When attending Maryland Law School, I clerked for a major law firm. The epicenter of the firm was its library. Much more than books, the library was where associates did research, asked each other questions, shared (or spread) firm-related gossip, and connected with partners reading the Daily Record, or some recent court opinion.

While practicing law in the Navy JAG Corps and US Attorney’s office, we were taught how to dictate letters, memos, and legal briefs. Our dictating equipment was centralized, so legal secretaries could retrieve our (infrequent) words of wisdom and type drafts on IBM magnetic cards. Today, unless someone is using Dragon Dictation, the percentage of lawyers dictating letters, memos and legal briefs has dramatically declined, as has the number of legal secretaries.

As demonstrated by the exhibit on Law Firm Workplace Transformation, the practice of law has been on a forty year march that has reduced lawyer interaction, accelerated research, enhanced turnaround time, and

created the ability to work around the clock from anywhere around the globe. And just when you thought you could catch your breath, there is a growing consensus that the last domino to fall - the size and the sanctity of the private office – has started falling.

Law firms are the least efficient users of office space in the U.S. While workplace strategies and changing metrics are pushing office space utilization metrics past 4.5 people per 1,000 SF (222 SF/person), law firms are still at approximately 3.3 persons per 1,000 SF (333 SF/person). Furthermore, modern workplace strategies favoring natural light, collaboration, interaction and socialization are accelerating and will ultimately reach the majority of law firms and lawyers. The AmLaw 100 will be the first to convert due to its pronounced cost of real estate and recruiting demands; nonetheless, local and regional firms will ultimately fall in line.

So be ready to explain why lawyers can have interior offices with glass doors or walls, or why there needs to be an area for partners and associates to interact and collaborate, or why

all work need not be done in the confines of the private office. Change – even in law firms – marches on.

30 SPRING 2014

CHANGEMARCHES

ON

By Robert A. Manekin, Esq.Colliers International

and Maria Hart

CEORoomtag, LLC

When attending Maryland Law School, I clerked fora major law firm. The epicenter of the firm was itslibrary. Much more than books, the library waswhere associates did research, asked each otherquestions, shared (or spread) firm-related gossip,and connected with partners reading the DailyRecord, or some recent court opinion.

While practicing law in the Navy JAG Corps and USAttorney’s office, we were taught how to dictate let-ters, memos, and legal briefs. Our dictating equip-ment was centralized, so legal secretaries couldretrieve our (infrequent) words of wisdom and typedrafts on IBM magnetic cards. Today, unless some-one is using Dragon Dictation, the percentage oflawyers dictating letters, memos and legal briefshas dramatically declined, as has the number oflegal secretaries.

As demonstrated by the exhibit on Law FirmWorkplace Transformation, the practice of law hasbeen on a forty year march that has reduced lawyerinteraction, accelerated research, enhanced turn-around time, and created the ability to work aroundthe clock from anywhere around the globe. And

just when you thought you could catch your breath,there is a growing consensus that the last domino tofall - the size and the sanctity of the private office –has started falling.

Law firms are the least efficient users of office spacein the U.S. While workplace strategies and changingmetrics are pushing office space utilization metricspast 4.5 people per 1,000 SF (222 SF/person), lawfirms are still at approximately 3.3 persons per1,000 SF (333 SF/person). Furthermore, modernworkplace strategies favoring natural light, collabo-ration, interaction and socialization are acceleratingand will ultimately reach the majority of law firmsand lawyers. The AmLaw 100 will be the first to con-vert due to its pronounced cost of real estate andrecruiting demands; nonetheless, local and regionalfirms will ultimately fall in line. So be ready to explain why lawyers can have interi-or offices with glass doors or walls, or why thereneeds to be an area for partners and associates tointeract and collaborate, or why all work need notbe done in the confines of the private office.Change – even in law firms – marches on.

Graphic Provided by Marcia Hart, copyright Roomtag

LAW FIRM WORKPLACE TRANSFORMATION Metrics & Key Performance Indicators over time:

1970 1980 20101500 RSF per attorney 1200 RSF 1000 RSF 800 RSF 600 RSF per attorney

1:1 Attorney : Secretary ratio 1:1 1:1 2:1 4:1 Attorney : Secretary ratio1:1 Staff : Attorney ratio 1.5:1 1.5:1 1.25:1 0.8:1 Staff : Attorney ratio

FAX MACHINES CELL PHONES E-DISCOVERYOVERNIGHT DELIVERY DESKTOP PCs MOBILITY

ELECTRONIC RECORDS AFAs DEMAND CONTRACTIONWORD PROCESSORS

2010

Oil Crisis Black Monday Mini-crash Global Crisis Flash Crash

1961 - IBM SELECTRIC TYPEWRITER 1982 - IBM PC 1992 - WEB BROWSER 2007 - SOCIAL NETWORK APPS 2010 - iPAD1973 - FEDEX OVERNIGHT DELIVERY 1982 - RELATIONAL DATABASES 1993 - E-MAIL 2007 - APPLE IPHONE1975 - IBM MAG CARD WORD PROCESSOR 1983 - US CELLULAR PHONE NETWORK 1993 - ADOBE PDF 2007 - ANDROID PHONES1978 – WANG WORD PROCESSOR 1985 - NETWORK FILE SYSTEM (1997 - EMAIL surpasses regular mail)

1987 - POWERPOINT 1998 - GOOGLE1989 - WORLD WIDE WEB 1999 - WI-FI

1999 - BLACKBERRY

WORK IN PROGRESS - COPYRIGHT 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - ROOMTAG, LLC

1972 1987

20001990

20081997

Prepared Exclusively For Colliers International | Baltimore

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ROBERT MAnEkinColliers internationalUniversity of Maryland School of Law, JD 1973University of north Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. 1970

Mr. Manekin is a 36 year commercial real estate industry veteran, having focused on tenant representation since 1992. A former Lieutenant in the Navy JAG Corps and Special Assistance U.S. Attorney, Mr. Manekin has focused a significant portion of his client services practice to representing law firms in developing and implementing office leasing strategies.

MARCiA HARTCEO, Roomtag LLCRegistered Architect, EntrepreneurHarvard Graduate School of Design, M. Arch. Princeton University, A.B. Architecture

Ms. Hart is an expert in space requirements for lease transactions. She founded Roomtag to help law firms and commercial office tenants reduce workplace costs and improve productivity in measurable ways.

Ms. Hart’s expertise in space programming and space planning is enriched by a deep understanding of how design affects people and organizations. Combining architectural design, financial analysis and organizational sensitivity, her unique skill set offers insight and technical expertise when it’s needed most.

Spring 2014 disclosures Copyright ©2014 Maryland Chapter, Association of Legal Administrators. disclosures is published four times a year and is distributed to Chapter members and law firm managing partners. To submit articles, contact Vickey Wagner at 410.230.3806. disclosures is copyright protected and is not to be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

CHANGE MARCHES ONBy Robert A. Manekin, Esq., Senior Vice President, JLL and Marcia Hart CEO, Roomtag, LLC

A CHAPTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF LEGAL ADMINISTRATORSSPRING 2015www.alamd.org

FeaturesCyber Crime and

Identity Theft Security . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Medicare and Supplement . . . . . . . . . 11

Law Firm Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Pros and Cons of Cloud or Hosted Phone Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

New Cyber Threats Pose a Challenge to Law Firms . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Microsoft Office 365: 10 Things toIncrease Business Productivity . . . . . 30

Tech Talk: File Sharing . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Copyright ©2015 Maryland Chapter, Associationof Legal Administrators.

disclosures is published four times a year and isdistributed to Chapter members and law firmmanaging partners. To submit articles, contactVickey Wagner at 410.230.3806.

Article reprints are available upon written request.

disclosures is copyright protected and is not to bereproduced in any form without written permis-sion from the publisher.

the newsletter of the Maryland Chapter of The Association of Legal Administrators, Inc.