Why Your Firm Needs a Technology Training Program

Why Train

Technology training is as important in a law firms as it is any business. Aside from the mental analysis and application of law, there is little part of the business of law that isn't impacted by technology.  From the days of WordPerfect5 to today's introduction of Word 2010, providing training on that technology is an important part in helping to make your attorneys and staff efficient and making sure your technology dollars were well spent. Training is particularly important when change is involved (I'm not even going to follow a comment about change with the other comment about "change" – we all know nobody likes it). With the slow but imminent growth of Windows 7 and Office 2010, upgrades to desktop software most certainly involve change, therefore – training.

Often times we hear about software or hardware that "didn't work" or "we have it, but we don't use it."  I've learned that more often than not, those failures aren't technology issues – they are [lack of] training issues. Training is the #1 reason for successful software implementations. Lack of training is the #1 reason for failed implementations. That's a very profound statement. No Executive Director or Executive Committee member will deny that there are hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars spent on technology.

Every year decision makers budget for technology. In order to see a return on that investment, those technologies, the resources they offer, the time they can save, and the power they hold must be exhausted. Often months are spent evaluating, installing and configuring technologies which are later ignored or forgotten. The training ball gets dropped. Law firms and their leaders should no longer ignore/sidestep the role of training and the attention it deserves.

Your Training Team

Whether you have a single trainer or the luxury of a 10-person training department, know this: your training team should extend far beyond trainers or the walls of your training room. Many firms draw a line between the training department and the technology department - this is a fatal formula. The trainers should be an integral part of the technology department. Begin by making sure you have a training leader who has authority over the training department, programs and staff. This is not to encourage a dictator of training, but rather for organizational sake, everyone should know that there is a training head who moderates where trainers are and when, who understands the business and functions of a law firm and can bring value to those processes by integrating training at all angles. This person should, when relevant and possible, be included in technology team and management meetings, Technology Committee meetings, practice group meetings, merger and acquisition meetings and even strategic planning events.

The training leader should work closely with technology managers and especially the Help Desk. The Help Desk and the training department are extensions of each other. It is not unusual to see one of my trainers sitting at the Help Desk and taking calls. It makes for cohesion and communication.

What about the trainers?

Depending on your purchases, your arrangements with vendors and your budget, the trainer could be your in-house trainer, a staff member, a vendor, a consultant and maybe even an attorney. The first thing to consider in assigning the right trainer for the right job is to be sure that whoever it is, understands your practice management/ business goals, is familiar with the legal environment, and is going to be accepted by those he or she will train. We all know that attorneys and their staff will not have much respect for a trainer who cannot explain what a feature or function will do for them. Trainers must be able to offer "real life" and relevant examples of the implementation of software functions. Second, (this is a tough one) – they must be LIKABLE, liked and respected. No one is going to volunteer their time to take instruction from someone they do not believe in.

What to Train

Deciding exactly what to train is the first step in developing a training plan. There are different plans for different needs.

New Software: When implementing new software, a pilot group is always the best way to begin - if you can afford the time and resources. With a pilot group you can determine what features will really be utilized by the Firm and what features are not necessary. Additionally, you can determine which tools ARE useful but can wait for future, advanced follow-up training. For some applications you will want to develop a separate training plan for attorneys and for support staff. Very few applications are used identically between the two groups.  But rest assured, any new software will post an additional burden on the entire law firm and training is essential for a successful implementation.

Advanced functions of existing software: Just because it's been successfully installed doesn't mean it's over. Make it a point to continue to offer ongoing and advanced training sessions. For example, a program as simple as Adobe Acrobat isn't just for creating PDF files, it can be used to share comments, Bates stamp files, convert to Word and even redact text. While working at a large Florida firm a couple of years ago, it seemed we were in rollout mode for years – rolling out Office, a document management system, a new email system, practice and specific applications –  the firm was on a spending and training spree!  Once it stopped and all systems were integrated and stabilized, the spending stopped.  We had nothing to train - or did we? It was a perfect time to audit the applications and tools we had put in place. We took several key applications and made sure their use was maximized.

Upgrades: Upgrades are of course, a great excuse, reason to get people back into the training room.  But in addition to just that, it's a great time to offer refresher and basic training to new or remedial users. An example may be upgrading Microsoft Word; there may be additional functions that would benefit everyone in the Firm. Or, the Firm may be upgrading Microsoft Outlook - functionality has significantly increased over previous versions. Whatever the case may be, upgrades provide an opportunity to learn new features and revisit oldies but goodies.

Who and How to Train

"Role relevant" training is key in developing a successful training program. There are very few applications that an attorney will use identically as his/her secretary does. Even training for the Word Processing department will vary from that of the secretarial staff. Begin by making sure that the various ways in which an application is used or will be used is clear. Consider organizing a Training Advisory Board composed of a cross-section of attorneys and staff. Allow them to help drive training initiatives, projects and programs.

Attorneys

Generally, attorneys prefer not to attend classroom style classes. Instead, reserve a conference room and use a more social approach. Try a lunch and learn (food ALWAYS draws a crowd!) or develop a one hour CLE session. In many states obtaining General CLE credits for practice management and technology training is easier than you think. (And don't forget your registered or certified paralegals; NALA and NALS are very good about accrediting valuable sessions for their members.)

"Attorney only" sessions are also a good idea. Offer a class such as "Word for Attorneys" or "It's About Time: Learn the Ins, Outs and Benefits of Entering Your Own Time." Offer these sessions at off hours such as lunch, or right at office-closing. Attorneys may be more willing to attend.

Sample Attorney Training Sessions

- Timekeeping, time entry and basic Matter reports
- Basic document editing and creation (i.e., letters and memo's through your custom macros)
- Successful searches in [insert name of Document Management System]
- Adobe Acrobat: How to mark up pre-bills without printing
- Practice/software specific tasks (calendaring in Time Matters)

Support Staff

If you have the luxury of a training room - count your blessings! Offer classes of all makes and models. Traditional instructor-led classes are as good as ever for this group. Use your Training Advisory Board to identify short and targeted training topics.

Sample Support Staff Training Sessions
- Table That (tips and tricks for using tables to better format documents)
- Doing More with Word's Automatic Features
- Excel-ent! (Basic Excel training)
- Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts (one hour filled with nothing but)
- Expand Your Outlook

If there is one point I would like to stress it's class length; no more than one hour at a time. If you structure (or at this point restructure) your training program to offer only sessions which are less than an hour, your attendance will grow.

I was recently consulting with a Firm that offered a 3 hour Intermediate Word class. Who is going to attend that? What attorney is going to bless that absence from the desk? Rather than one hefty time block, break the course into "modules," a "track" or a "series." How about something like this instead:

- Monday: Understanding Styles, one hour
- Wednesday: Using Tables Effectively, 45 minutes
- Friday:  Best Practices for Table of Contents, 1 hour

Offering a series of sessions like this staggered and repeated throughout the week or month will give more people the opportunity to attend. Consider targeting applications on a monthly basis ("This month the Training Department will be focusing on FileSite 8.5's new and improved search functions.")

Where to Train

Should training be conducted in your firm's office or off-site at a training facility? There are obviously pros and cons to either and your decision should be made based on your firm's particular needs. Off-site training can provide uninterrupted training. In other words, you're away from the office and will not get interrupted by phone calls, attorneys or staff. That's the good part. They can focus more on the training and hopefully, learn more in a shorter period of time. Off-site training may be more expensive, depending upon the facility and trainer you use. Additionally, getting people, especially support staff, out of the office can be difficult to orchestrate. Very specific and training intensive classes, such as litigation software or matter management software, can be reserved for off-site venues.

Training on-site will work as long as you and they are prepared for interruptions by attorneys or staff. If an attorney is in the office, he or she will most likely want to take client phone calls. If a legal assistant is in training and is needed, they could easily be plucked from class. On the other hand, in-house training provides you with the ability to use the Firm's own technology, including software and client information or the Firm's own documents.

As training becomes an integral part of your firm, its value will be realized, its need will be recognized and you will find that those interruptions become fewer. It only takes a few "miracles" at the computer for an attorney to realize that all the training his secretary has been attending is paying off.

Summary

Here is a short list of Best Practices to keep in mind:

- Find the right person for the right job (your IT guy is not always a trainer)
- Keep sessions to one hour or less
- Consider "cram sessions" — 15-minute or shorter classes that teach a very specific feature or task. For example, "Tabs in Ten."
- Use creative marketing ("Tables in your Corporate Securities Document"sounds much more interesting than "Table Basics").
- Create a Training Advisory Board to help identify who to train and what to train

In the past, training was often looked upon as an afterthought. But, with today's increase in use of sophisticated software and the fact that more attorneys and staff are using home computers, these people should understand the importance of training. It's up to the law firm management to understand and support training throughout the Firm. If training will help the individual lawyer and legal assistant become more efficient and productive, then by all means, find a way!

By Adriana Linares