#HOMEflipping

We’ve talked a lot about managing remote people on the series so far. For Kris Martin, management consultant for HBR, that scenario was his daily life, except for one twist. He was the remote worker, and his employees were the ones in the office every day. Now, he has to adjust to the new situation where everyone is now remote. Oh… and add to that the fact that he lives in El Salvador and most of his staff is in New York City and Chicago. Remote workers will magnify how good, or bad a manager is. The key piece is knowing when to trust your works, and when to make sure they know you're available for them.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#driveitHOME

What role does the Legal Information Publisher play in this new work from home model for the legal industry? Neil Sternthal from Thomson Reuter talks with me to explain how they are supporting the industry in creative ways.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#HOMEloans 

The New Normal was coined to define the changes after the Lehman Brothers collapse. There is another New Normal that is already happening around the legal industry. Today's guest, Michelle Cosby, has double-duty as the Director of the Law Library at Temple University, and as the President of the American Association of Law Libraries. She has to help her law students, student workers, law professors, and association members handle this remote work environment.  

There's a need for leaders to be transparent and make sure that those who rely upon them, know what is going on. Michelle says that she is focused upon that need and letting everyone know what is happening, and what her plans are for both the Temple law library and AALL's immediate future.  

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#HOMEeconomics

While law firms have been relatively well prepared for this transition to work from home, the future will have a number of challenges for legal professionals. Toby Brown is always looking at trends in the industry and understands that there are waves of challenges coming. Law firms are doing a good job of responding to needs, but they struggle with handling what comes next. Clients are going to start looking at their future needs, and firms need to do the same.

He lays out some of the issues that hit the industry in the Great Recession and sees some of the same pressures (and opportunities) in the current situation. Are law firms situated to handle the upcoming challenges? Are they equipped with the proper staffing roles to take advantage of the opportunities? Are they hiring the "next-gen" roles like pricing and project management professionals? Are we ready for Summer Associates in May? Are we ready for pass/fail grades? Are we ready for a bust in the oil and hospitality businesses? 

Are we continuing to react, or are we thinking ahead? 

Speaking of 'next-gen' roles, Toby has helped create the new Legal Value Network as a place for these roles to find and share with each other. While the timing of the new community may be poorly timed with the current situation, Toby thinks it actually might be the perfect time since pricing and other professionals are going to need a community to help each other proactively address the market as we struggle with the changes that lie ahead.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#HOMEschooled

While the remote work and teaching environment might be new to most law professors, Vanderbilt Law School's Cat Moon has lots of experience. That's not to say she hasn't had her own frustrations, but she's coping better than most. She talks with me about the issues that law professors and law students are going through as all US law schools find themselves to be online schools.

In a survey she gave Vanderbilt students, they pointed out a number of simple issues that are happening as professors teach remotely. Things like not using a microphone (earbuds/microphones), or not facing the right direction while teaching. Granted, these professors are being thrust into a teaching style they may have never experienced. And, they were forced into this within a matter of days. We're all learning, and we all need to give each other a little slack. 

One thing this model does expose, however, is the lack of technology skills that law professors have.  It's something that many of us have pointed out for years, and now we're seeing it in real life. As you'll hear me say over the lifetime of this podcast, "never let an emergency go to waste." The silver lining may be that we finally convince law professors that they absolutely need to be better with technology. 

There is a lot coming down the pike for law schools and the legal industry. The LSAT may be cancelled this summer. Is there going to be a Bar Exam? How are those hiring law students going to react to PASS/FAIL grades? Everyone is anxious about all these changes, and the leaders of the industry need to step up and ease these concerns by facing them and giving these students solid answers. Cat sees this as an opportunity and lists a few things that we could actually benefit.

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

Vani Ungapen prides herself on being a planner. So how does one plan for a future that is uncertain? By being nimble, flexible, go with the flow, and most importantly, don't panic. As the Executive Director of the American Association of Law Libraries, she is having to apply all those skills. With an annual conference scheduled in less than four months, there's a lot of uncertainty leading up to the New Orleans event. 

The Association upgraded the staff's laptops, network, document, and phone systems over the past couple of years, and those upgrades are making it a lot easier for the AALL staff to work remotely. However, there are still things which don't work very well in a remote working environment. Such as, mailing out checks to pay bills. Everyone is learning that no matter how well you prepare, there are still processes that have to be adjusted in this work from home model.

We are all being caught off-guard, but it's important to be prepared, and make sure that you are communicating with everyone involved. 

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#HOMEbase

Andrea Cannavina understands the process of remote legal work. She's been at it for nearly 20 years as the CEO of LegalTypist. Andrea gives us a checklist of tasks that those new to the remote work environment needs to be successful, and stay sane. From the physical aspects of setting up a work area in your home, to the equipment needed, to the routine you'll fall into as you become more aware of the requirements of remote work. You're not just taking your normal work routine from the office and reapplying it to an in-home situation. It's going to be different.

It's not just the workers who are going to struggle with the new work from home model. Managers will have a difficult adjusting as well. Especially those who think that if they don't have their eyes on their employees, that means they are slacking. Andrea's advice here is that managers need to understand that work at home is a process. If something isn't going well, it is the process that needs evaluating more than the people. It's especially important that managers not immediately go into "blame mode" when something doesn't quite work out. Remember to work on the process before you blame the people.

Products Mentioned

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#oklaHOMEa

In the inaugural episode of In Seclusion, we talk with Jim Calloway, the Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program (MAP). Calloway and I go back to my early legal days with the Oklahoma Supreme Court Network. He discusses the issues facing the state bar, the courts, and the members of the bar as everyone faces the reality of working from home over an extended time period. 

Jim reminds us that this is going to be a marathon and not a sprint. Take care of your practice's number one asset...  yourself. The primary focus on most institutions is "life-saving" processes, and that means the legal system is going to be backed up. 

Products:

Remember, we may all be In Seclusion, but we're in this together.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)

#mobileHOMEtrailer

Welcome to the In Seclusion Podcast miniseries, with Greg Lambert.

Over the next few weeks, we'll push out daily podcast where Greg talks with colleagues across the spectrum of the legal community about the new work at home model for legal professionals. 

In Seclusion episodes cover our struggles, how we adapt, and tips and warnings for working In Seclusion.

Just remember, while we may be In Seclusion… we’re in this together. 

The first episode drops Monday, March 23rd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or where ever you listen.

Host: Greg Lambert (@glambert)