CALSPro - California Association of Legal Support Professionals

Are you continuing to educate yourself?

Posted March 30, 2012 in Education, Membership

Education for knowledge sake is great as a solid foundation; however, it is the actual application of that education in action where the benefits are garnered.    An educated server will be more efficient and productive as a result; and therefore more successful, spending less time and effort to accomplish greater results. The saying “work smarter, not harder” exemplifies this. An educated Process Manager, Dispatcher, Proof Preparer, etc. will also save time and effort when applying that knowledge to everyday situations by heading off potential errors and correcting them before efforts or resources need to be expended to re-do or otherwise fix that problem.

As Herbert Spencer noted, “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. “

The CALSPro Continuing Education Committee is in action and will be presenting our CCPS Workshop and Exam on April 14, 2012 at the Quality Inn in Natomas. The CCPS Workshop is designed to cover all of the topics that will be included on the CCPS Exam such as:

• Tools of the Trade
• What makes a good report
• The 3 essential elements of service
  • Identify party
  • State General Nature
  • Leave in Close Proximity
• Monetary jurisdictions
• Venues
• Statutory time limits
• The 4 basic ways a Summons and complaint can be served
  • Personal service
  • Substituted service
  • Certified mail Service
  • Service by Publication
• Reasonable diligence
• The codes every process server should know
• The service of ORAPs (a.k.a. OEX’s)
• Subpoenas
• Small Claims Actions
• Writs
• Unlawful Detainers (including Prejudgment Claims and 3 day notices)

Data Integration: The Future of Attorney Services

Posted March 23, 2012 in Membership, Technology

A mere two decades ago, landlines and paper were the dominant forms of communication. Business tasks required human involvement at every stage. As keyboards replaced typewriters, the pace of the business world accelerated. Pagers and mobile phones became familiar sights, enabling contact between the office and field.  Over the years, toaster-sized batteries shrank into iPhone and Androids. According to a recent Pew Research Center report, nearly half of American adults are Smartphone owners. Computers are in our pockets, homes, and vehicles, and the attorney service industry has access to new capabilities that did not exist a few years ago.

Communication is evolving at an unprecedented rate and data integration technology is at the core of this transformation. Data integration allows users to see a unified view of data from different locations and sources. When information was primarily conveyed on paper and the almighty FAX ruled the workplace, the system was only as accurate as the humans maintaining it. Revolutionary advances in cloud computing and web services are empowering businesses to work smarter, not harder.  Collaboration and partnerships are the new norm and the desire to expand and network is more pronounced than ever before.

Attorney service companies would be wise to look into data integration. Technology is changing at a rapid rate, and those who fail to adapt will be left behind. How can a company using old human-powered systems stay relevant when their competitors can complete identical tasks with a few clicks? Data integration allows companies to share data with their clients in real-time to complete tasks as commonplace as checking status that can be accomplished immediately using the client’s own program.  Sharing jobs with other attorney service companies instantly and directly is now a reality. How about when you forward a job to an affiliate? You would normally send an email with instructions, only to have your client re-enter the same data. With data integration, you can send the work order directly into your affiliate’s system.  Data integration makes it possible for a single software package to streamline the operations of an entire attorney service company, and to smoothly manage a job from beginning to end.

Attorney service companies should find out what kind of programs their clients are running, as there may already be web services or other tools available to make data integration possible.   As the industry begins to shift to new technologies such as E-Filing and GPS integration, and  cloud computing; companies who are quick to embrace the inevitable tide of change will be in a stronger position.  Data integration makes companies more marketable and effective. Who doesn’t want to save time, money, and significantly reduce the potential for errors?

Dennis Chaples
www.TristarSoftware.com