Law Office Manager Defined
Law office administrators are professionals that reputable law firms hire to manage their back office operations. These are essential tasks for a lawyer’s office to run efficiently. Law office managers work directly under the supervision of the law firm’s partner(s) or senior manager.
Every higher performing law firm requires a law office manager to implement procedures and policies that help in keeping their office organized. The primary duties of a law office manager include:
• Managing the day to day operations of a law firm
• Ensure confidentiality of client information
• Oversight of all non-attorney staff
• Process payroll and benefits
• Participate in hiring and firing of non-attorney staff
• Maintain accurate records
• Work with internal accounting department
• Assist in drafting and reviewing of budgets
• Assist in collection of outstanding balances
• Order all office supplies
• Oversee physical office spaces including IT initiatives
• Serve as a liaison with outside vendors
• Implement law office policies and procedures
• Handling business matters
• Monitor production of key practice metrics for productivity
For the law office administrator , every day is different from the next. They serve as a liaison between law office partners and non-attorney staff.
Skills Necessary for Law Office Manager
The successful law office manager possesses certain characteristics and personality traits that help them in their job. Highly developed organizational skills are a must, especially for organizing work in a fast-paced environment. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are also required, as someone in this position must be able to work effectively with management, clients and other legal workers in the law office. Familiarity with legal terminology, processes and regulations is critical for anyone working for a law firm. Law office managers will also be responsible for overseeing the staff in the law office, so having strong personality traits is important in terms of leadership. Concise communication skills are essential for keeping all aspects of the law office running smoothly.
Necessary Education and Qualifications
While not always necessary, many law offices prefer a graduate degree in management or a similar field for the position of law office manager. Such advanced degrees are even more important for large or highly-structured law firms. Some firms also require training as a paralegal.
Certification as a law office manager is often preferred or required. The National Association of Legal Secretaries and the International Association of Administrative Professionals both offer certification programs that can enhance the resume of a law office manager.
Other preferred qualifications include three to five years of experience working in an administrative capacity in a law firm, experience leading staff and assisting in HR-related matters, and familiarity with common legal administrative software and best practices.
These credentials help demonstrate the leadership, organizational, and personal skills that are essential for successful law office managers. They also offer proof of the candidate’s training and experience therein.
Law Office Manager Challenges
A great deal of information concerning the law office manager job description provides helpful insights pertaining to the duties and responsibilities of this position, but the challenges faced by law office managers are also important, especially if you are looking to pursue a career in this field. Law office managers are responsible for the day-to-day operations of law firms and there’s a wide range of factors that can influence how they perform their jobs.
For starters, law office managers often inherit a great deal of problems that have been building up for years before they get involved in a law firm. For example, if a law office manager has been hired by a law firm that has systems in place that aren’t efficient or effective yet the senior partners won’t allow them to change the systems, they may quickly become frustrated.
It’s important to realize though, that even if someone is an excellent law office manager and they are trying to put new systems in place, it’s going to take time and a great deal of patience before a law firm gets used to the changes . If you’re a law office manager, you need to have reasonable expectations about the speed with which things happen in order to be a success. You also need to be flexible as you deal with resistance from others concerning the changes you want to make.
Another common challenge faced by the law office manager is learning how to motivate people. It’s a different type of experience from working with partners, associates and the human resources department because the law office manager must wear so many different hats and switch between working with people on the technical side and on the personal side constantly. For this reason, law office managers who have strong organizational and interpersonal skills will be the most successful in the position.
Lastly, law office managers only make decisions after listening to everyone else, especially partners. Sometimes, by the time a decision is made, the window of opportunity has passed. Law office managers who can foresee issues and communicate well and effectively will be more likely to keep opportunities open longer than those who can’t.
Technology’s Influence on Law Office Management
An integral part of the Law Firm’s management team is the Technology Manager or Director. The productivity of every member of the staff in part depends on how much time they devote to using technology and learning new technology. Having a dedicated Chiefs of Staff position that directs and manages technology as well as trains staff can greatly increase the revenue producing time for attorneys and staff. Keeping in mind that attorneys have gotten to the position they are in due, in part, to their unique talent in the law, the support team needs to be very unique in their understanding of these processes. While some firms have a tech savvy atmosphere that spurs an IT or Tech support person to succeed, most environments are not like this. However, those who are able to wear many hats and become the leaders in technology that make the team even more productive will help take your firm to the next level Additionally this person’s knowledge in technology can be used to help clients who may be asking questions about some technical issues. If you don’t have this person as part of your staff, then a trusted IT vendor can help with this process. The important thing is to have a progressive approach to law firm technology issues.
Advancement and Career Path
During their career, a law office manager may be promoted to a VP position or move into an executive-level position such as Chief Operating Officer of a law firm. In a larger firm that has a large administrative organization and levels of management, an office manager may also advance to a Director position, managing several office managers in multiple offices or overseeing specific departments such as marketing, business development, human resources, etc .
Although law office manager/administrator positions are most common in law firms (ranging in size from small, 2-5 employee firms to large, 1000+ employee firms), law office managers are also employed at legal aid clinics, government agencies, judicial district attorney offices and corporate in-house counsel shops.