On 9/25/06, Isaacs, Leigh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Larry:
>
> Your assessment, I believe, is correct. There are many varying factors
> within firms, and in larger firms with multi-offices, even differences
> between offices depending upon local management, culture, practice group
> needs, etc. I definitely think that there should be documentation on the
> skill set and desired/required competencies for Legal RIM staff. Law firms
> really do have specific needs and concerns that are not universal to all
> industries. That being said, I think all law firms face similar challenges,
> and while not any one solution serves all, there are basic guidelines that
> would provide flexibility to "make the pieces fit" regardless of what size
> or structure of firm you may be in. What do you suggest as the first step
> in collecting this documentation for the competencies project?
Leigh-
Thanks for the confirmation.
I won't attempt to speak for the ARMA Project on the whole, and I'm
wondering if this shouldn't be a subset of that work, rather than attempting
to compile it within the overall project, especially since it seems to be
germane to one industry segment alone?
The framework of the ARMA project is divided along 4 levels of experience,
which have yet to be formally named, but essentaily consist of an Entry
Level, an Analyst, a Manager, and an Executive. These are the broadly
defined levels of positions, but it is well understood that depending upon
the size of your organization and RIM Program that one person may serve in
all roles, or multiple people may serve in multiple roles... and naturally,
that some levels may not exist at all.
My thought would be that to the extent this same "level structure" exists
within Law Firms or elsewhere in the Legal Environment (Government entities,
corporations, etc) that routine tasks", supporting skills and knowledge be
listed for each of the various levels of responsibility and authority. Each
level would need to list the most pertinent "tasks" and should include what
someone would have as their "knowledge" base that allows them to perform
that task at an acceptable level and the "skills" they would need to
demonstrate to do this work.
An example at the Entry Level might be:
Create, distribute, and maintain documents in accordance with organizational
procedures.
Knowledge of:
- Enterprise hardware and software
- Reprographic options, procedures and processes
- Documentation styles, templates, and guidelines
- Filing practice and rules
- Organizational policies and procedures
Skills:
- Writing, proofreading and edit publications
- Identifying, compiling, and sorting data
- Communicating effectively
And an example at the Analyst Level might be:
Provide service to internal and external customers by responding to requests
for information, products, and services to meet business objectives and
obligations.
Knowledge of:
- Relevant business functions and processes
- Organizational business products and service
- Knowledge of records access requirements
- Customer base and relevant business needs
- Customer service principles
- Organizational mission, vision and values
- Existing and relevant service level agreements
Skills:
- Communicating effectively
- Managing time
- Negotiating with customers regarding requests
- Resolving conflicts
- Collaborating with colleagues and with customers to meet business needs
But the tough nut to crack is to get a consolidated team of individuals with
solid experience with a wide variety of legal practices to work together to
develop this list and agree on the baseline tasks, knowledge and skills
required to satisfy the needs of these positions.
Larry
--
Larry Medina
Danville, CA
RIM Professional since 1972
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
|
