A quarterly newletter by the Boston Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators. Click here to send comments to the Editor

A PDF version of this issue is available here.

This is the Spring 2007 newsletter from the Association of Legal Administrators Boston Chapter. To learn more about the Boston Chapter, go to ALABoston.org.

President's Message

It is hard to think of where this chapter would be if not for the incredible volunteers that have brought us to places we never imagined. One of the best parts of serving in chapter leadership is working alongside these remarkable volunteers who are truly the reason this chapter is so successful. At one time I was hesitant to get involved for fear of the time commitment entailed. Looking back, I am so glad that I said yes. I truly believe that I am a better administrator today because of the information I have gathered and people I have met along the way.........

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Upcoming Events

April 12   Speed-Dating the Marketing Mavens
April 30   2007 Annual Educational Conference
May 16   Annual Managing Partners Luncheon with Guest Speaker Keith Lockhart
June 13   ALA Golf Tournament

 

Annual Conference

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Featured Articles

arrow VISTA: First Impressions
By: Alex Fanous

At first glance Vista, the new Microsoft Desktop Operating System (OS) released this year, is quite different from former versions of the OS.  Vista, which replaces XP, was an extensive development effort.  Core functionality remains the same and you will still find all the old features in roughly the same places, but with a new look and feel.  The new version boasts improvements to help productivity as well as security improvements that will make it useful to regular users as well as businesses.  The new version is available as either an upgrade or can be purchased with new hardware, but businesses should put off the transition until some of the customary initial release bugs are worked out. Full Article  

 

arrow E-Discovery: Three Major Challenges For Employers
By: Philip L. Gordon and

Hillary R. Ross

The December 1, 2006 amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have focused intense attention on the burdens and risks of electronic discovery. Employment litigation magnifies those burdens and risks for reasons typically absent from other forms of litigation. Understanding the unique aspects of electronic discovery in employment litigation is critical to protecting an organization against a plaintiff's use of electronic discovery to obtain tactical advantages that could lead to an undeserved settlement or an unwarranted and disproportionate jury verdict. Full Article

 

arrow Be a Parent, Not a Pal
By: Cheryl Bailey

Will you be hosting an $8 million party for your high school graduate this June?  “Don’t be absurd,” you respond.  “Of course we intend to celebrate this milestone with family and friends, but food, drink and fun certainly won’t cost anywhere near $8 million.” It just might if you allow underage drinking. Full Article

 

 

Career Talk

Career Talk - Prepare an ‘Emergency Management Kit’ for Unforeseen Challenges

By Charles Volkert, Esq.
As every legal administrator knows, handling ordinary, predictable events is challenging enough. In any given week, administrators deal with a wide variety of concerns, including the deployment of legal support staff, firm management, implementation of technological resources and strategic planning. When an unforeseen crisis occurs within this already high-pressure environment, it can severely test an administrator ’s ability to take on additional duties while still managing routine matters. Full Article

 

Hints and Tips

Leadership Tips From General Douglas MacArthur
MacArthur developed a list of questions to guide him in his leadership duties. These principles can be applied to any leadership situation.. Full Article

 

On The Lighter Side

NEW WORDS FOR 2007:
Essential vocabulary additions for the workplace (and elsewhere)!!!Full Article.

 


Web Tools

Dictionary, On-Line
Need a word? You might want to add www.onelook.com to your Favorites list. It references over 5,000,000 words in almost 1,000 dictionaries across the Web. In addition to definitions, you can get translations, search by pattern or partial word, and a reverse dictionary. E.g, can't remember "double jeopardy"? Type "tried twice for the same crime."

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR RESERVISTS BEING CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY
You can find employee benefit questions and answers on the U.S. Department of Labor website in the Employee Benefits Security Administration section. (www.dol.gov/ebsa)

Newsletter Staff:

Ian Breslin, Nathan Burke, Kevin Costello, Michelle Defalco, Trina Goodale, Dan McCormack, Chris O'Sullivan, Judi Stella.

 

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