunities to collaborate. The weekend began with a 60’s party with 78 in attendance. It was a beautiful evening, the music, the costumes, the food, the DJ all contributed to a fun, high-spirited evening. We had hippies, go-go dancers and an appearance by Hugh Hefner and a Bunny! The half-day seminar with Marsha Petrie Sue was fantastic! Our Membership Committee is leading the way as we are now in the midst of our membership campaign “ALA Takes the City Building by Building." You are “teaming” up to recruit non-members in your building. As expected, you have responded with enthusiastic support. As you read the following pages you will find articles contributed by some of our committee leaders. If you have not been involved on a committee, I urge you to consider getting involved. 2014 is drawing to an end. 2015 is around the corner and there will be a need for members to consider running for a position on the Board of Directors or perhaps chairing a committee. If everyone does “something” can you imagine what we will accomplish this year? Think “T.E.A.M.” (Together Everyone Achieves More). - Page 22 - MEMBERSHIP Bonnie Aucoin Membership When I first joined ALA in 1998 I was told by a former office administrator that I would not fit in and I had nothing to offer the Chapter. I had to prove her wrong so I jumped in with both feet and joined a Committee right away. Dianna Stagg was Membership Chair and graciously welcomed me into her Committee. I learned then and there that all were welcome in this Chapter and that everyone has something to contribute! Since that time I have served on or volunteered for various other committees including Retreat, Community Challenge the BP Expo, eventually became Membership Co-Chair and then Chair on and off for several years. These were all just stepping stones to the Board and eventually President! All of this after being told I would not fit in! Being the Membership Chair is something that is near and dear to my heart. The Membership Committee has 4 members, Julie Merritt, Michelle Arseneaux, Tricia Hennessey and Vickie Generose. In the background we are in charge of scouting out new members, keeping our ears open to law firm changes, sending invitation letters, working on recruitment campaigns, keeping the Rosters up to date and reporting to national. Outwardly, we are the Ambassadors and Cheerleaders of our Chapter. We are the first contact new members have with our Chapter. We field lots of questions from Newbies and try to partner them with Mentors so they don’t feel alone for their first few events. We are the faces at the door handing out the nametags and making sure everyone signs those red (now white!) tickets. We want everyone who attends events to feel welcome. This organization is for everyone – we all have something to offer. Putting that hand in the air and saying “I’ll do it” is scary but it is sooooo worth it! I have grown personally and professionally and the added benefit is that I have made life-long friends along the way! The New Orleans Chapter is the best!!! N.O. Chapter Recruiting: The Membership Committee is actively recruiting new members. If you know of someone in legal management who is not a member of the Association of Legal Administrators, please e-mail Bonnie Aucoin, Membership Chair at [email protected]. - Page 23 - Business Partner Sponsorship Program & Expo In December of each year, we roll out the new “Mardi Gras Sponsorship Program”. This program sets forth the different levels of sponsorship that a Business Partner can elect to choose. From the King of Mardi Gras to the Krewe of Mardi Gras, there is always a level that provides a great opportunity for any Business Partner. These sponsorships provide quality educational opportunities, professional development and other benefits to all the Chapter Members. In early January, the Expo Committee begins its work to locate a suitable venue to host this fabulous event. Once the venue has been secured, the Committee starts putting together all the pieces of this puzzle and the end result is an event that provides not only networking opportunities but a great place to form new relationships, both professional and personally. Being the Chair of this Committee has opened so many avenues for me and has helped me to grow in every area of my life. I encourage all of you to get involved in the Business Partner Committee. I promise it is worth the reward of stepping back and looking at this incredible event you have been a part of creating! I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Chair of this Committee and developed many friendships with our Business Partners and Chapter Members along the way. Without our Business Partners, we would not be able to enjoy the outstanding opportunities afforded to us by their generous sponsorships. I thank the Chapter for giving me the opportunity to Chair this committee and the challenge to make our Chapter’s Expo the best in ALA. I look forward to “passing the torch” to Carrie Dunn who I know will do an excellent job. Of course, as I promised Carrie, I will stay active on this committee. It has been fun! I sincerely thank Cheryl Innis, Carrie Dunn, Mary Meyer and all the wonderful volunteers who stepped in during my family crisis during our 2014 Expo. It was extremely hard not being there; however, I was there in spirit! Lynn Johnston, Chair, 2014 Business Partner Sponsorship Program & Expo “The Expo was another home run by NOALA!” Roger Davis, General Manager, BurdgeCooper - Page 24 - What an experience! I was sitting at a luncheon when someone at the table said that the Business Partnership Committee chairman, Lynn Johnson was looking for a co-chair. I voiced that I would be interested in getting involved and was very excited when asked to serve as Co-Chair on the BP Committee with Lynn Johnson and Cheryl Innis. I went to my first committee meeting with a little apprehension as a new member of the committee not knowing what to expect but immediately became part of a great team. Lynn is so well organized and willing to delegate responsibilities so that I could learn but did not leave me hanging if I needed help. The night of the event, Cheryl and I learned that Lynn had a family emergency and would not be able to make the Expo. As would be expected with Lynn unavailable, I was a little worried but knew that together with Cheryl we could handle it because Lynn made sure to keep us well informed of all information and changes. I arrived at the venue and met our wonderful volunteers who were ready to work and work they did. Couldn’t do this event without them. As the Business Partners started arriving, I made the rounds as co-chair of the event to make sure they had everything they needed to get setup. What a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to speak to each of the Business Partners. They are all so supportive of our Chapter and had such wonderful things to say about us. I found out that many participate with other Chapters and they love our event because of our members. From a short conversation over lunch to co-chairing an event such as this, I have learned a lot about ALA, our Business Partners and myself. We are always looking for ways to improve and participating in our committees is a wonderful way to grow and learn something new. I encourage everyone to get involved. It has been a wonderful experience and I look forward to working with Lynn and Cheryl again next year. Carrie Dunn, Co-Chair, 2014 Business Partners Expo - Page 25 - COMMUNITY CONNECTION COMMITTEE Melissa Tokar, Co-Chair, Community Connection Committee Melissa Tokar, Co-Chair, Community Connection Committee The Community Connection Committee works hard to find groups to support throughout the year that don't get as much attention as many other non-profit organizations. We like to look for groups that support women and children in our city. The committee consists of Melissa Tokar, Linda Soileau (cochairs), Rachel Kiedrowski and Shannon Hanken. The best part of being a part of this committee is the "feel good" aspect when you reach out to a group that is in such need and are able to fulfill some of those needs with our group efforts. 2014 has been a very busy year for us! We started out with our Eden House project in March. Eden House is a 2 year residential program for women who have been commercially and sexually exploited. Our efforts raised $5,200 in cash, a lawn mower, weed eater, several large pieces of furniture, and miscellaneous office supplies. Our Business Partners got involved with this project as well and SIS donated a multifunction copy machine and My Office Products donated office supplies. We are currently working on Phase II of the Eden House project and will be assisting them with the creation of a Policy & Procedure Manual and an Employee Handbook in the upcoming months. Next, we had our 2nd Operation Backpack for the Volunteers of America Lighthouse Afterschool Program. We ran the school supply drive from August 1- September 15 through the Amazon Smiles website. We added a second part to the drive this year and will be assisting the VOA with coordinating a "shopping party" for the children in the program in November. This will provide a more hands-on opportunity for the membership rather than just giving dollars. Finally, our Holiday season event will be working with the CASA- Jefferson kids and their Christmas Party. This event will kick off in mid-October with a donation aspect (gifts) and a working party aspect. - Page 26 - SALARY SURVEY COMMITTEE Ray Lightell, Chair Survey Committee One of our primary Chapter Goals is to conduct an annual compensation survey to be made available to all members. The Chapter Board tasks the Survey Committee with the responsibility to achieve this goal each year. The 2014 Survey Committee consists of the following members: Ray Lightell, Current Chair; Malcolm Martin, Former Chair & Member; Nancy Claypool, Former Chair & Member; Art Garrity, Member; and Brenda Christensen, Member. The New Orleans Chapter Survey Committee is responsible for the development, distribution and management of the chapter’s annual local compensation survey. In addition to compensation information, the survey also collects select financial data, staffing ratios and billable hour information. Our Chapter Survey has been conducted each year since the early 1980’s. It was originally prepared by Price Waterhouse, the large national CPA firm, that was instrumental in targeting law firms in major cities and regions with both financial and salary survey services. The committee conducts two or three meetings in the first and second quarter of the year to review prior year results as well as member’s comments and ideas concerning the personnel categories in the survey. Based upon these discussions, job positions and job descriptions may be added, removed or modified as deemed appropriate. In the past few years, the Survey has been expanded with a separate survey for Baton Rouge firms, including New Orleans firms with Baton Rouge offices. Several years ago, there was a Northshore Survey, however, participation was not large enough to continue at this time. In addition to the committee meetings, the committee spends time reviewing the data instructions and worksheets prior to publishing. Once published, the committee contacts members to cajole and stress to each firm the importance of their participation in the survey. Currently about 40% of the member firms participate each year. . The survey worksheets and instructions are provided to the membership each July. All salary survey data uses August 1 firm data. The final submission deadline is always the 2nd day after Labor Day. To encourage participation and promptness, the Chapter offers an early bird deadline at a reduced rate. The committee works closely with Laporte CPA’s in the completion and preparation of the survey each year so that the survey can be distributed to participants by the end of October each year. Members of the committee are available to provide assistance and to answer any questions for any firm that may have issues in properly completing the survey. The Survey Committee strongly believes that the survey is a valuable tool for an administrator and its management to use to determine compensation amounts for every law firm. The continuing struggle faced by the committee is to increase firm participation in the survey. Increased participation will result in more complete statistical data, which, in turn, will provide all participating firms with more reliable information to assist them with their compensation system. The Committee’s goals continue to be focused on greater firm participation and continued investigation of new ways to make the data submission easier and user friendly for members. The Committee is always seeking new volunteers and new ideas to help with the process to continue to meet one of our Chapter Goals. - Page 27 - Professional Development Committee (aka Education Committee) Patricia Hennessey, Co-Chair Kevin Randazzo, Co-Chair I joined the Education Committee in the middle of the 2013/2014 fiscal year. I attended a meeting and other than sharing ideas, I did not have to do anything! This group of amazing people had met at the beginning of the year and planned out most of the events for the whole year. For the 2014/2015 year, I joined Kevin Randazzo as co-chair. Our committee members are Dan Chapman, Teresa Douglas, Julie Merritt and Steve Wolf. Each person brings a different level of experience, contacts and ideas. In one meeting we had ideas for most of the upcoming sessions. It was then up to each member to contact and follow up with one or two potential speakers. Our goal is to present education that meets the requirements for obtaining and maintaining the CLM designation but most importantly to be information that our members find useful and interesting. We hope that our speakers give you something to take back with you to help you in your everyday role in your firm. The monthly meetings are a joint effort of many committees and members. We coordinate with the event planner who secures the locations for the meeting and any audio visual needs. We provide the speaker biographies and outlines to our Web Mistress for publication. We gain approval from ALA national for CLM credits for our topics. We also provide reports to the Chapter Board Members and last but not least, coordinate through our Chapter President. I have greatly enjoyed working with this committee and have made great friends. We welcome anyone who want to join us and share your visions for the future. Patricia Hennessey Co-Chair - Page 28 - COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COMMITTEE Rachel Koenig Kiedrowski, Co-Chair Dianne Kibert, Co-Chair GayNell Lerille, Co-Chair EVER WANT TO BE A JOURNALIST? EVER WANTED TO BE A PHOTOGRAPHER? Well, this committee opens those doors for you. It’s a way of always being a part of what is going on in ALA, both locally and nationally. It definitely takes a committee to handle all the tasks . For instance, I’m not a great photographer, but Rachel is and she has a great eye for detail. GayNell is wonderful at keeping up with the news and communicating with the newspapers and magazines and getting out the information on our local chapter. As for publishing A’LaCarte, it takes everyone to make sure all the news and events is reported to our membership. WHAT A FUN JOB! We are always looking for members’ input. Personally, although I started on this committee with no experience of putting a paper together, I have learned much and glad that I have the opportunity to serve on this committee.. Dianne Klibert Co-Chair HAVE A PHOTO YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE AND PUT ON THE COVER OF A LA’CARTE? WOULD YOU LIKE TO WIN A GIFT CARD FOR A PHOTO ENTRY? IF THE ANSWER IS YES TO THE ABOVE, SUBMIT A PHOTOGRAPH TO [email protected] BY DECEMBER 31 FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF A’LA CARTE AND - Page 29 - BY-LAW, AD HOC COMMITTEE Co-Chairs, Cheryl Innis and Malcolm Martin If//when ALA amends the International By-laws requiring changes to the New Orleans chapter’s By-Laws, this committee would implement the changes. LEGAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH Co-Chairs, Teresa Doiuglas, CLM and Markell Currault-Holmes This committee is the liaison with Bar Associations, Paralegal Associations and Legal Secretaries Associations. It seeks opportunity to educate community regarding careers in the legal profession. Also this committee partners with SHRM, Legal Marketing Associations, etc. to promote ALA awareness. WEBSITE AND LISTSERVE COMMITTEE Carlotta Duhe’, Webmaster//Chairman This committee is the forum monitor, maintains the vendor section, events/ calendar, membership /photographs of the New Orleans Chapter website. NOMINATING COMMITTEE Lynn B. Johnston, Chairman This committee is headed by the Chapter’s Past-President who takes nominations for the following year’s Board. - Page 30 - - Page 31 - A FIRST TIME VIEW OF THE NEW ALA BUSINESS OF LAW CONFERENCES By: Malcolm Martin The old regional conferences are out in favor of a new repeated program format held in various locations around the country. They tried to keep the same speakers and topics at each event, but due to conflicts, etc, some substitutions were made. The speakers were all experienced and by the time they presented at the Chicago event, they were also well practiced. The program is truly non-stop. The conference opens mid afternoon with a keynote and runs until 8 PM that night. The next day starts at 7 AM and finishes with a reception in the exhibit hall at 6:30. The final day is a half day ending shortly after noon. This does not leave any leisure time. Most time slots had multiple choices for topics. Each slot would only last an hour or perhaps and hour and a half. That leads to either an overview of the subject or a detailed presentation of a slice of the subject. They tried to use an app for session handouts. That was not very successful, but one can do it the old way by downloading from ALA’s web page. This is definitely more convenient than the paper handouts that had to be carried around all day. There was an effort made to include networking events among administrators and I think that was successful. That included roundtable discussions at a dinner and a breakfast. Administrators new to the practice would probably find this format a good way of experiencing an ALA educational event before considering an annual conference. However, the total costs would not be much less than the annual conference, other than some extra hotel days. The local scholarship offered by Universal Data is a much appreciated support of our chapter and definitely makes attending the event totally affordable. One element that our local chapter should be proud of: their vendor exhibit area was much smaller than our Business Expo. The vendors tended to be national in scope, some of whom have no local presence. Our ‘style’ of vendor relations is much preferred by me [and, I think the vendors as well]. Paulette Zibilich, Malcolm Martin, Jo Ann Light and Janet Dotson - Page 32 - SEPTEMBER LUNCHEON MEETING MOTHER’S RESTAURANT Barbara W. Carlton, LCSW, Jo Ann Light, and Monitertra M. King, LCSW. Jason Cox, Octavian Pasa and Mike Dana of Multi-Tech Office Machines, Royal Court of Mardi Gras Sponsor Mark Duhon, Clarence Nugent and Athena Stanford Kasey Courtney and Kevin Randazzo Barbara W, Carlton, LCSW and Monitertra M. King, LCSW, members of the Employee Assistance Professional Association of New Orleans spoke to the membership regarding Employee Assistance Programs and resources that are available to aid employees at risk. - Page 33- - Page 34 - SAVE THE DATES ! NOVEMBER 20, 2014 HALF-DAY SEMINAR “Accountabiity and the QBQ” Hotel Monteleone Annual Christmas Party December 11, 2014 Commander’s Palace - Page 35 - - Page 36 - CABLE, INTERNET AND PHONE SERVICES AT WORK AND AT HOME By: Jim Beck Bundling is everywhere these days no matter who your provider is and it’s easy to be excited by the low cost of each portion of the bundle and not realize the final cost or the issues that might affect your business or home connectivity. Bundling is a good idea if you need or want the various services but it’s best to prepared. When bundling you will be paying a lower price for each of the three things you’re bundling but your total bill will be three times the cost of each portion of the bundle plus various fees and costs. When bundling check what your total monthly bill will be after the discount period (often just the first three months) and budget for that. Cox has done an excellent job of increasing internet speeds for all of its clients in the Greater New Orleans area whereas uVerse is excellent only in those areas where their old telephone lines are well supported. For instance someone in River Ridge might only get 1998 style dial-up internet access while their neighbor one block over can get 60 times that speed. They both pay the same price. DirectTV provides excellent quality television service but relies on your telephone dial-up to upload internet requests. It’s awkward and can be a problem. And watch out for Cellular internet connections because even if they advertise unlimited amounts, they throttle you when you reach your “cap” so even though it still works, you will wear furrows in your cheeks from crying over the speed. VoIP telephones are great but remember that they use your internet connection, not your old telephone wiring. So if you have one of the lower cost, lower speed internet services and someone in the house is watching Netflix when the phone rings, one of you is going to be watching the little Netflix “Waiting” wheel while the other is guessing what the missing words are in your phone conversation. It’s easy to fix – make sure you increase your internet speeds when you bundle. And finally let’s talk about bundling at work. Everyone knows and understands internet access and business television but when you add the bundled VoIP phone it adds a complexity that you have to watch out for. Always involve your IT staff or ask the internet provider to send over an engineer or an IT person you can pay to diagnose your systems. I’ll be happy to answer any emails on specifics for you but here is an example. A company in Metairie was happy with their internet provider and decided to bundle and replace their old analog phone system with a new VoIP digital phone service and phones. But just before the changeover I discovered that they had tied their primary fax number to an RCF number that was not being ported. And their primary fax number was well-known and marketed. We simply included that number in the port and all went well. But if they had not, then that original number would have been lost and would not have gone to their fax machine any more. Questions about this article or any requests [email protected]. Enjoy your bundling! - Page 37 - for other articles should go to _ Page 38 - - Page 39- CHAPTER RETREAT SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2014 GRAND MARIOTT POINT CLEAR, AL Kasey Courtney , CoChair, with her husband, Tony Courtney Our annual retreat was held again this year at the Grand Marriott in Point Clear, Alabama on September 26-27, 2014. The retreat started with a cocktail and dinner reception on Friday night held outdoors on the Grand Ballroom Patio which overlooked the beautiful Mobile Bay. This year’s theme for Friday’s reception was “Peace, Love & ALA – A Flashback to the 60’s.” This year 78 members and guests attended the reception, which was a very impressive increase from attendance last year. It was so exciting to see so many members and guests participate in costume this year; and the costumes were very creative and fun. It was a beautiful evening to welcome all of our members as well as the new affiliate members from the Mobile, Alabama chapter. After dinner, we were all entertained by DJ Step Daddy who played great music from the 60’s and got so many of us up dancing. Also added this year was a photo booth which many of our members enjoyed and we were able to take home photo strips to remember what a groovy night we had. Saturday morning began with a breakfast buffet. Our educational seminar began soon after and our speaker, Marsha Petrie Sue, did not disappoint. Several members, including a few of our Mobile affiliate members, have been to Marsha’s presentations before and agreed that you always get something new from Marsha every time she speaks. Marsha’s topic was a combination of two of her most popular seminars: “Decontaminate Toxic People” and “Reactor Factor.” We had 55 members and affiliate members in attendance, which again was a significant increase from last year. So far the feedback received from various members has been very positive and many have expressed their interest in returning to the Grand again next year. Kasey Courtney Co-Chair Calendar & Events Committee - Page 40- l lee ath n and Sco e ueb tt N John K and Che ryl I nnis Kerry Caputo, Hula Hoop Contest Winner Cheryl Innis and Nancy Claypool Carlotta Duhe, Don and Bonnie Champagne and Thersea Douglas Carrie Dunn, Karen Owens, Debbie Rivolo and Dawn Treuting Tony Courtney, Shannon Hanken, Kevin Hanken, Cheryl Innis and John Innis Mar y Hen and Bo ders b hoo t Bill and Diane Provensal - Page 41- Sisters, Greer Griffin and Rebecca Lapeyrouse len Al im nd r, J i n a e h o s Ri Auc ght y t e i i tt Pa Bonn Jo L Sandra and Jorge’ Sanchez Ricky Lee and Shawn Clancy Lee Maureen and Kevin Randazzo Rachel and Scott Kiedrowski Carlotta Duhe’ and Jason Borja Julie and Darren Merrit Tricia Hennessy and Jo Light Kerry and Steve Caputo Kevin and Shannon Hanken Linda Soileau and Melissa Tokar - Page 42- Bonnie and David Aucoin DECONTAMINATE TOXIC PEOPLE AND THE REACTOR FACTOR SPEAKER: MARSHA PETRIE SUE Carlotta Duhe' Model for Toxic People Marsha Petrie Sue and Jo Ann Light Marsha Petrie Sue and Jo Ann Light Rachel K. Kiedrowski, Kerry Kaputo, Renee Hymel, and Daniel Simpson Laura Lee Isom, Shawn Clancy- Lee, Vickie Generose, Cheryl Innis and Shannon Hanken - Page 43- Prize winner, Melissa Tokar Prize winner, Ray Lightell Prize winner, Bill Provensal New Affiliate-Secondary Members from Mobile, AL, Back Row: Sherry Cates, Christine Cumbie, Kathy Willis, Jim Allen, Bill Kiszla, Terri Cain, and David Constantine Front Row: Patty Risher, Sandy Anderson, Marsha Petrie Sue (Speaker) and Amanda Tanner. Not Pictured is Ariana Moore The Mobile Chapter was thrilled to be engaging with the NOLA Chapter at the recent retreat. Here are a few of the comments from the Mobile members. Very fun dinner/social with a very engaging educational session with Marsha. Thanks to the NOLA chapter for including us - hope to continue in this networking relationship! It was so nice to be welcomed with open arms into another group’s retreat. We were treated like family. ** I liked the venue, the party Friday night was a blast and the speaker was fabulous. I am already looking forward to next year. Everyone in the New Orleans chapter were so nice and inviting. - Page 44 - - Page 45 - - Page 46 - OCTOBER CHAPTER LUNCHEON HARD ROCK CAFÉ Vic Hess, Executone Systems Co. of LA, Royal Court of Mardi Gras Sponsor Stan Anderson, Benefit Consultant, Hub International, Jo Ann Light and Joe Maniscalco, Senior Vice President, Hub International Joe Maniscalco and Stan Anderson spoke to membership regarding the Affordable Care Act. In particular, below were the areas covered: Grandfathered vs. non-grandfathered plans Community Rating (age banding vs. composit rates) Level funded plans (pros and cons) Update on 105 H discrimination rules Federal reporting requirements for 2015 Variable hour employees (interns/temps) - Page 47 - - Page 46 - Bonnie M. Schloegel provides computer training to law firms throughout the country. In addition to providing legal computer training on site, Bonnie is now offering very affordable webinars. Find out more by emailing [email protected]. - Page 49 - - Page 50 - - Page 51 - Go Green: Truths & Myths By Judy Anderson "It's not easy being green." - Kermit the Frog "Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises." Pedro Calderon de la Barca, dramatist and poet, the greatest Spanish playwright of the Golden Age, 1600-1681. Any way you look at it, it's probably safe to say that green is all around us. On a recent drive in and around northeast Oklahoma, I was struck by the beauty of the multiple shades of green along the countryside and the lushness of the growth all around. It did tum my thoughts to all the talk about "green." The word continues to represent the need for, and efforts toward, sustainability of people and all living things. John S. Kirk, CLM, from Philadelphia, PA's, Manko Gold & Katcher, has done a number of presentations to ALA groups over the past few years. John paraphrased the United Nation's Brundtland Commission (1987) definition, "sustainability entails meeting the 'Triple Bottom Line' of economic, social and environmental responsibility. It is about fostering respect for people and other living things while at the same time wisely using and managing environmental and economic resources." John also repeats what ALA Tulsa heard at a Chapter meeting several months ago from Michael Patton: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." John cites the following examples of Truths and Myths regarding sustainability: Truth: Utensils made from corn plastic will melt if used for eating hot soup (but they are fine for gazpacho!). Myth: Recycled paper works poorly in copiers and printers. (Typically, the problem is with the manufacturer's wrap; dust accumulates in the package. Unwrap and fan the paper ream several times to eliminate the dust.) Truth: Running a full dishwasher is more efficient than using paper plates. Myth: When the TV or an appliance is off, it's off. (Be aware of phantom power use; use power strips and tum off the strip rather than just the appliance.) Myth: Leaving on lights, computers and other appliances uses less energy than turning them off and makes them last longer. Truth: Most screen savers do not save energy unless they actually tum off the screen or, in the case of laptops, tum off the backlight. Judy Anderson was President of the ALA Tulsa Chapter and Editor of the Chapter Newsletter, “The Legal Pad” when this article was written. Reprinted with permission from "The Legal Pad," the newsletter published by the Tulsa Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators, July / August 2010 - Page 52 - - Page 53 - - Page 54 - - Page 55 - Proud Sponsor of the New Orleans Chapter Association of Legal Administrators’ Newsletter A’LA Carte A’LA CARTE NEW ORLEANS CHAPTER ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORS P.O. BOX 51145 NEW ORLEANS, LA 70151-1145
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