NEWS

HR Section Meeting - All PSALA Members Welcome!

ALA Conference Round Table Recap 

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Time:  12:00p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Location: Perkins Coie – 1201 – 3^rd Avenue, Suite 4900

Description:

Were you unable to attend the ALA Conference in National Harbor last month?  Do not fret!  At the upcoming HR Section meeting, you will have the opportunity to hear about three different sessions from PSALA Members who did attend the Conference. The topics from which to choose will be:

Flash Forward: Legal Industry Trends – Julie Brandsness will give the lowdown on legal industry consultant, Michael Short’s presentation on what is happening in the legal industry and what your firm needs to do to stay competitive.

Extreme Makeover: Rebranding the Legal Administrative Assistant – Ann Callahan will present her takeaways from this session, which is always makes for a fascinating debate in law firms.

Never Let Them Go: Retaining the Best and the Brightest – Sophia Bell Lavin will give an overview of the latest thoughts on employee retention.

Diversity & Inclusion Leadership: Are You Ready? – Carol Anne Nitsche, CLM and Evelyn Dunagan will summarize this panel discussion from the perspectives of a panelist and an attendee, respectively.

Fl!p – Turn Challenge into Opportunity and Change into Competitive Advantage – Char Coulbert will share thought-provoking points from Peter Sheahan’s Keynote Address.

Please RSVP to Joanne Pegues at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 206-626-6000 so we know how much food to provide for lunch.

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May Webinar

Marketing (Mis) Alignment: Closing the Gap Between Marketing and Law Firm Leadership

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Time:  11:00am - 12:00p.m.

Location: Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt - 1420 Fifth Ave, Suite 3400

RSVP to Lisa Sterritt ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Description:

Marketing need not be, and should not be, conducted in the dark. You need to better understand how law firm leaders and law firm marketers think. What is the core thinking about marketing and business development? How do law firms quantify marketing success, the return on investment and top-line versus bottom-line results? Join this Webinar to learn the results of a joint research between members of the Association of Legal Administrates and the Legal Marketing Association. Gain fresh perspectives on marketing and business development that will shed new light on how to improve your firm’s performance.

 

Learning Objectives:

• Review the results of the joint research done between ALA and LMA
• Discuss how law firm leaders communicate about marketing
• Identify ways to measure success
• Explain how law firms can improve marketing and business development performance
• Summarize best practices

 

Marcie Borgal Shunk is a Principal with BTI and also serves as BTI’s Lead Analyst. She brings more than 10 years of experience of strategic analysis and all aspects of client relationships at professional services firms. Shunk drives BTI’s analytical strategies to uncover the most insights from BTI’s proprietary research with more than 6,000 key individuals who acquire and manage professional services.

 

Michael B. Rynowecer is the President and Founder of The BTI Consulting Group. He is widely recognized as one of the leading analysts and visionaries in all aspects of client relationships and client satisfaction. Rynowecer conceived, designed and built the first and only continuing benchmarking survey of client satisfaction and the ever-evolving expectations of clients. With more than 5,000 in-depth individual interviews, the survey has grown into the largest independent knowledge base on how top executives select and evaluate professional services firms.

For Live Program Only:

CLM℠ App Credit (Functional Specialists): 1 hour of credit in the subject area of Legal Industry/Business Management (LI) towards the additional hours required of some Functional Specialists to fulfill the CLM application.

CLM Recertification Credit: 1 hour of credit for CLM Recertification in the subject area of Legal Industry/Business Management (LI).

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May Chapter Meeting

Where Are Your Next Rainmakers? 

DATE: Thursday, May 23, 2013
TIME: 11:30-1:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Washington Athletic Club, 1325 6th Avenue,  Seattle, WA 98101
COST: $35.00 Members (includes reception) $45.00 for Guests
           $20.00 per attendee for Webcast only (webcast begins at Noon.)
RSVP: Please Register on-line by clicking here by May 20

Description:  

There is a sea change in the legal profession. Increased competition and commodity services are causing firms to rethink how to articulate value and differentiation. Reputation and Brand alone no longer bring business to the doorstep. A firm must now focus heavily on the business development talents of its people.

This session will be a discussion about how to effectively identify the rainmaker potential in your firm in both existing associates and candidates for hire. Among the topics will be:

• Understanding the value of business development in your firm
• The differences between Rainmakers and everyone else
• The Crucial Elements of business development
• How to identify the business development talent in your firm

Dave Mantel is a sales development specialist with Seica Systems, Inc. Seica Systems serves companies and professional services firms in increasing top line revenue through assessment, building infrastructure, training, coaching and accountability.

All registrants of this event must be members of the Puget Sound Association of Legal Administrators or a guest of a current member. Business Partners are invited by special invitation.

To add to your Outlook calendar, please click here.  If you have additional questions, please contact  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 206-359-8000.

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Facilities Section Meeting

Working with Landlords and Property Managers

DATE: Tuesday, June 11, 2013
TIME: 12:00-1:00 p.m. (lunch will be provided)
LOCATION: Stoel Rives LLP, 600 University St, STE 3600, Seattle
COST: FREE (lunch will be provided)
RSVP: 

Because lunch will be provided, please RSVP to Char Coulbert, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 206-254-4468 by Friday, June 7 so we know how much food to order.

Description:  

Join experienced and inexperienced facilities managers for a round-table discussion of the ins and outs of working with landlords and property managers, perhaps even janitors.  

• Basic maintenance of facilities (office space as well as common areas in the building)
• How to sweet talk maintenance people into doing special things—or even just doing their     job
• What is appropriate to ask
• Other tips and lessons learned the hard way

Our “experts” include:

• Lisa Wabik, Davis Wright Tremaine
• Shelley Goodwin, McNaul Ebel
• Ric Thorning, Perkins Coie
• Vicki Denning, K&L Gates 

Landlords and property managers run the gamut from helpful and hands-on to unhelpful and hands-off, and we’ll share ideas for working with every type. Everyone will get something out of this session, including those in small firms and small buildings. 

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Puget Sound Chapter of ALA

Volunteer Recognition

2012-2013

The following volunteers gave generously of themselves – their time, energies, creativity, experience and abilities – for our Chapter’s benefit during 2012-2013.  These members volunteered in a number of different capacities:  serving as a Board member, chairing committees and sections, volunteering for our community service events, writing articles for Soundings, and in many other ways.  Our Chapter once again has been recognized as a Platinum Level Chapter by ALA due to the contribution of time and talent by these dedicated volunteers: 

Alana Main	George Thomas	Marian DiPerna
Andrew San Agustin	Gil Price	Martha Tanner
Angela Brockman	Glenda Hanson	Mary Blazek
Ann Bernheisel	Gloria Masters	Patty LaFontaine
Ann Callahan	Joanne Pegues	Pete Roberts
Anne Clarke	John Battin	Puthy Pan
Annie Lombroia	John Edwards	Rebecca Misich
April Campbell	Joyce Pope	Ric Thorning
Bev Osborn	Julie Brandsness	Richard Wood
Brenda Higley	Julie Livengood	Rita Alli
Brenda Nixdorf	Karen Turner	Robert Stevens
Carmen Lewis	Katherine Platenberg	Ruie Victory
Carol Anne Nitsche, CLM	Lauren Lindheimer	Sharon Erickson
Carol Hill	Leone Powers	Shevette Floyd
Char Coulbert	Linda Sorenson	Sophia Bell Lavin
Chris Achman	Lisa Miner	Soula Jones
Cindy Rochelle	Lisa Sterritt	Sue Encherman
Dawn Glinsman	Lisa Wabik	Susan Gantt
Devri Owen	Luann Linn	Terri Weintraub
Donna Baker	Lynda Mathews	Trevor Varnes
Doug Haley	Lynne Langseth	Vicki Denning
Eileen Cheshire	Marcus Peterson	Yvonne Steed
Evelyn Dunagan

Thank you for volunteering for our amazing chapter!  If I inadvertently left anyone off this list, I apologize for the oversight!  We are thankful for EVERYONE’S contributions!

Gloria Masters
PSALA President, 2012 - 2013

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PSALA Receives Platinum Level Rating

Congratulations to our amazing chapter with your Executive Board and Extended Board’s outstanding work and dedication PSALA achieved the distinguished designation of Platinum Level Chapter – the highest designation granted by ALA.     

Thank you to our members who without you we wouldn’t have such a successful chapter.       

 - Gloria Masters, President