OFF THE PRESS

A new book from the American Bar Association, “Law Office Policies, Procedures, and Operations Manual, Seventh Edition,” includes everything needed to create a complete, customized manual that can serve as a reference guide for a firm and as a training tool for new employees, associates and temporary workers. This seventh edition has been updated to account for changes in the law and the growth of virtual/hybrid law firms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Part I offers of a template for a policies and procedures manual that can be adapted to the needs of any firm. Suggested ones are included for every facet of law firm operations, and author’s notes provide guidance on what nuances to consider as you choose which ones to adopt and how to implement them.

Part II provides more in-depth advice on best practices in select areas of law firm operations.

An editable download of Part I is available at a link listed in the preface. Creating a policies and procedures manual for your firm has never been easier — just save a copy of the template, delete the author’s notes and choose the options that fit your firm’s needs.

Co-author Marcia Watson Wasserman is founder and president of Comprehensive Management Solutions Inc., which provides C.O.O. to Go™ law practice management consulting services to boutique and midsize law firms. Prior to consulting, she served as chief operating officer and executive director for more than 15 years at several law firms — both local and national — including an AmLaw 200 firm. Wasserman is a fellow in the College of Law Practice Management.

Co-author Cynthia Thomas is owner of PLMC & Associates, a law firm management consulting company that provides best practices in human resource and financial
management to small and midsize firms. With more than 20 years’ experience as a law firm administrative director and chief financial officer, and certified Six Sigma Champion with white and green belts, she often serves as an interim law firm CFO/COO.

“Law Office Policies, Procedures, and Operations Manual, Seventh Edition” is available as a paperback and eBook for $179.95.  To order, visit www.shopaba.org.

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The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has a new resource for practitioners seeking to gain access to government records: “AILA’s FOIA Toolbox: A Practical Guide to Obtaining Records for Immigration Cases through FOIA and Other Document Requests.”

AILA attorneys continually collect documents and information from government agencies to support clients’ requests for immigration benefits or relief from removal. Finding and accessing those documents isn’t always easy but attorneys need to ensure that they and their clients are aware of what the government believes the case or situation is all about.

“AILA’s FOIA Toolbox” can be the guide through the maze. It focuses on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and how to make requests to the key components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), and also covers all manner of requests for documents or information necessary for an immigration case, held by any federal or state agency.

Among the Toolbox’s documents you will find explanatory articles and samples on topics such as:

• Where to direct your FOIA requests for particular types of documents

• Documents properly excluded from a FOIA request

• How to make FOIA requests of USCIS, ICE, CBP, and OBIM

• How to get the records you need for a client in removal proceedings

• Obtaining records from government agencies other than DHS

• Getting necessary records from overseas for clients who are consular processing

• Seeking arrest and other criminal justice system records

• Litigating insufficient responses to your FOIA request

“AILA’s FOIA Toolbox” is 735 pages and costs $181.  

To order, visit, https://agora.aila.org/store/products/view/ailas-foia-toolbox.