Week 2, Post 1 (Monday, April 17 - Sunday, April 23)

What Diane's office looked like after three real estate closings at 4.50pm on a Friday night! (above)

Describe the software and versions, tools, and equipment used in the office.

Well! That is an extensive question! So here goes:

Software

Teraview

Conveyancer

Estate-a-base

Fast Company

PC Law

WordPerfect

Office 2010

Equipment

The computers are slow, but the monitors are 17" and nice. There is a computer in each office and a newer one on reception. Keyboards and mice are cordless and rechargeable.

The phone system is multiline with a colour monitor on each phone. These were updated recently.

Printers are HP and very robust. Each has a stack of envelopes and different sizes of paper (letter and legal) nearby.

Each office has a shredder near to the desk and is fully equipped with all stationery and tools needed in an office.

There is a main printer/fax/scanner in the post room/stationery cupboard/resources area which scans to folders on the network for easy scan retrieval.

Are you using/will you use any of the legal software learned in your programme? Explain. If you are using new software, was it easy/difficult to adapt to? Why?

I am using all of the legal software we used in our programme so far. The only area I haven't had experience in since I've been in my placement is Wills and Estates. The lady who works in that area works on it solely and works alone. She is part-time too, so when she is in the office she is very focused and has to get on with things quickly. Perhaps they are thinking to have me work on some of that next week. I was very happy to note that they use the 'legal blackline' function of Word rather than the 'track changes' function. Thank you, Erin, for teaching us that! There is no other software that I know about that is used that I was not taught. 

It is difficult to use Teraview as I don't have a USB key. However, someone is always willing to let me use theirs. I am very much enjoying being able to email parcel registers and instruments to myself so I can print them out at will without having to keep raising them and paying for them each time I need another hard copy!

Describe some of the documents you have been preparing. Do not use client names.

Waivers (using WordPerfect), reporting letters, pre-bills, accounts (billing through PC Law), annual resolutions (some manually raised from a precedent), consents and letters (through Fast Company), email to accountants and lawyers for the other parties we deal with (through Outlook).

Do you have any accounting responsibilities? Explain what they are.

I have been raising some pre-bills and then once Stephen has added his fee (he works that out on a pro-rata basis from client to client at his own discretion) I enter that and raise the bill. Other examples include billing for producing annual resolutions. All is done through PC Law.

I am seeing several files through from start to completion and will bill for those at the end.

Our receptionist, Winnie, initially opens the files using PC Law and assigns each a number. We then receive the file from the lawyers. At Lennox and Penney Winnie is the person who does most of the accounting.

Have you been assigned a specific project? Explain your role.

I have been assigned two Real Estate files - a sale and a purchase - to see through as far as possible, and a business incorporation. My role on both is to take direction from the lawyer as each progresses and to action what is needed to move the file forward as I am directed. The team has file review sessions around twice each week during which we all sit down with a list of all the current files that are open, and discuss the ones that have had action on them or need actions. More work usually comes from these meetings, or as emails and phone calls come in the projects move along naturally.

Are you feeling more comfortable? Why or why not?

Strangely I am finding I am feeling more comfortable as my workload is going up. As I am being exposed to more things and learning more, I am finding more and more that the only time I need to ask questions is when something is actually wrong and out of place - not as it should be. This is increasing my confidence as I can run with things alone. With this being a small firm, I need to be able to function by myself as there is only sporadic guidance - everyone is busy.

I am also getting to know people more, and feeling accepted rather than wondering whether people will mind all my strangenesses :)

Is there any subject matter you wish we had covered in class? Explain. How are you managing to become more knowledgeable about this subject?

In Teraview, learning how to go into 'administration' from the toolbar and pulling a docket summary from which to enter billing into PC Law would have been useful knowledge to have. Diane has taught that part to me - she is a graduate from my programme from 2015 and was taught it back then. Apart from having her teach me, doing it over and over again is helping me.

Are you drawing on skills learned in interpersonal communications, office procedures, math, bookkeeping or legal classes?

I am needing skills learned from most of these classes. I have been out in the world and working for quite a few years prior to this period of working here in Canada so I know how to be in the workplace and how to work with people who have different working styles and personalities to me. Even so, the interpersonal communications class gave me important knowledge about how to think in order to understand those differences and act to mitigate them or to take advantage of the differences to get the work done more effectively. Everyone is strong at different things!

The only class I have not had to use is bookkeeping. And that is largely because I am not working in a firm in which it is needed.

Have you had an opportunity to interact with clients? How? Was this easy or difficult? Explain.

I have had opportunities to sit in with John - our senior lawyer - which he runs through a Will with a married couple. I saw how he put everything in layman's terms, even the breakdown of succession so they would understand what all the terms meant and how if one of their children died how their legacies would pass down and who would get what. He even drew them a little flow chart. He laid out all the rules under the Family Law Act and equalization and explained how the marital home would figure in everything. He took questions and I was able to interact with him and with them at that point.

More coming on Sunday with a list of what I've done this week. This post is a little long now!

I will leave you with some shots of our meeting room (below).