Stoel Rives’ CAO Britney Colton Offers Advice for New Lawyers to Work Well With Staff at a Law Firm

In a recent Law360 article, Stoel Rives’ Chief Administrative Officer Britney Colton provides some suggestions for new attorneys to successfully integrate into their law firm and enjoy a productive relationship with the staff who support them.

While the legal skills new attorneys seek will be taught by senior associates and partners, law firm staff members have much to offer regarding firm operations, systems, and procedures. Long-tenured staff members, in particular, can be invaluable in helping them understand and navigate the unspoken rules and norms of the firm.

For her part, Colton suggests new lawyers “immediately dispense of any ‘lawyer vs. staff’ mentality and remove associated verbiage from their vocabulary.”

“A firm’s professional staff team is best equipped to help its greener attorneys understand firm processes, expectations for time entry, billing narratives, conflict checks, document filing, local court rules, professional development resources, business development requests, technology, and much more,” she said. “While new associates today are often very self-sufficient and knowledgeable, tenured professional staff have a lot to offer in terms of an unmatched insight into firm culture, interpersonal relationships, and cutting through administrative red tape.”

Read the full article here. (Subscription required.)