MEDSTUDY.COM
Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank
to Accompany
Practical Law Office
Management
M
4th EDITION
ED
ST
Cynthia Traina Donnes, MA
U
D
Y
,MEDSTUDY.COM
CONTENTS
PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................................................. iv
SAMPLE SYLLABUS .......................................................................................................................................................... v
CHAPTER 1 The Legal Team, Law Practices, and Law Firm Governance ................................... 1
CHAPTER 2 Legal Administration and Technology .................................................................... 15
CHAPTER 3 Ethics and Malpractice ............................................................................................ 30
CHAPTER 4 Client Relations and Communication Skills ........................................................... 43
M
CHAPTER 5 Legal Fees, Timekeeping, and Billing .................................................................... 52
CHAPTER 6 Client Trust Funds and Law Office Accounting ..................................................... 66
ED
CHAPTER 7 Calendaring, Docket Control, and Case Management ............................................ 79
CHAPTER 8 Legal Marketing ...................................................................................................... 89
CHAPTER 9 File and Law Library Management ......................................................................... 97
TEST BANK ................................................................................................................................... 106
ST
TEST BANK ANSWER KEY ........................................................................................................... 152
U
D
Y
,MEDSTUDY.COM
PREFACE
This manual provides you with information that I hope you will find useful in the classroom.
This is not an armchair-style text. Theoretical information is kept to an absolute minimum. The
text is practical in nature and focuses on the law office management skills paralegals need to
succeed in a legal organization. The text covers a broad range of subjects and includes a heavy
emphasis on hands-on technology. Student learning is enhanced through On the Web Exercises,
Projects, Practical Applications, Test Your Knowledge questions, and Case Review exercises.
The text continues to have a strong emphasis on ethics, the importance of clients and customer
M
service, the delivery of high-quality and competent legal services, case management/docket
control, timekeeping and billing, and client trust funds, among others. Practical suggestions and
insights are contained throughout the book. The fourth edition features significant changes,
ED
including:
● Material has been updated to reflect current management practices and technological
advances.
● Discussion of Clio, law office demonstration software, has been added. Clio is a web-based
software product that includes time and billing, client trust funds, law office accounting,
ST
case management, docketing, and more. Clio Hands-On Exercises have been added
throughout the textbook.
● Updated “Hands-On Exercises” for Microsoft Excel 2013 have been added to Chapters 5
and 6. Eight exercises for Excel are provided.
● Ethics and chapter-related cases were updated. Many of the cases include paralegals in their
U
fact patterns. Most of the cases are extremely interesting, are on point, and provide excellent
teaching and learning opportunities.
● The textbook covers technological advances and the impact on law office management.
D
● All of the charts and tables have been updated.
This manual provides answers to the Test Your Knowledge and Practical Applications questions
Y
for each chapter. Some answers for the On the Web Exercises and Projects sections may not be
included, given the nature of the questions.
If you have suggestions for how to improve the text, need something special developed, need
additional help or information, or just have a question, please feel free to contact me.
Best Wishes,
Cynthia Traina Donnes
, MEDSTUDY.COM
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
A sample syllabus for a 15-week semester and a 10-week quarter are included. Instructors teach
law office management in many different ways. Each chapter stands on its own and does not
require or rely on the chapters before it. So, an instructor is free to skip around and present the
course in the order he or she feels is best.
Course Description
M
This course covers the fundamentals of law office management. This course is designed to
familiarize the paralegal with the practical inner workings of a law office, including an
understanding of law office procedures. Law office management goes beyond mere efficiency
ED
and productivity, and includes being sensitive to ethical concerns and providing quality legal
services to clients in an affordable manner.
Course Objectives
1. Introduce the student to the workings and management of a law office.
ST
2. Prepare the student for what a paralegal is expected to accomplish administratively once on
the job.
3. Review the types of law offices, staff positions/legal teams, and possible office structures in
different types of law offices.
U
4. Educate the student on common ethical and malpractice problems for attorneys and
paralegals, and how to avoid or handle the concerns/problems.
5. Explain the importance of legal fees, timekeeping, billing, and client trust funds in a law
D
office.
6. Explain the importance of docket control/case management and its relationship to
malpractice, ethics, and providing quality services to clients.
Y
7. Introduce the broad concepts of law office management/administration, including the
delivery of a quality product, the provision of outstanding customer-service-focused legal
services to clients, law library management, file management, and so forth.
8. Introduce the student to legal marketing.
9. Provide the student with hands-on technology-focused exercises, software, and projects to
allow the student to use and apply learned information about law office management.
Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank
to Accompany
Practical Law Office
Management
M
4th EDITION
ED
ST
Cynthia Traina Donnes, MA
U
D
Y
,MEDSTUDY.COM
CONTENTS
PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................................................. iv
SAMPLE SYLLABUS .......................................................................................................................................................... v
CHAPTER 1 The Legal Team, Law Practices, and Law Firm Governance ................................... 1
CHAPTER 2 Legal Administration and Technology .................................................................... 15
CHAPTER 3 Ethics and Malpractice ............................................................................................ 30
CHAPTER 4 Client Relations and Communication Skills ........................................................... 43
M
CHAPTER 5 Legal Fees, Timekeeping, and Billing .................................................................... 52
CHAPTER 6 Client Trust Funds and Law Office Accounting ..................................................... 66
ED
CHAPTER 7 Calendaring, Docket Control, and Case Management ............................................ 79
CHAPTER 8 Legal Marketing ...................................................................................................... 89
CHAPTER 9 File and Law Library Management ......................................................................... 97
TEST BANK ................................................................................................................................... 106
ST
TEST BANK ANSWER KEY ........................................................................................................... 152
U
D
Y
,MEDSTUDY.COM
PREFACE
This manual provides you with information that I hope you will find useful in the classroom.
This is not an armchair-style text. Theoretical information is kept to an absolute minimum. The
text is practical in nature and focuses on the law office management skills paralegals need to
succeed in a legal organization. The text covers a broad range of subjects and includes a heavy
emphasis on hands-on technology. Student learning is enhanced through On the Web Exercises,
Projects, Practical Applications, Test Your Knowledge questions, and Case Review exercises.
The text continues to have a strong emphasis on ethics, the importance of clients and customer
M
service, the delivery of high-quality and competent legal services, case management/docket
control, timekeeping and billing, and client trust funds, among others. Practical suggestions and
insights are contained throughout the book. The fourth edition features significant changes,
ED
including:
● Material has been updated to reflect current management practices and technological
advances.
● Discussion of Clio, law office demonstration software, has been added. Clio is a web-based
software product that includes time and billing, client trust funds, law office accounting,
ST
case management, docketing, and more. Clio Hands-On Exercises have been added
throughout the textbook.
● Updated “Hands-On Exercises” for Microsoft Excel 2013 have been added to Chapters 5
and 6. Eight exercises for Excel are provided.
● Ethics and chapter-related cases were updated. Many of the cases include paralegals in their
U
fact patterns. Most of the cases are extremely interesting, are on point, and provide excellent
teaching and learning opportunities.
● The textbook covers technological advances and the impact on law office management.
D
● All of the charts and tables have been updated.
This manual provides answers to the Test Your Knowledge and Practical Applications questions
Y
for each chapter. Some answers for the On the Web Exercises and Projects sections may not be
included, given the nature of the questions.
If you have suggestions for how to improve the text, need something special developed, need
additional help or information, or just have a question, please feel free to contact me.
Best Wishes,
Cynthia Traina Donnes
, MEDSTUDY.COM
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
A sample syllabus for a 15-week semester and a 10-week quarter are included. Instructors teach
law office management in many different ways. Each chapter stands on its own and does not
require or rely on the chapters before it. So, an instructor is free to skip around and present the
course in the order he or she feels is best.
Course Description
M
This course covers the fundamentals of law office management. This course is designed to
familiarize the paralegal with the practical inner workings of a law office, including an
understanding of law office procedures. Law office management goes beyond mere efficiency
ED
and productivity, and includes being sensitive to ethical concerns and providing quality legal
services to clients in an affordable manner.
Course Objectives
1. Introduce the student to the workings and management of a law office.
ST
2. Prepare the student for what a paralegal is expected to accomplish administratively once on
the job.
3. Review the types of law offices, staff positions/legal teams, and possible office structures in
different types of law offices.
U
4. Educate the student on common ethical and malpractice problems for attorneys and
paralegals, and how to avoid or handle the concerns/problems.
5. Explain the importance of legal fees, timekeeping, billing, and client trust funds in a law
D
office.
6. Explain the importance of docket control/case management and its relationship to
malpractice, ethics, and providing quality services to clients.
Y
7. Introduce the broad concepts of law office management/administration, including the
delivery of a quality product, the provision of outstanding customer-service-focused legal
services to clients, law library management, file management, and so forth.
8. Introduce the student to legal marketing.
9. Provide the student with hands-on technology-focused exercises, software, and projects to
allow the student to use and apply learned information about law office management.
