chair

Michelle Zare Zare Paralegal Services Professional Corporation

November 21, 2016

Technology Tips FOR PARALEGALS

*CLE16-0111100-a-puB*

DISCLAIMER: This work appears as part of The Law Society of Upper Canada’s initiatives in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). It provides information and various opinions to help legal professionals maintain and enhance their competence. It does not, however, represent or embody any official position of, or statement by, the Society, except where specifically indicated; nor does it attempt to set forth definitive practice standards or to provide legal advice. Precedents and other material contained herein should be used prudently, as nothing in the work relieves readers of their responsibility to assess the material in light of their own professional experience. No warranty is made with regards to this work. The Society can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions, and expressly disclaims any such responsibility.

© 2016 All Rights Reserved

This compilation of collective works is copyrighted by The Law Society of Upper Canada. The individual documents remain the property of the original authors or their assignees.

The Law Society of Upper Canada 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M5H 2N6Phone: 416-947-3315 or 1-800-668-7380 Ext. 3315Fax: 416-947-3991 E-mail: cpd@lsuc.on.ca www.lsuc.on.ca

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Technology Tips for Paralegals

ISBN 978-1-77094-180-9 (Hardcopy)ISBN 978-1-77094-179-3 (PDF)

1

Chair: Michelle Zare, Zare Paralegal Services

November 21, 2016

12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Total CPD Hours = 2 h Professionalism

Webcast Only

The Law Society of Upper Canada 130 Queen Street West

Toronto, ON

SKU CLE16-01111

Agenda

12:00 p.m. – 12:02 p.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks

Michelle Zare, Zare Paralegal Services 12:02 p.m. – 12:22 p.m. How to develop a plan and budget for your practice Janet Wigle-Vence, Wigle Vence Paralegal Services

Professional Corporation

TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR PARALEGALS

2

12:22 p.m. – 12:42 p.m. Complying with the Paralegal Rules of Professional Conduct

Phil Brown, Counsel, Professional Development and

Competence, Law Society of Upper Canada

12:42 p.m. – 12:52 p.m. Question and Answer 12:52 p.m. – 1:12 p.m. What tools should you be using?

Andrew Hyland, Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP 1:12 p.m. – 1:32 p.m. Cyber-security Phil Brown, Counsel, Professional Development and

Competence, Law Society of Upper Canada 1:32 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Social media

Michelle Zare, Zare Paralegal Services

1:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Question and Answer 2:00 p.m. Program Ends

November 21, 2016

SKU CLE16-01111

Table of Contents TAB 1 How to develop a plan and budget for your practice………..1 – 1 to 1 – 2

Janet Wigle-Vence, Wigle Vence Paralegal Services Professional Corporation

TAB 2 What tools should you be using?........................................2 – 1 to 2 – 2

Andrew Hyland, Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP

TAB 3 Social Media Tips for Paralegals…………………………………………3 – 1 to 3 – 2 Relevant Resources……………………………………………………………3 – 3 to 3 – 3

Michelle Zare, Zare Paralegal Services

TECHNOLOGY TIPS FOR PARALEGALS

TAB 1

How to develop a plan and budget for your practice

Janet Wigle-Vence, Wigle Vence Paralegal Services Professional Corporation

November 21, 2016

Technology Tips for Paralegals

CPD Webcast Program: Technology Tips for Paralegals

Topic: How to Develop a Plan and Budget for your Practice Page 1 of 2

NOTE: These checklists provide a starting framework only and may need to be tailored for your needs.

1 - WHERE DO I START?

Start with a Business Plan that includes your expectations of how you will use technology to

support your practice.

Before developing a budget, you should map out your intentions for the structure of your

practice. Your plan for the operation of your practice will inform the decisions you need to

make in building a technology framework that will support your operations in a secure and

efficient manner.

Your Business Plan should address questions such as:

Business Plan Questions Year 1 Year 3 Year 5

What will the structure of my practice look like?

Me, and me alone

Me, and a legal/admin assistant

Me, and multiple paralegal associate(s) and assistant(s)

What does that structure require, in terms of technology elements, to be effective for my business model?

Shared or stand-alone applications

Shared or stand-alone data

Desktop and/or mobile computers

Internal network(s) at my physical office

Secure internet access for data sharing

Backup and Recovery strategy (physical on-site, physical off-site, cloud storage

Policies for user access control, systems maintenance and updates, backup execution, problem reporting and action

2 – HOW DO I BUILD A TECHNOLOGY PLAN?

Based on your Business Plan, you can start to build a Technology Plan and Budget for your

practice.

By mapping out your business plan, you have created a framework for deciding what you need

in the way of technology. By including future years in your business plan, you have some

parameters to help you decide if you should invest heavily to start off, or whether you can

make a smaller initial investment.

1 - 1

CPD Webcast Program: Technology Tips for Paralegals

Topic: How to Develop a Plan and Budget for your Practice Page 2 of 2

NOTE: These checklists provide a starting framework only and may need to be tailored for your needs.

If you know what you want your practice to look like it the future, you may be able to built on

your initial investment, rather than having to replace everything in the future as your

requirements grow and change.

Your Technology Plan should address elements such as:

Technology Plan Elements Year 1 Year 3 Year 5

Software / Business and Legal Applications:

stand-alone, on-site data or cloud based

Email - Free-ware (gmail etc.) or Outlook

Accounting

Legal / Practice management

Security and systems management (maintenance/performance)

Hardware

Computers – Desktop and/or mobile

Printer(s) – colour and/or B&W

Photocopier(s) – colour and/or B&W

Server(s) if a network is required

External drive(s) / backup device(s)

Communications

Internet provider, hosting

Telephone services (including how calls will be answered in your absence)

Fax Services – virtual or physical machine

I/T Consulting

Technology planning and budgeting assistance

Regular Maintenance and Support Security – monitor, patch and fix Back-up – execution, testing Software – maintenance, updates

Regular Tech Plan review to keep systems current as industry changes occur and security threats change

1 - 2

TAB 2

What tools should you be using?

Andrew Hyland, Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP

November 21, 2016

Technology Tips for Paralegals

What Tools Should You Be Using? By: Andrew Hyland, Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP What Kind of Practice Are You Running? What kind of technology you will be using as a paralegal may be determined by what area(s) of practice a paralegal with partake in; e.g. a paralegal whose practice is primarily focused on provincial offences and/or summary criminal offences, and who is primarily reliant on prosecution disclosure will have different needs than a paralegal who primarily practices in civil litigation, and who will self-generate pleadings, witness lists, etc. as part of a case file. However, at the very least, paralegals should be using two basic pieces of software: a practice management program, and a billing/accounting program. Practice Management Programs A good practice management program will help a paralegal take care of the essentials in day-to-day practice: docketing, diarizing, and information management (Name(s) of clients, contact information, etc). Options include machine-based software (Amicus Attorney, Abbacus, TimeMatters) and cloud-based options (Clio, ULaw, etc). What works for each practitioner is a matter of personal preference and firm finances (i.e., monthly payments for a license versus a one-time investment with periodic upgrades). Any good software should allow for syncing with your calendar and email clients to help you keep track information such as key dates, court appearances, limitation periods and deadlines. An increasing amount of software allows for automated generation of regularly used documents. Some practice management software includes its own billing system within the software. Others allow for syncing between the practice management suites and billing programs. Anyone using a practice management program should ensure that their data is able to be exported in case of emergency and for regular backup Billing Programs Billing/Accounting programs include both machine-based (e.g. PCLaw) to cloud-based (ULaw, Freshbooks, etc).

2 - 1

What works for each individual practitioner or firm is similar to the choice of practice management programs (personal preference/practice needs, practice finances). It is important to ensure that these programs are LSUC-compliant, or can be made to be. Data should be able to be exported in case of emergency, and for regular backup Other Technology Depending on your areas of practice and practice style (i.e. paper-based or paperless), you may consider buying and using different hardware and software. While every modern legal office should have a scanner, a paralegal running a paperless civil litigation practice (and therefore scanning in almost everything) may consider investing in a heavy-duty scanner rather than a paralegal whose scanning load is moderate to light. Paperless practitioners may also want to consider using cloud-storage (e.g. Dropbox, Box, Google Docs), but should be mindful of cyber-security and LSUC requirements respecting client confidentiality.

2 - 2

TAB 3

Social Media Tips for Paralegals

Relevant Resources

Michelle Zare, Zare Paralegal Services

November 21, 2016

Technology Tips for Paralegals

SOCIAL MEDIA TIPS FOR PARALEGALS

Prepared by Michelle Zare, Paralegal

Social media has quickly become a cost-effective avenue for the marketing of

legal services, creation of “brand awareness”, and an excellent source of referral

networks. There are many different platforms to suit your personal preferences

– websites, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc. However, social

media activity and advertising can also pose hidden risks and challenges for

paralegals and paralegal firms. The following tips are offered to help you as

you navigate the internet as an advertising medium.

Establish a social media and internet usage policy for you firm, so as to

set clear guidelines and expectations

Keep your personal sites separate from business sites

it is good practice not to be “friends” with clients on Facebook or

LinkedIn

Establish and monitor privacy settings on personal and business sites

be mindful of what you put on social media, both personally and

professionally – remember Rule 2.01 Integrity and Civility

Rule 8.03 regarding Marketing – be sure your advertising complies, be

careful about jurisdictional concerns given the vast reach of the internet

Communications with clients online still fall under rules about

confidentiality – see Rule 3.03

3 - 1

Treat online information in the same way as you would face-to-face

interactions, do not discuss client matters in chat rooms or Facebook

groups (even if names are left out)

Be careful about what you post out there, whether on your blog or on a

social media site – remember, anything you post can be widely

disseminated

Take reasonable steps to verify the identity of someone contacting you

via social media so as to avoid conflicts of interest or concerns about

ulterior motives of those contacting you

Be wary of phantom clients – online communications can be

misinterpreted, it is important to have disclaimers on website and emails

about legal advice and the lack of a paralegal-client relationship until

you are formally retained

-take steps to protect your identity – ie. sites can be hacked, check your

sites regularly

Remember, your online presence is a reflection of who you are, and you

are a representative of the firm in which you own or work. Think before

you post, and “when in doubt, don’t put it out”

3 - 2

Relevant Resources

Sample Online Activity and Social Media Policy

3 - 3