Legal Tech Mastery: Streamline Your Practice with Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Tools for Managing Remote Teams Efficiently

Join nationally acclaimed legal technology expert Barron K. Henley for this full-day CLE, with invaluable practice management training presented in three instructional and interactive sessions.

Microsoft Word^® Power Tips for Legal Users

In the modern practice of law, most lawyers handle some or, sometimes, even all of their own word processing. Some attorneys have always typed their own documents, and others are increasingly looking to become self-reliant in that regard. Many small firms cannot cost-justify hiring word processing support staff, and medium and larger firms often have only one support staff person supporting anywhere from three to seven lawyers (which means that lawyers have to get in line and wait if they need help). However, due to the complex formatting often required with legal documents, legal users find Microsoft Word^® difficult to navigate even though it is often the primary tool used to produce work products. Using Word and “clicking around” provides little improvement and no insight. This session is designed by a lawyer for lawyers to specifically address these realities.

In this interactive session, Barron Henley will start by teaching you how to fix the common legal drafting problems plaguing many attorneys when using Microsoft Word^® and how to avoid these issues in the future.

Learn dozens of tips and techniques you can put into practice immediately. Even if you think you already know Word well, you will learn new features and tools throughout this presentation.

You will learn how to:

• Prevent random format shifting while you edit a Word document
• Remove hidden information (metadata) from Word files before sending them to opposing counsel
• Modify Word’s programmatical default settings so they work better for legal drafting
• Easily capture clauses, phrases, and other segments of text into a clause library for efficient document building
• Copy and paste text from one document to another without making a formatting mess
• Use correct method to hold headings, acknowledgments, signature blocks (and the like) together to avoid awkward page breaks (spoiler alert—it does NOT involve page breaks or extra hard returns)
• Set up single or multi-level automatic paragraph numbering schemes that work.
• Set up complex page numbering—turning it on or off in the middle of a document, starting it in the middle of a document, and changing formats (for example from Romanettes to Arabic).
• Use track changes and comments to indicate proposed changes; and use the compare feature to identify the differences between two versions of a document

Using Outlook to Organize and Manage High-Volume Email in a Law Office

Pursuant to Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4, lawyers have a duty to keep clients informed of their case status and relay facts and other communications that may impact the resolution of the matter. For most lawyers, these and most other communications occur via email. As a result, lawyers and staff are generally overloaded with email and many feel helpless when trying to get it under control. Communication breakdowns are a significant factor in many malpractice actions, and a lawyer’s inability to keep up with email often contributes to that.

In this session, you will learn how to improve Outlook’s functionality for your law office so you can improve your Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4 responsibilities to your clients. You will learn useful Outlook features that most users do not even know exist.

You will learn how to:

• Improve Outlook’s default settings for use in a law office
• Customize Outlook’s interface so you can see more email at once
• Track and flag important email for follow-up
• Store email (and attachments) outside of Outlook so others in your office can find them when appropriate
• Efficiently organize your email by case or matter
• Store and easily reuse email responses to common questions received from clients and prospective clients
• Configure Outlook to notify you about important email but ignore the rest

Using Technology to Manage a Distributed Workforce and Work Together Seamlessly

The new normal for law offices in the post-COVID era includes working remotely (part or full time). As such, the ability to run a law practice, render services, and manage people without a traditional physical office is critical.

In this session, you will learn:

• The surprising benefits of remote workers
• What you need for practice portability
• The ethical and security issues related to protecting client data when that data is being accessed from outside a traditional office space
• Recommendations for improving communication, keeping everyone connected, collaboration, and remote employee management
• Extending your cybersecurity umbrella to home workers
• Configuring an efficient and secure home office
• Building a reliable electronic client filing system that is accessible from anywhere
• Technologies that enable lawyers to draft even the most complex documents without assistance, even if they don’t know anything about the word processor
• Digital signature platforms
• Case management and legal accounting systems that provide unlimited remote access
• How to eliminate the need for traditional, on-premises file servers that typically provide no or poor remote access

ATTENDING IN PERSON?

The Bobzien-Gaither Education Center in Richmond/Innsbrook is our new state-of-the-art facility designed with your safety in mind. It features a Centurion air filtration system, which quickly and effectively eliminates viruses and bacteria. Additionally, the facility is thoroughly cleaned before each seminar, and face masks and hand sanitizer will be available.

COVID-19 POLICY FOR LIVE-ON-SITE ATTENDANCE

By attending a live-on-site Virginia CLE^® seminar, you acknowledge the health risks associated with COVID-19 and that you MUST follow all Virginia CLE^® COVID-19 policies. You may NOT attend a live-on-site program if you have tested positive for COVID-19, if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or if you are under any self-quarantine orders per CDC guidelines.

 

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE^®.

Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.

Dietary Restrictions: If you have dietary restrictions and are attending the seminar in person, please email tfitzgerald@vacle.org.

Inclement Weather Policy and Updates.

Can't Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program's seminar materials are made available for sale.

COURSE SCHEDULE (January 19) (Eastern Time)

8:30	On-Site Registration
9:00	Word
10:30	Break
10:45	Word (continued)
11:45	Lunch (provided at live-on-site seminar)
12:30	Outlook
2:00	Break
2:15	Managing Remote Employees
4:15	Adjourn

• Sign-in for live seminar attendees in Richmond begins at 8:30 a.m.
• Q&A will be handled via chat room for Webcast attendees.
• Q&A will be handled via e-mail for telephone seminar attendees.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Barron K. Henley, Affinity Consulting Group / Columbus, OH

Barron K. Henley, Esq., is one of the founding partners of Affinity Consulting Group, a legal technology consulting firm focused on automating and streamlining law firms and legal departments. He earned his B.S./B.A. (marketing and economics) and J.D. from The Ohio State University and is a member of the American, Ohio and Columbus Bar Associations, and the Worthington Estate Planning Council. He is a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, a member of Ohio Supreme Court Commission on Technology and the Courts, and a member of both the ABA Law Practice Management and the Real Property Trust and Estate Law ("RPTE") Sections, Co-Chair of the Joint Law Practice Management Group, a Board Member for the ABA TECHSHOW, and a Director on the Columbus Bar Services Board. Mr. Henley heads Affinity’s document assembly/automation and software training departments. He is also an expert in launching new law firms, overhauling existing firms, and documenting and re-engineering law firm processes. Finally, Mr. Henley teaches continuing legal education (CLE) classes throughout the U.S. and Canada, covering a wide variety of topics related to law practice management, technology, and ethics.