Located in central West Vancouver with a stunning view of the City of Vancouver sits an elegant townhouse ready for your comfort and exciting Olympic experience. With 3000 square feet of space, and 2/3 bedrooms with den over three levels, this town home promises space and privacy for your vacation needs. Minutes to Olympic venues on Cypress/Grouse Mountain and downtown, as well as, an hour away from Whistler village this town home is situated in an ideal location.  The fees are $800/night with a 10 day minimum.  Contact Nicole Garton-Jones at 778-786-0615 ext. 111 or nicole@bcheritagelaw.com for further information.

Why to Do It

Generally speaking, the benefits are:

• reduced file storage costs;
• the efficiency of having all firm information reside in once central digital repository.  Also, a firm is better positioned to take advantage of new technologies such as document automation if client information is already stored digitally;
• better risk management as client conflict checks are more comprehensive and automatic;
• the ability to work remotely, enhancing work life balance (which can be an human resources advantage); and
• often enhanced client service through increased speed of delivery of legal services.

Issues to Be Aware Of

A firm has to be aware of potential issues of being paperless, including:

• the importance to regular and secure data back-up
• security concerns; and
• potential staff resistance.

How to Do It

At the outset, a firm needs to be dedicated to the paperless goal and implement a well organized plan. It is important to get buy in from all staff, put firm policies in place and ensure adequate time and resources are allotted to planning, implementation and training.

Second, a firm must ensure its hardware is up to the demands of the increased amount of scanning, processing and storage.  Network servers need the ability to store up to 5 GB per lawyer per year. Having a reliable backup system and testing it often is critical.  A firm should consider installing scanners at every desk and have a central printer/scanner for larger scanning projects.

Third, a firm needs to put the required software in place. Adobe Acrobat is the standard for document exchange and is a good means for converting paper documents to legal files.  A document management software program needs to be selected, which serves as an electronic filing cabinet.  Many law firms use Worldox.  Finally, a firm may want to consider legal practice management software as well.  Practice management software allows a law firm to centrally organize client information digitally, including accounting, contact and case data.  Practice management programs often have documents management capabilities built in, or you can link a third party document management program such as Worldox.  Two popular of practice management programs are Amicus Attorney and Time Matters.

Example in Practice

Heritage Law is an example of a paperless law firm and utilizes practice management software to centrally manage billing, time tracking, matter information, contacts, appointments, documents and document assembly.  All staff log into one remote, secure server over the internet which is a repository for all firm data and software applications.  We have a VOIP phone system which allows ten staff in ten different locations to use the same phone line and system.  We have a remote answering service which answers client calls during the business day if a staff member is out of the office and routes the message to the appropriate person to deal with.  All staff have a computer, high speed internet, a VOIP phone and a scanner at their home offices.

With respect to software, we use PCLawPro for billing and time keeping.

We use Time Matters Enterprise for matter management and tracking contacts and appointments.  Time Matters has been customized for Heritage Law as follows.  There are tabs for matters in the categories of: Corporate, Litigation, Estate Admin, Estate Planning, Family Law, Mediation and by responsible lawyer so every open matter in the firm is categorized and viewable from one central location.  Each matter has an electronic client intake sheet so the user can see information including the date the file was opened, the responsible lawyer, the referral source, bring forward dates, relevant limitation dates, conflict check info, retainer letter info, any special billing info and a current status field where a short update is typed as the file progresses.

We use Worldox for document management.  No paper is kept except for original client documents.  Every document is saved or scanned into the system and saved according to client and matter.  Every document saved in Worldox is searchable by client, matter, description and text.

We use HotDocs 2008 Professional Edition for document assembly.  All our standard firm documents (memo, fax cover sheet, retainer letters, non-engagement letters, reporting letters and demand letters) are automated.  We are currently working on a project to automate our estate planning practice (wills, powers of attorney and representation agreements).  Document automation, in addition to the other programs, enables staff to generate client documents in an efficient and high quality manner.

PCLaw, Time Matters, Worldox and HotDocs are all linked together to work as a cohesive whole.

Each member of the firm shares a Microsoft Windows desktop running on a shared server in the Heritage Law IT infrastructure, and every desktop offers all of the core productivity applications previously described. Because all of the desktops reside on the same server, rather than on individually configured and field deployed desktop PCs, all that is required for a staff member to access and begin work for Heritage each day is a Windows PC and an internet connection. The Windows PC does not have to have any special applications installed on it, and might be a home PC, a borrowed PC, a laptop on the road or any other PC to which the staff member has access throughout their work day.

Each staff member has a Polycom SoundPoint IP 560 desk phone with HD Voice technology. Each phone has an ordinary 3 digit extension registered through Iristel, a Canadian internet telephony service provider. The power of the phone system is derived from the fact that the phones can be connected to any ordinary internet connection in any of the staff member’s home offices, and yet all remain reachable through simple 3 digit extensions. Calls to other phones in North America are toll free, and calls within the firm have HD voice quality. There is an automated attendant to greet callers and provides a directory for them to reach the appropriate staff member’s extension.

As the staff all wish to have flexible schedules, we employ a call answering service based in Abbotsford, BC called Re: Messaging Solutions Inc.  If a staff member does not pick up a client call directed to their local on our phone system, the call is then automatically forwarded to the answering service.  The answering service can then call the staff member directly on their cell phone, email the message to them or forward the message to another staff member, depending on the circumstances.  This allows us to be able to maintain a high level of client service while staff are out of the office during regular business hours.

Clients can fill out questionnaire forms online which are emailed to the firm prior to a file being opened.  The goal in the future is to populate this information into an answer file in our document automation program for enhanced efficiency.   Heritage Law is currently working on www.heritagelawonline.com, where clients will be able to potentially interact with the firm entirely online.

In creating a Scorecard for a new contract lawyer position with Heritage Law, these are the key competencies I came up with. I think these competencies probably apply to the majority of legal jobs – with an emphasis on technological affinity and autonomy probably higher for our firm than most.

Honesty/Integrity. Does not cut corners ethically. Earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not what is expedient. Speaks plainly and truthfully.

Traditional Intelligence. Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly and proficiently understand and absorb new information.

Emotional Intelligence. Empathy, perspective, understanding, listening skills.

Work ethic. Possesses strong willingness to work hard and sometimes long hours to get the job done. Has a track record of working hard.

Analytical ability. Can think logically on the basis of a set of rules nad analyse situations using common sense.

Logical reasoning. Able to understand, analyse and evaluate arguments.

Sound Judgment. Capacity to assess situations or circumstances and draw sound conclusions

Advocacy/Persuasion. Able to convince others of a conclusion or to pursue a course of action.

Attention to Detail. Thorough in accomplishing a task with concern for all the areas involved, no matter how small. Does not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a file.

Communication skills. Speaks and writes clearly, in all modes of communication.

Autonomy. Able to work productively and keep motivated in less structured work environment.

Pro-activity. Acts without being told what to do. Brings new ideas to the firm.

Flexibility/adaptability. Adjusts quickly to challenging priorities and conditions. Copes effectively with complexity and change.

Calm under pressure. Maintains stable performance under pressure or stress.

Enthusiasm. Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has can-do attitude.

High standards. Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing less than the best.

Openness to criticism and ideas. Solicits feedback and reacts calmly to criticism or negative feedback.

Team Player. Reaches out to peers and cooperates with team to establish an overall collaborative working relationship.

Sales/Business Development skills. Comfortable generating new business for self and the firm and networking and building relationships with referral sources.

Multi-tasking. Can effectively juggle and prioritize competing demands.

Responsiveness. Responds constructively and expediently to client and staff communications and requests.

Efficiency. Able to produce work with minimal wasted effort.

Creativity/innovation. Generates new and innovative approaches to problems.

Technological Affinity. Comfortable with and can use current technologies.

Heritage Law, a boutique firm located in West Vancouver, BC, requires an administrative assistant 3-4 days a week. We would prefer a graduate of the Capilano University Administrative Assistant program or equivalent. Experience in wills and estates, corporate records and family law is helpful. The compensation is $20/hour or $28,000/year salary range.  We are a collegial firm and are recognized for offering superior work/life balance.

Please forward your resume, transcript and references to Nicole Garton-Jones at nicole@bcheritagelaw.com.

See www.bcheritagelaw.com for more information on our firm.

This years winner for Business of the Year is: Delany’s Coffee House

Robin and Jennifer Delany and been in the coffee business for 15 years and have grown their business to 5 stores, including their West Vancouver locations in Dundarave and the Village at Park Royal. Their Village location is the highest grossing independent coffee house in British Columbia. As a family owned business, they have strong ties to the community; sponsoring and fund-raising for 50+ events each year on the North Shore and in West Vancouver. Robin has volunteered his time serving as the Vice President of the Dundarave Merchants Association for the past six years.

The winner for Business Person of the Year is: Linda Swain of Cypress Mountain

Linda Swain is the General Manager of Cypress Mountain, one of the largest employers on the North Shore. Linda has been instrumental in the growth of Cypress Mountain taking the local ski area with 80,000 visits in 1984 to 500,000 in 2008. Linda Swain is a lead Liaison with VANOC and has been very involved in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics games from the Bid. She is one of only three female general managers in the ski industry in North America and has been involved in the growth of skiing as a viable and profitable business on the North Shore. Linda is also a member of the Vancouver Tourism Foundation working group and the West Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

The winner for Young Entrepreneur is: Megan Sewell of Sewell’s Marina

Megan Sewell is the General Manager of Sewell’s Marina and has taken a longstanding family business to new endeavours through diversification of the Sewell’s Marina products offered to their customers. Megan has incorporated business dealings with numerous organizations such as BC Ferries, Department of Fisheries Canada, Microsoft, Intrawest and many large product suppliers to help push the business into substantial growth and increase development opportunities. Megan is active in giving back to the community, speaking to University students, making charitable differences to young people in the community and volunteering her time serving on the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

The winner for Most Green Business of the Year is: Park Royal Shopping Centre

Park Royal has begun a sustainability journey to operate on an economically prudent basis with regard for the environment and the community. Several changes have already been made including washroom renovations with reduced water consumption, low-voltage electric currents, recycling programs with new bins throughout the malls, organic waste pilot program with seven tenants, retrofitting 3,000 parking lot lights, having tenants and customers to recycle soft plastics including bags, a green roof will soon appear on the south mall and by April 2011 plastic bags will be eliminated at Park Royal.

Not only is she a lawyer who volunteers at an aboriginal pro bona legal clinic that she helped establish, she is currently an adjudicator on four tribunals. Margaret is an active volunteer with a goal: to make the legal profession and justice system better for all. She has enriched many organizations including the Law Society of BC, the Canadian Bar Association BC and the Law Courts Education Society with her service. Nominated for numerous awards and recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s Touchstone Award, Margaret is an exceptional member of the professional and volunteer community.

The winner will be announced at the 2009 Annual Presidents Dinner and Business Excellence Awards

Capilano Golf & Country Club

Presentation Ceremony, Silent Auction, Dinner & Dance

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 from 6:00pm to 11:00pm

Tickets $95.00 each.

To register: http://www.westvanchamber.com/events1.html

The annual Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch Work Life Balance Award, sponsored by Corporate Occupational Solutions Inc., is made in recognition of work life balance to the legal community by a CBA member, CBA supporting law firm or an organization that demonstrates leadership and commitment to work life balance in the practice of law.

There will be a luncheon to honour the second recipient of the Work Life Balance Award on June 25, 2009 at the Sutton Place Hotel, to be presented by Attorney General Wally Oppal, QC.  The nominees this year include:

• Heritage Law;
• Todd A. Rattray, Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP;
• Pushor Mitchell LLP; and
• Barbara K. Buchanan, Law Society of British Columbia

Sign Up Form

We are not just a traditional law firm with a work life balance policy. Instead, work life balance forms the fundamental underpinning of our firm. We have a innovative model of legal practice, centered on the concept of how to enable work life balance for all. We are currently an all-female firm, specializing in wills and estates, family law and mediation. Technology plays a critical role in our success.

A February 2007 cover story of California Lawyer magazine was entitled “We’re Outta Here: Why Women are Leaving Big Firms.” The article noted the serious issue of high attrition rates from the legal profession:

“The past few years have witnessed the highest levels of associate attrition ever documented, with an average annual attrition rate for both sexes of 19 percent, as recently reported by the NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education. Within five years of entering a firm, more than three-quarters of associates leave. Female associates were nearly twice as likely as males to depart to pursue a better work/life balance.”

The article’s key quote was:

“If law firms want to get the best and brightest young women to join them and stay, they will likely need to change radically and adopt different definitions of sacrifice and partnership.”

It bears noting that work life balance is not just a woman’s issue. Particularly among Generation X and Y lawyers (generally thought to be people born between 1965-1980 and 1981-1995 respectively), there seems to be an increasing emphasis from both men and women on their wish for work life balance and the flexibility to enable them to also pursue family, community and personal health goals.

In May of 2008, the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Retention of Women in Private Practice Working Group produced a report identifying best practices to promote the retention and advancement of women in the private practice of law. The report noted that the oft cited barriers to work life balance in large law firms are the unavailability of support and benefits such as part-time partnerships, part-time employment, predictable hours, job sharing and flexibility in hours. Women in small firms or in sole practices were noted to face challenges such as lack of income or benefits during leaves and lack of assistance to maintain the practice during absences.

Heritage Law certainly doesn’t provide an example on how to stem the tide of lawyer attrition from big law firms. We do provide a successful example of female lawyers and staff in a small firm who are happily remaining and thriving in the practice of law. We have built a system of support for each other to facilitate flexibility while maintaining high service levels to clients.

In short, we have developed a sustainable law firm model that respects the well being of our staff while striving to do the very best for our clients. Both the professionals and the clientele of Heritage Law benefit as a result.