Transform the role of secretary
The traditional secretarial support structure no longer meets the needs of many companies. Multiple reasons have been attributed to a sea change in support needs: Client and attorney expectations have changed, with administrative support, information management and client liaison coming to the fore and the need for services traditional types of typing, filing and telephone messages reduced by technology; A global 24/7 work environment surpasses a secretary’s traditional 9 to 5 work schedule; and the secretary position itself no longer attracts or retains talent from the job pool. The number one reason secretaries give for terminating employment is simply a lack of challenge.
Expense is also an issue. A New York office of three hundred lawyers has a support payroll of up to $8.1 million, or closer to $9 million if real estate, equipment, and other support is included. With the current attorney to secretary ratio of 3 to 1, this is $30,000 per attorney, per year.
At a large New York City law firm, a senior manager pointed out that modifying the existing support structure did not solve these important problems. At best, it marginally improved productivity, and at worst, it lowered employee morale. The decision was made to conduct an interview study with the objective of determining how the administrative and secretarial services were used and what new strategy could be devised. Secretaries, partners and associates unilaterally expressed these deep concerns:
Different support needs. Partners, advisors, and senior associates needed workers with administrative skills, able to manage the flow of information, communicate with clients, help with marketing presentations, and complete billing and research. Junior lawyers needed assistance in document production and administrative help.
Inconsistent support for associates. With secretaries supporting attorneys of varying seniority, junior associates in particular received poor service or no service at all.
Lack of skill development. What was missing was a purposeful career path, one that would allow secretaries to take on a more challenging and valuable role.
Concept of “single point of service”. Having a single point of contact for all support needs was an apparent gap in overall operational efficiency.
Customer-focused support. The service hours offered should be closer to the global hours that were demanded.
In response to all these inputs, a new strategy was crafted; its implementation was carried out.
The strategy created four separate secretarial positions. Each have different roles, assignment structures, and salary scales, providing a career path for future hires: Secretariat Coordinator, Administrative Secretary, Service Desk Secretary, and Floating.
The Administrative Secretary operates in a team that supports, within a specific practice area, a specific group of partners, attorneys and senior counsel. Teams are made up of two or three members, each supporting two or three lawyers, up to a total of 12 lawyers per team. Through consistent involvement in a practice area, secretaries become an integral part of its operation. As a team, they can offer all the core competencies lawyers need, and hopefully an “all-rounder.” The secretaries accepted the training initiative implemented for this position: ongoing and extensive training in administrative skills related to customer service, technical applications, and high-level support. The firm understood to guide the desired training towards sustaining its most valuable administrative resource.
The salary range for administrative secretaries is at the high end of the secretarial range. Due to the enhanced skill set that this group of workers develops, the traditional market-based ceiling can even be raised modestly.
The positions of Secretariat Coordinator and Secretary of the Service Center are located in the Secretariat Service Centers. These are full-service support areas for junior to mid-level associates and paralegals; each practice floor has a center that, including the Coordinator, has up to four people. A secretary is assigned five to eight attorneys/paralegals to assist so that one center provides coverage for up to 32 fee earners. In addition to handling all phone, document production, and support services for junior workers, document overflow for senior partners and associates can be handled there. Ultimately, secretaries benefit from close supervision in a high-leverage, pooled environment.
The floor coordinator is the single point contact person when a lawyer needs service. Coordinators oversee the workflow of a center, manage staffing, attendance, and vacation scheduling for the floor, and help prioritize messaging, faxing, and photocopying projects; in addition, they handle a part of the workload.
The centers recruit at entry-level salaries. There is a set ceiling with additional increases possible only as one progresses beyond the centers. Floaters, as an interim position, also have opportunities for promotion: Floaters provide on-demand support for centers and Administrative Secretariat teams.
These four positions are an integral part of a carefully crafted strategy, made to remedy a real world situation. Implementation in the real world was a painstaking process: detailed job descriptions and performance guides were developed for all staff, secretarial teams received extensive skills training, and a pilot program demonstrated what expectations should be for Service Centers. Service. Various stakeholders in the process were considered and a communications plan was developed, which was then presented to senior management, partners, practice groups, and secretaries. The overall goal of all this effort and planning was to substantially improve service levels.
It was a success. Associates now receive consistent, high-quality service delivered at all hours of the day. The most talented and experienced secretaries are focused and challenged to work for partners and other senior attorneys. As service has improved, cost savings have been realized: the attorney-clerk ratio has improved to 5-to-1, which, not including savings on real estate, equipment and other support services, has translated into savings of more than of $3.2 million per year.