Supporting For The Legal Community For Over 30 Years

“She is a motivated, self-starter, who is incredibly responsive to our lawyers, staff and clients in a very professional and friendly manner.”

“Anything I’ve needed for my attorneys in the last few weeks, I get an immediate response from the front desk, and a follow up call to make sure everything is taken care off."

Good Morning Folks,

In an environment where the only constant is change, law firms MUST run as better businesses. They are looking for “Service Partners” (not just “vendors”) to help them (re)IMAGINE…. to educate them and provide services that are NOT what they are getting today or what they have traditionally gotten over the years

We bring more experience in serving the legal profession than any company in the outsourcing industry. From the start of a case through the end of the trial, whether the assignment is a quick turnaround photocopy job to the most complex e-discovery project, FSO can improve your operations onsite.  We will…

• Give you access to operational expertise, service line resources, and capabilities you may not  possess today

• Provide right-sized headcount for immediate cost savings

• Help you reduce real estate footprint with digital records

• Leverage new technologies with revolutionary impacts and widespread benefits

• Ensure the security and consistency of all mail and courier package deliveries

• Replace an unmotivated team with hospitable, friendly associates who will bring your brand values to life and make guests feel warmly welcomed.

Our Innovative Services Include..

+ Conference Services

+ Digital Document Services

+ Facilities Management

+ Front Of House

+ Hospitality Services

+ Hoteling Services  

+ Information Technology

+ Litigation Support

+ Records Management Solution

+ Reprographic Services

Traditional Services Include..

+ Equipment Management 

+ Mail & Logistics Services

 + Messenger Services

+ Reprographic Services

+ Security Services

Many of the best-known names in AMLAW 200 legal services have upgraded their business support by partnering with FSO. Each can confirm that we have streamlined existing processes, and met their objectives of reducing administrative burden and cutting costs.

If we can help you, or someone you may know of, call me personally at (212) 204-1193.

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life.

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . .  ..   “Richard is valuable to the IP group having downloaded and checked over 800 patents. He keeps the files in order and gets files whenever needed right away.”  . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  . .

Throw Back Thursday: Once Upon A Time You Couldn't Do Business Without "White-Out" Correction Fluid

White-out reminds me of that esurance commercial— Beatrice: Instead of mailing everyone my vacation photos, I'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. Friend replies... That's not how this works. That’s not how any of this works!

Good Morning Folks,

A blogger advises newly hired law firm associates...

On your first day at a law firm, you will…
…train with an 18-year-old Harvard freshman who somehow manages to be more put together looking than you are.
…embarass yourself trying to use the unnecessarily complicated “coffee system.“
… go to a two-hour, three-course lunch, at the end of which the associate you ate with will say, with genuine pleased surprise, “hey! only $90 for lunch! not bad!”
…spend two solid hours being trained on the use of Outlook. (Who knew email was so complicated?)
…learn that all summer associates are going to be attending next week’s Beyonce concert in a luxury box, courtesy of the firm.  and...
…walk into your newly-issued office and discover that it is stocked chock full of office supplies, including a glue stick, an “envelope moistening wand”, White Out (now available in legal pad yellow! who knew!), and brand-new, still in their packaging tape dispenser, stapler, and scissors. (The teacher in me nearly swooned.) 

Yes, even in a computer age where word processing programs with spell check have made error correction automatic, White-Out, as it is known, is still used widely.

Directs one law firm to its clients:

When you deliver documents to our office, it helps if you can do the following: 

We rarely need originals.  Please deliver clear copies unless we specifically request the original. 

We want to protect you from identity fraud. Many bank and credit card statements, tax returns, and other documents have your social security number or account number on every page.  Please redact (use White Out) all but the last 4 numbers of any account numbers."

Then again, this is one area of the law where enthusiastic use of White-Out and CIA-grade black highlighters is encouraged.

According to Wikipedia: "White-Out "correction fluid" as it is known generically, is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush (or a triangular piece of foam) which dips into the bottle. The brush is used to apply the fluid onto the paper.

Before the invention of word processors, correction fluid greatly facilitated the production of typewritten documents.

One of the first forms of correction fluid was invented in 1951 by the secretary Bette Nesmith Graham, founder of Liquid Paper.

The best known brand of correction fluid,Wite-Out dates to 1966, when George Kloosterhouse, an insurance-company clerk, sought to address a problem he observed in correction fluid available at the time: a tendency to smudge ink on photostatic copies when it was applied. Kloosterhouse enlisted the help of his associate Edwin Johanknecht, a basement waterproofer who experimented with chemicals, and together they developed their own correction fluid, introduced as "Wite-Out WO-1 Erasing Liquid".

In 1971, they incorporated as Wite-Out Products, Inc. The trademark "Wite-Out" was registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 5, 1974. (The application listed the date of "first use in commerce" as January 27, 1966.)

Early forms of Wite-Out sold through 1981 were water-based and hence water-soluble. While this allowed simple cleaning, it also had the problem of long drying times. The formula also did not work well on non-photostatic media such as typewritten copy.

The company was bought in 1981 by Archibald Douglas. Douglas, as chairman, led the company toward solvent-based formulas with faster drying times. Three different formulas were created, each optimized for different media. New problems arose: a separate bottle of thinner was required, and the solvent used was known to contribute to ozone depletion. The company addressed these problems in July 1990 with the introduction of a reformulated "For Everything" correction fluid.

In June 1992, Wite-Out Products was bought by the BIC Corporation. BIC released a number of new products under its newly acquired brand, including a Wite-Out ballpoint pen (November 1996) and dry correction tape (1998)."

Today, corporate clients have shifted priorities for law firms. Tired of high hourly rates and a no-bid mentality, corporations are demanding changes in the way law firms bill their clients. And the law firms are responding. There's no room for errors let alone non-billable time spent correcting errors. 

Law firms also are facing the same forces that have driven other industries to become leaner and meaner, namely globalization and technology. Law firms today must compete across borders for business while technologies, such as Internet search engines and online law libraries, call into question the need for legal associates and researchers poring over hard-cover law books and documents.

Once upon a time White-Out was a major innovation and a staple of the legal profession. But today it's going to take more than White-Out to "Wipe Out" competition.

Back office business practices have to change. And though law firms have been slow to change, I think we’re going to see even more innovations in the future. Like outsourcing.

As a result, many law firms are adopting new business models and doing what once seemed almost unthinkable in the industry: cutting hourly rates, bidding for corporate work against rival firms, capping prices, and keeping a sharp focus on the corporate client’s bottom line. In turn, the firms are cutting their own costs in a drive to become more efficient, using fewer attorneys on cases, and moving back-office operations to lower cost,more efficient processes like outsourcing.

I launched FSO with a vision, a dream of changing the outsourcing business in a way that was never done before. At FSO we are driving change and ushering law firms into the 21st Century and beyond. In a sense we are "Whiting Out" the past and delivering the future.

If you’d like to explore how FSO can bring your firm into the digital age, contact me personally at 212-204-1193.

With gratitude to Wikipedia and the Boston Globe for their insights that contributed to this post, and most of all to you for listening.

Have a fabulous, sunny, productive day filled with love and inspiration.  

Hugs all around.

 

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

ABOUT FSO:

• The fastest growing and most successful national onsite outsourcing in the U.S. focused on 1) improving services, 2) reducing costs, and 3) giving employees  an opportunity to grow.
• We outsource functions like: Mail, Copy, Reception, Switchboard, Office Services, Records, Messenger, IT, Concierge, Front & Back Office and much more.
• 1600+ employees, operating in 60+ cities, 225+ operational sites, 98% employee retention & 100% client retention.
• Ranked #24 in Crain’s magazine’s fast 50 and listed to the Inc 5000 list two years in a row.
• We (re)imagine the ways businesses are run.

VIDEO:

Brief "corporate portrait" video shows who we are and what we can do for you HERE

FSO Onsite Outsourcing Enhances Employee Experience with Launch of New Online Training Programs

"If there's one thing that FSO lives and breathes every day, it's the Employee Experience. We focus on motivating and driving the hourly employee to deliver great service with a skip in the step, twinkle in the eye and fire in the belly."

Good Morning Friends,

I'm proud to announce the launch of new monthly online training programs. 

Geared towards basic management, the trainings will target the company's Mail & Logistics Associates, Facilities Managers, Records Associates, Copy Operators, Informationalists (Receptionists) and more who serve FSO's growing list of clients, which include: Financial Companies, High End Real Estate Organizations, Media & Publishing Companies, Law Firms and Higher Education Institutions.

Commenting on the program, my colleague, Kimberly Shephard, SVP of People Solutions (HR) noted, "Our online trainings will have a new subject every month. From tips on how to build morale and how to develop trust in your teams to how to spread the FSO "Personal, Passionate, Productive" way, these required trainings will ultimately give our staff the tools to make them even more effective managers and leaders."

These crucial offerings are what make FSO's people different from any of our competitors. As co-founder of the onsite outsourcing business and a true pioneer of motivating people, I can confidently say that FSO has the most comprehensive training, awards and recognition programs in the industry. This is what keeps our staff happy resulting in exceptional service delivery to the customer." 

On the heels of my remarks, President Jim Caton commented, "If there's one thing that FSO lives and breathes every day, it's the Employee Experience. We focus on motivating and driving the hourly employee to deliver great service with a skip in the step, twinkle in the eye and fire in the belly."

To reinforce the trainings, FSO will be scheduling follow up sessions to support the material and answer any questions their staff may have. The first topic of the online trainings launched this week was "Leadership Defined". 

Have a GREAT day, be happy and…

Love Life!

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of the nation's fastest growing companies for the second consecutive year, FSO's growth and success can be attributed to making a positive and powerful impact on their clients' bottom lines, as well as their employees' careers and lives. Learn more about what differentiates FSO here.

Guest Post- Owen Burns: Survey Finds Law Firms At Risk Of Drowning In Their Own Data

Photo Illustration
OTTIPRDesigns
for Citrix

"Companies need to be prepared when it comes to data storage and retrieval, and should have formal processes to ensure that their information governance policies are up-to-date and in use."

Good Morning Folks,

Today I am sharing a great article sent to me by a friend, legal IT expert and reader, Owen Burns, who originally published this piece in Forbes.  Amazing when you think about the importance and role of IT in even the smallest organization. And all the details that need to be managed and proactively strategized. (btw, we can help)

Thanks to Owen for articulating GREAT insights.

==> Survey Finds Companies At Risk Of Drowning In Their Own Data By Owen Burns

The world is in the midst of a massive explosion of online information, with compounding data volume, new forms of media, and seemingly unrestricted speed of sharing information. Every 60 seconds 208 million emails are sent, 278,000 tweets are posted on Twitter, and 571 new websites are created—and those numbers are increasing constantly. Big data evangelists suggest that 90% of the world’s data has been created in the last two years, and David Kessler of Norton Rose Fulbright noted in a recent webcast that this trend shows no signs of slowing. This massive influx of information can be overwhelming, but getting a handle on it is an essential element of basic corporate record keeping. Data management experts talk about controlling the “3 Vs”—volume, velocity and variety—but this is easier said than done.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that most companies appear to be struggling with data management. At least this is what Control Risks and the Economist Intelligence Unit found in a recent survey of over 300 companies.

Generally speaking, all of the companies polled had gaps in their data management and information governance practices. One of the top challenges executives face is how to collect responsive data during an investigation. Some 56% of respondents indicated that the challenges associated with actually collecting data would have an impact on their organization over the next two years. Compounding the challenge is the fact that new channels for creating, storing, and distributing data are continually being developed. There are also issues in regard to accessing data on employee-owned devices; the laws surrounding data privacy are very complex and may limit access to vital information. This issue is further complicated when operating in multiple jurisdictions, each with a different set of laws. It’s no surprise, then, that 67% of those polled believe the impact of data protection laws on their companies would increase in the next one-to-two years.

Document management systems pose their own set of challenges. When asked to describe their system, 38% of survey respondents said their data was very accessible. The rest said that accessing specific data would require some time and effort. Of course, many data searches are time sensitive—this is particularly true in an investigation, since the risk for data spoliation increases as more time elapses.

A shortage of knowledge is another challenge. Laws around transferring data—particularly across national boundaries—are notoriously complex. The survey assessed corporate departments’ knowledge of data transfer laws and found that while legal and compliance departments scored high, those responsible for managing day-to-day operations did not. IT groups had particularly low knowledge of legal issues: 77% of respondents said their IT department had little or no legal knowledge of data transfer issues.

Departmental level of expert legal knowledge regarding data transfers.

When companies are faced with an investigation, or have some other need for sorting through their massive data stores, it invariably helps to have a plan. Almost a third of those surveyed did not. When they are unprepared, companies often end up with massive amounts of useless data, increasing the time and energy it takes to process while also increasing the associated costs to produce information. But even companies that have plans in place often find that they collect too much irrelevant data in their searches—particularly if their data management programs were lacking to begin with.

Companies need to be prepared when it comes to data storage and retrieval, and should have formal processes to ensure that their information governance policies are up-to-date and in use. Many companies see a return on investment in a proactive data management system in just a few years, but it starts with the decision to close the gap between policy and process. The choice is simple: prepare upfront for an investigation or pay heavily when you are caught off-guard.

If you want a FREE consultation to see how FSO can rid you of IT headaches and free up expensive data storage space now cluttered with paper records, call me directly on 212-204-1170.

Have a GREAT Day. Love Life.

I'll be a seeing you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner

Chief Happiness Officer  

. . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . .  . . .  . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . .  " The Internet never pauses or slumps, as it is a constantly evolving entity…”   . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . . ..  . . . . . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . .  . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..  .

Owen Burns is a senior consultant for legal technologies at Control Risks, an international political, integrity and security risk consultancy.

Throw Back Thursday: Not Your Father's Law Firm

"As lawyers we sell words. Advice and good counsel are certainly prerequisites, but when it comes down to the tangible, visible work product that most clients see, take away the ability to get documents out and a firm is dead in the water."

Good Morning Folks,

Today we're joining the rest of the blogging world with a weekly feature "Throw Back Thursdays."

At FSO our success comes from an uncanny ability to (re)IMAGINE a very different future than what exists today— and to bring those innovations our clients long before their competitors have a clue.

Whether dictated, typed, cut and pasted, the written word remains at the very core of business, especially in legal where documentation may have migrated to digital, but every letter in that documentation still starts with a human being and a keyboard.

As the American Bar Association argued, "As lawyers we sell words. Advice and good counsel are certainly prerequisites, but when it comes down to the tangible, visible work product that most clients see, we’re wordsmiths and wordsellers. A law firm can survive for a time without its automated calendars, without its billing and accounting systems, without its litigation management programs and . . . (gasp) . . . even without Internet access. But take away the ability to get documents out and a firm is dead in the water."

The progress for office productivity in the past ten years has been greater than the entire five decades before it. And there are so many start-ups, so many ideas, we don't see innovation slowing down anytime soon. The pace is fast. There is no time for stragglers to catch up.

Back office history / inventions / progress which I will blog about on Thursdays to include the introductions of the typewriter, Selectric, word processor, postage meter, fax, overnight, copiers, email and cloud— will all show that what we once accepted as productivity changed overnight just as someone came along and imagined a new and different way of doing things. For your office today we are that "someone" and you need such a person in your corner.

Just look at how the legal profession got accustomed to using a "Word Perfect" word processing program that became out of sync with everyone else working with Microsoft Office. That can't afford to happen in 2014. The competition is tougher than ever and you need to leverage every productivity and service booster you can muster.

Have a GREAT day and LOVE LIFE as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

....................................................................
“Imagination is more powerful than knowledge"
~~ Albert Einstein
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Controlling Expenses In The Digital Practice of Law: Innovations That Successful Law Firms Use To Lower Costs, Improve Service and Take Better Care of People

"Firms have recognized these factors and have already addressed them with proactive, forward-thinking strategies that combine strategic real estate reduction with robust technological investments."

Good Morning Folks,

Today, via the ALA on LinkedIN, we will discuss specific innovations that successful firms will employ to control expenses and thrive in the new era of legal services.

This article outlines external trends that affect the workplace, providing context for new challenges and opportunities that traditional AmLaw 200 law firms are facing.

Economics

On the economic front there is ample evidence of permanent structural change. Q1 2013 has reinforced the tight demand and projected economic growth does not guarantee a correlation with a law firm’s well-being due to rate growth pressure, AFA’s, increased competition and enabling technologies. Blind acceptance of fixed expense structures is not a viable strategy for long-term health.

Real Estate

Law firms get killed by real estate due to:

• Excess capacity
• Mismatch between actual functional requirements and space provided
• Expensive “Class A” lease rates
• Unproductive traditional layouts

However, rather than proactively deal with aging space and outdated models many firms continue to tolerate wasteful administration of their highest fixed expense after compensation. External forces demand new ways of thinking about the workplace.

Technology

Technology affects every aspect of legal practice and administration. With less physical “stuff” in the workplace, the total office footprint can be reduced, with no negative impact on productivity.

Mobile technologies invite further reductions in office space. A lawyer or staff employee no longer needs be attached to his or her desk to be productive. The promise of alternative work locations in the office and off-site is real.

Demographics

The new workplace must be conceived as a combination of space + technology. In fact, all demographic groups that follow Boomers prize flexibility and technology over space.

Within five years, Boomers will comprise less than 25% of the total workforce. While that percentage will be higher in law firms, the productivity potential of tech-driven attorneys and staff will outweigh accommodation of retiring partners.

Business Structures

Business structures are evolving too. In addition to slumping productivity and demand, the anemic rate of profits growth is also attributed to alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and increasing fee competition.

Leverage strategies — associate ratios and temporary or staff attorneys, combined with multi-market management and AFAs — affect workplace dynamics and space needs. Traditional fixed partner and associate office layouts and assignments do not serve more fluid needs.

Competitive situation

In the context of these external pressures, failure to evolve the new workplace creates a serious competitive disadvantage. Firms have recognized these factors and have already addressed them with proactive, forward-thinking strategies that combine strategic real estate reduction with robust technological investments. 

Have a GREAT day. Love LIFE!

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

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"You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."
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via RoomTag via Creative Commons license.

Filed under: Legal, New Workplace Strategy and tagged CAFM, digital floor plans, IWMS, law firm technology, legal, legal administrators, legal industry, office productivity, online floor plans, optimize shared workplace, optimize workplace, real estate productivity, FSO, shared workplace, workplace consolidation, workplace management, workplace solutions