Webinars
Will you be a leader or a follower in today's ever-evolving business environment? If you want to secure a leadership role in your markets but need creative insight and guidance, the March ALA Webinar is one you won't want to miss!
Also, check out future ALA-Partnered Webinars
Stay on top of what you need to know to revitalize or sustain your firm, your staff and yourself. Learn more about upcoming and archived ALA Webinars and ALA cosponsored programs.
In the Headlines
All new, the ALA Legal Marketplace is your connection to a world of products and services designed to make your life easier and your firm more successful. A simple search of the Legal Marketplace will connect you with business partners who know your needs and can “deliver the goods.”
The Legal Marketplace is:
- Fully text searchable
- Efficient and easy to use
- Accessible 24 hours a day
The ALA Legal Marketplace ― the right choice, right now!
The CLM section of the ALA website has been enhanced, making it much easier to navigate. Here, you can peruse the four steps to earning your CLM designation, see what other CLMs have to say about the process and download the 2010 CLM Information & Application Packet. You can also search for CLM study groups in your area. Want to add your study group to the list? Contact Sue Powers.
ALA is pleased to introduce a new member alliance with National Pension Professionals, LLC (NPP). The consultants of NPP are affiliated with LPL Financial – the largest independent broker/dealer in the United States.* ALA has selected NPP, a leading pension advisory firm, to work with its U.S. member firms to help them understand and meet their fiduciary obligations as dictated by current and impending Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) requirements.
Full-Service Solution:
NPP is a full-service pension management firm with extensive expertise as a fiduciary adviser for company savings plans. ALA selected NPP to offer to its members a full-service solution for their 401(k), profit sharing and defined benefit pension needs. This service includes:
- a comprehensive analysis of your current plan and comparative analysis for the best solutions available for your firm;
- comprehensive education and communication programs;
- fund selection and monitoring process;
- access to a national network of qualified investment advisers; and
- expert guidance to evaluate the quality and costs of current retirement plans.
This extraordinary service will improve the overall quality of your firm’s plan offering and, in addition, will meet your ERISA procedural requirement of prudent investment selection and ongoing monitoring. NPP is the first fiduciary pension adviser with the ability to offer its services on a nationwide basis, made possible through its affiliation with LPL Financial and its national network of independent advisers. As the newest participant in ALA's Value in Partnership (VIP) SM Program, NPP will bring its unparalleled experience, innovation and outstanding reputation to ALA member firms. To learn more about how NPP can support your law firm, contact Mark Shepherd at 877.756.1804 or Randy Redd at 800.892.8826.
*Based on total revenues, as reported in Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2009
Advance registration is ongoing for the
ALA Annual Conference & Exposition, May 3-6, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Choose from more than
100 educational sessions, connect with your colleagues and explore the
ALA Exposition to learn about the latest in law firm management products, technology and services.
If getting buy-in from your firm is a concern, we encourage you to read some practical advice on how your attendance will benefit your firm.
Don’t miss out! Register today.
As a special bonus, make your Annual Conference hotel reservations with either the Boston Marriott Copley Place or Sheraton Boston by March 14 and receive complimentary in-room Internet access. Learn more about the official Conference hotels.
Need a break from your hectic day? Play Spill the Beans and you could win fabulous prizes. Play now.
Time is running out to submit your silent auction donations! In order to help us facilitate the online auction and prepare for the on-site auction in Boston, please visit www.ala.cmarket.com and complete the forms.
Don’t forget, making a donation to the ALA Silent Auction is tax-deductible and an easy way to earn points toward your 2011 Presidents’ Awards of Excellence entry! Proceeds from the silent auction benefit FALA.
March 15 is the application deadline for the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)SM exam on May 2 (in conjunction with the ALA Annual Conference in Boston).
If you plan on taking the exam this fall, two additional CLM fall test sites have been added as host cities. The exams take place September 30. The application deadline is August 12.
Watch your mail for the 2010 Compensation and Benefits Survey questionnaire that will mail on March 29. The deadline for participating in the survey is May 10. Survey questionnaires must be completed (in hard copy or online) and postmarked by that date in order to be counted.
ALA was honored at the 31st Annual Salute to Association Excellence, held February 23, 2010, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. The Association received top honors for its quarterly e-newsletter titled ALA Means Business: News and Information for the Legal Business Partner Community. This new Association publication was created through the combined efforts of the ALA Business Partner Relations Committee and Business Partner Advisory Panel. As well as being honored at the Salute to Association Excellence event, ALA was featured in the January issue of Association TRENDS and online.
The TRENDS All-Media Contest is an annual competition held exclusively for associations, recognizing the most creative and effective communication vehicles developed in the industry over the prior year. The competition included more than 425 entries in 26 categories of association communications. Association TRENDS is the U.S. newsletter for association executives and suppliers, spotlighting the latest news, information and trends in association management for the professional staff of international, U.S., state, regional and local voluntary organizations.
The 2010 ECLA Conference will be held in Denver, Colorado, June 14-16 at the Grand Hyatt. Learn more about the benefits of attending ECLA and register online today! Contact marketing to request a brochure.
ALA is proud to continue its association with The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement. It has been hailed as truly one of the premier awards programs in law and we are delighted to continue with this partnership. The 11th annual Burton Awards competition is now underway and includes the following categories that are open to ALA members (and their employers) only.
- Best Law Firm/Law Department Publication
- Best Law Firm/Law Department Newsletter
- Best Law Firm Compendium
- Best Law Firm Advertisement
- Best Law Firm Profile
Entries must be completed and submitted only by an ALA member to be eligible, and are due by March 26, 2010. Learn more.
Member Services
There are many ways to allocate credit for bringing clients to the firm, but no true standard. If your firm is struggling on the slippery slope of this issue, now is the time to review the ALA Research Study, “Origination Credit: Understanding the Value, and Managing the Marketing and Retention Effort, in Compensation Planning” to learn various methods for recognizing this critical aspect of a partner’s contribution. Don’t forget – ALA members now have immediate, direct access to more than 60 free Research Studies! Learn more to download this study plus any others you choose. Need help on other issues? Send your questions to infocentral@alanet.org for a prompt, personalized response.
Are you looking for new ways to energize your staff? It's a new year, but sometimes it's hard to shake off the challenges you've had to face. Several articles in the ALA Management EncyclopediaSM offer tips and strategies for motivating your staff, all in the Human Resources content area. Learn more.
Available online – days, nights and weekends – the ALA Management Encyclopedia, now with 109 articles, is filled with carefully indexed, highly searchable answers to your questions on financial management, marketing, strategic planning and human resources. The articles include spreadsheets, forms, checklists and more. Available as an annual subscription or through individual article purchases, the Encyclopedia is the perfect legal management resource for your entire firm. Subscribe online or purchase an article at www.alaencyclopedia.org. Want to delve into the article’s full table of contents to see what’s there before you buy? Click on the table of contents tab and open up the detailed outline of every section and every article.
The initial subscription for ALA members, at $395, includes all current articles and new articles posted throughout the year. Renewals are just $150. Individual articles are $50. For more information, contact the Editor-in-Chief, Rosemary Shiels.
Success sometimes comes down to the choices we make. This is your opportunity to choose to make your firm extraordinary – a place where people want to work and clients want to do business. Stand out from the crowd with the ALA best seller, The Extraordinary Law Firm: Making Your Firm a Great Place to Work.
For law firms of all sizes, The Extraordinary Law Firm: Making Your Firm a Great Place to Work draws upon 12 real-world case studies that will help you transform your firm from ordinary to extraordinary. Purchase your copy at the ALA Bookstore today!
CLMsm in a Flash is a deck of more than 500 flash cards designed to help you prepare for the Certified Legal Manager (CLM)SM exam. Developed to provide answers to various terms associated with the legal management profession, the flash cards cover the areas of: Office Operations Management, Legal Industry, Human Resource Management and Financial Management. Each flash card includes a “term,” definition and corresponding resource. Order online.
Visit ALA's job bank today to find your next
career opportunity or that new hire. ALA has made it easier — and more affordable – to connect prospective employees and
employers. Individuals may post their résumés in the ALA job bank, either with or without identifying information. Likewise, firms
and companies that currently employ an ALA member may access résumé postings, also at no charge
Just like the classified ads in your local newspaper, ALA members can find and post ads for items such as office space for sale, lease or rent, furnishings, vacation properties, collectibles, memorabilia, computer equipment, business services and much more.
Ads are immediately activated and run for 90 days. All you need is your ALA Member ID number. Log in to the Members Only section of the ALA Web site and post your ad today!
