Presented by:
Jon Dorf, Esq.
Carol Greenwald, Ph.D.
John McCarron, Esq.
December 2011
Welcome, Donna Drumm, Esq. WCBA 5 mins
Why Technology Matters, Carol Greenwald,
Ph.D. ………..10mins
Technology Tips presented by John Dorf, Esq.
and John McCarron, Jr., Esq…… … .35 mins
Tip #1 Leverage the Cloud
Tip #2 Enterprise Communications
Tip #3 Practice Management Software
Tip #4 Financial Software
Clients in the driver’s seat
Competition
Non-legal
Outsourcing
Economic environment
Electronic communication options
Globalization
Social changes
Demographics
Law firm economics
Cost pressures
New structures
Practice efficiencies
Data management – friend or foe?
Confidentiality
Knowledge management
Security
Support and maintenance
Competition - evens the playing field
“The Cloud” defined
Lower & predictable costs
Ability to work from anywhere
Security – better than you can provide yourself
Helps integrate business aspects of your
practice
practice management, accounting, document
management, communications…
Q: Not “If” But “When And How” – A: NOW And We’ll Tell You How
Must Invest To Stay Competitive
Must Set Aside Real World Dollars To Invest In Technology
Savings Increases Disposal Income for Reinvestment
POWERFUL - Leverage Economies Of Scale, Migrate, Manage and
Interface Between Primary Functional Systems
Ability To Work From Any Remote Hardware: iphone, ipad, Office PC,
Home PC, Notebook, Tablet
Flexible – Ability to Work From Anywhere: Court,
Office, Home, Road, Hotel
Strengthens Work Force: Viable, Dynamic,
Super-responsive
Increases Attorneys’ and Clients’ Comfort
and Confidence Level
Secure Infrastructure
GETTING OUR HEADS OUT OF THE CLOUDS
Bringing CLOUD out of the sky and into the office: Real world application
Enterprise level
Email systems –
Microsoft Exchange
Exchange hosted in the cloud (or Google Apps)
Enterprise phone systems
Fast. Easy. Managed.
All of your communications replicated to all of
your devices – automatically
On the go conflict checking, referrals,
communications
Real Time / Consistent / Constant
Wherever You Go – there you are
Client, internal, external, historical and current
emails / communication available at all times
No geographical boundaries
Courtrooms, client meeting, negotiations, closings,
depositions communication kept in real time world
Conflict checking during a meeting
Synched between primary and tertiary devices
Wow factor
Exceeds client’s expectations soon to be to be
expected by clients
Need expands the range from sole practitioner to
large sized firms
ENTERPRISE COMMUNICATIONS
ALWAYS PLUGGED IN –
NO COMMUNICATION
A must have for EVERY practice
Solo to large firm
The ultimate organization tool
Organize all client & case data, documents,
communications, finances, all in one place
Collaboration & Security tool
Collaborate with whom you want, keep your files
secure from those who should not have access.
Great place to leverage the cloud
Great hub for your data
True key to success
Virtual Office from Remote Locations
Efficiencies & effectiveness = increased profitability
Unencumbered collaborations between attorneys
Depositions, court, preparations for trials
TimeMatters –
docketing, conflict checks, pertinent client details
used by attorneys, paralegals, and admin support
robust even when off-shelf; can be customized
Play with Big Boys on Sophisticated Turfs
push for new technology
pull from clients for state of art tech
work with institutional clients
Avoids malpractice suits – cross checking
Electronic billing – future standard
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
PACKS A
POWERFUL
Learn how to use accounting software or make
sure someone in your office, who you trust,
implicitly,
with
your
money, knows how to use
it.
Re-read this if you do not fully understand
Learn how to read the financial statements
generated by your accounting software
Tracking every dollar spent is actually quite
easy, and knowing where it is spent is
powerful information.
Great place to leverage the cloud
BUDGET / FORECASTING
MEET MILESTONES?
YES? -
CONTINUE PATH; EXPAND
NO? -
FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Drill down
Allocation of resources
Tailor firm’s book of business to
firm’s strengths.
Realization rates
Billable hours
Financial Software
Billable hours
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
Make sure your data is backed up, daily
Location & medium of data backup
Testing (restore) of your backup
Emergency plan…written procedures
Do NOT wait for the emergency to happen
At that point its too late
It WILL cost more money
at that point then it would
have to put the plan into
place to begin with
•
20 years ago – manual, duplicative, off site
•
Cumbersome, expensive, slow
•
Move to electronic back-up
•
Manual process of storing tapes off site
•
Responsibility of an individual
•
No more excuses: Move to internet platform
•
Individuals and small firms – spam/antivirus
software ($40 per year per license)
•
Firms – professional services consultants
•
Responsibility lies in provider of software
and consultants
Jon A. Dorf, Esq.
Founder and Managing Partner
F
Sharing Your Vision For Success
SMSharing Your Vision For Success
SMAreas of Concentration
In the corporate arena, Mr. Dorf advises clients on the sale and purchase of businesses, the implementation of internal agreements (shareholder agreements, operating agreements, and related governance agreements), and the negotiation of contracts. He also counsels businesses on matters relating to their growth, strategic planning, and litigation needs. His real estate practice includes the finance and purchase and sale of large commercial properties as well as leasing arrangements on behalf of owners and tenants. He has been instrumental in many large scale and high profile real estate transactions. In the last few years, the firm has handled commercial real estate transactions totaling approximately half a billion dollars.
Appointed Positions
Mr. Dorf offers both legal and practical perspectives to his clients, drawing upon his own experience as the firm’s founder and managing partner, former Chair of the Committee on Law Practice Management for The New York State Bar Association, and present Chair for the Westchester County Bar Association’s Law Office Management Special Committee. He is also the current Secretary of the Westchester County Bar Association where he also serves on the Board of Directors. Mr. Dorf also serves on the Board of the Business Council of Westchester and as its General Counsel. Additionally, for approximately seven years, he served as a Town Prosecutor for the Town of Mamaroneck and was also a member of the Harbor Commission of the Village of Mamaroneck. Last year, Mr. Dorf was appointed President of the Orienta Point Association, Inc., a community organization of more than 500 homes, including his own, where he resides with his wife and two daughters.
Presentations and Lectures
Mr. Dorf frequently reaches out to the community by giving presentations on various areas of the law. In 2008, he was guest speaker on the subject of commercial real estate for Pace Law School’s New Directions Program. Mr. Dorf also spoke that year at the Westchester Women’s Bar Association Real Estate Expo on the subject of commercial real estate transactions and at the 2009 “Commercial Purchasing, Leasing and Workouts” seminar sponsored by Skyline Title, Inc. and promoted by the Westchester County Bar Association and the Westchester Women’s Bar Association.
Degrees and Qualifications
A graduate of Connecticut College and Albany Law School of Union University, Mr. Dorf is admitted to practice in the State of New York as well as the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the District Court of Connecticut. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Westchester County Bar Association.
Areas of Concentration
•
Corporate Law
•
Real Estate
Education
•
B.A. Connecticut College
•
J.D. Albany Law School
Honors and Awards
•
2008 Pace Setter Award
•
2008 Family Friendly
Employment Policy Award
•
2009 Hall of Fame Small
Business Success Award
•
Elected to Super Lawyers
2010, 2011
THE DORF LAW FIRM, LLP
740 West Boston Post Road Suite 304 Mamaroneck, New York 10543-3345Tel: (914) 381-7600 Fax: (914) 381-7608
Professional Marketing Maven and Political Scientist
I work with professional services firms and individuals to structure and implement strategically-grounded, research-based marketing programs.
Marketing Plans
Strategy: for firms, practice groups, offices and/or individuals including analysis of current situation, identification of goals, selection of appropriate targets, development of strategies and programs to reach audiences
Project Design, Project Creation, Project Management: create, write and/or edit Web site content and all manner of print materials
Outreach Programs for Internal and External Audiences: define target audiences and develop appropriate materials for targeting, cross-selling, and/or client care programs
Marketing Research
Internal Marketing Research: analyze internal data to create a foundation for marketing strategy and enhancement of the internal pro-marketing culture
External Marketing Research: understand the competitive environment
Executive Interviews: conduct one-on-one interviews with key clients or referral sources to determine clients’ future needs and assess service quality and service delivery
Focus Group Sessions: design and moderate focus group interview sessions to gather reputational or service-related insights
Coaching & Training
Training, Coaching, Mentoring Programs: business development skills for individuals, practice groups or firms
Accounting Firms [In-house]
•Richard A. Eisner & Company, LLP [now Eisner], Director of Marketing
•KPMG Peat Marwick, Manager of the Internal Research Group in the National Marketing Department
•BDO Seidman, Marketing and Communications Manager with National and State responsibilities
•Grant Thornton, Communications Manager
Law Firms [In-house]
•Haight, Gardner, Poor & Havens [now Holland & Knight], First Director of Marketing •Whitman, Breed, Abbott & Morgan, LLP, First Marketing Director
Consulting Firm [In-house]
•Hamilton, HMC, the health care division of Kurt Salmon Associates, Division Director of Marketing
•MarketForce, division of Hildebrandt International, Consultant
Professional Activities
•Past-President of the Legal Marketing Association, Metropolitan New York Chapter •Faculty [former], New York University Marketing and Management Institute •Editor [former] of Strategies, the Legal Marketing Association’s national membership publication
•Discussion leader, Workshop in Business Opportunities [WIBO] seminars on marketing topics
•Lecturer, Community Capital Resources marketing program
•Board of Directors, Grace Church Community Services, White Plains, NY •Board of Directors, Shelldrake Environmental Center
Education
•Marketing and research courses, American Marketing Association, American Management Association, The Burke Institute, seminars, conferences
•Eli Lilly Fellowship [Post-doctoral grant], The Bunting Institute of Radcliffe College •Ph.D., The Graduate Center, City University of New York
•M.A., Hunter College, City University of New York •B. A., cum laude, Smith College, Northampton, MA
The McCarron Consulting Group 68 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Tuckahoe, NY 10707
www.mccarron.net
(914) 391-5000
Montes & McCarron
Attorneys & Counselors At Law PLLC
68 Main Street, 2nd Floor Tuckahoe, NY 10707
www.montesmccarron.com
(914) 729-1083
JOHN R MCCARRON JR, ESQ
John R. McCarron Jr is the founder and owner of the McCarron Consulting Group, LLC and a partner at the firm of Montes & McCarron, Attorneys & Counselors At Law PLLC. Prior to forming MCG, John gained considerable work experience in the Nuclear Industry and the Computer Security field as well as working as a senior member of the technology team at Cybersettle, Inc. While working at Cybersettle, he managed the company's IT infrastructure and operations, while overseeing a global network which spanned numerous countries covering 3 continents. In addition to IT management, John was also heavily involved in the product side of Cybersettle’s business: the world's first on-line dispute resolution system. This system obtained patents in the U.S. and other countries around the world, and the system is still in use today.
John was the recipient of the 2008 Rising Stars, 40 Under 40 Award for Westchester County, New York.
John achieved certification as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer in 2003 and maintains that certification today.
John graduated from the Western Connecticut State University in 1999 and received his Juris Doctor and certificate of concentration in International Law from Pace University School of Law in 2009 and an LLM in Real Estate Law in 2010. John's passion in the law revolves around the close connection technology has with the law , as well as the intricacies of taxation and finance that are interwoven with matrimonial practice, commercial real estate transactions, trusts and estates and small business.
John is a member of the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Westchester County Bar Association and Putnam County Bar Association. John is the co-chair of the WCBA’s Law Office Management Committee and a Standing Member of the NYSBA Law Practice Management Committee. He also is a member of the Westchester Young Advisor’s Group – a group of dedicated young professionals in Westchester County who utilize their business acumen to foster innovative business strategies.
