Legal Office Procedure

FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF A LEGAL OFFICE ASSISTANT

BASIC SKILLS REQUIREMENT

 “Difficult callers” are people who call the office frequently and make unreasonable demands. Dealing with them requires particular kind of fact and skill and the ability to control your emotions.

 They may be abusive in their language and very critical of you.

 But you must remember that it is not really you they are upset with. It is a certain situation that is disturbing them.

 Remember, some of these difficult

• SOME CALLERS ARE WHAT YOU CONSIDER “DIFFICULT CALLERS”

• THE PRACTICE OF EMPATHY AND TACTFULNESS IN HANDLING TELEPHONE CALL IS IMPORTANT IN A LAW OFFICE.

The specific way in which you are to answer calls probably be determined by office policy or based on the preference of the lawyer or attorney.

 All coming calls may be routed through a central receptionist or operator who any simply say, “Good morning, De Vera and Associates Law Office.”

• TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES

• TAKING DOWN THE MESSAGE OVER THE PHONE

• YOUR LAW OFFICE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

 Whether someone calls in person or by telephone and no matter who takes the call, adequate notes must be taken for the lawyer’s information.

 These notes might possibly also go in the client’s file.

If the call is fairly short and routine, you should complete a printed Telephone Message Slip to indicate who called and subject of the call.

• TAKING DOWN THE MESSAGE OVER THE PHONE

• TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES

• YOUR LAW OFFICE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

 Every secretary needs an accurate, up-to- date record of names, addresses, phone numbers, and other pertinent information about people the company is frequently in contact with.

 Such a directory would include not only information about regular clients but also any of the following:

o Telephone numbers of the courts with which the firm deals. This is especially important in large cities where there are many courts, each with many

departments, and each department with its own staff.

• YOUR LAW OFFICE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

• TAKING DOWN THE MESSAGE OVER THE PHONE

• TELEPHONE TECHNIQUES

 You will regularly place outgoing calls, either on your own initiative or at the request of the lawyer.

 Your personal directory will be of immense value in helping you to place this call quickly.

 You will also have available in your telephone directory for areas in which calls are frequently made.

• TECHNIQUES WHEN PLACING OUTGOING CALLS

• PLACING A CONFERENCE CALL

• YOUR LAW OFFICE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY

With the use of modern communication tools, people from different places can save a lot of time, money, and effort if they avail of the use of conference call.

The call cạn be arranged through a conference call.

o For example, assume that your boss has gone out of town to appear in court on behalf of a client.

• PLACING A CONFERENCE CALL

• STEPS IN ARRANGING A CONFERENCE CALL

• TECHNIQUES WHEN PLACING OUTGOING CALLS

means saying the right thing at the right time.

is the ability to put one self in the shoe of another person.