More than 40 years ago, lawyers began to see value in having someone other than a lawyer manage certain aspects of their practices. In its infancy, the profession of legal management wasn't a lot more than someone to order supplies, hire staff and supervise the billing process. Lawyers then and now realize they did not go to law school to learn the myriad facets of running a business or to spend time staying on the cutting edge of human resources, technology and accounting processes.
When most people think of a law firm, they know that there are both attorneys and secretaries that work there, but who else? There are many professionals that have careers in law firms -- some with college degrees and some without. There are some with law degrees that do not work as an attorney. Although no two law firms are alike and employees' duties may vary, we would like to introduce you to some description of the duties of law office staff and an overview of the basic responsibilities of each position.
From a strictly business perspective, most of you will agree that law firms are unique. For instance, in most businesses the sales personnel are not also the production personnel; not so in law firms, where the same lawyers who generate the business, or sell, are often the lawyers who work the cases, or produce. In addition, due to ownership restrictions, which limit law practice ownership to lawyers, firms are limited in their selection options for top-level business leaders.
Liz Mackres, longtime administrator for Casey Gerry, has her hand in every facet of the firm's day-to-day operations -- from managing and directing financial affairs to overseeing 27 employees.
Daily Transcript, ALA honor legal management professionals and law firms
