The need for a new form of communication was identified in July 2017. The internal buy-in needed to be presented, first to Managing Attorney, Eric Averion and then consequently to the Owner of the Firm, Joshua L. Goldstein. Once approved, Version 1.0 was released in August 2017 along with group and individual team training session(s). After my departure, I transitioned ownership of the program and implementation via out-training.
As the top-rated Immigration Law Office in Boston our team manages an active client database of 400+ at one time. Each paralegal is responsible for their own case load, which ranges from 100 to 150 clients each. Overtime communication and transparency have proven to be a challenge (i.e. Repeated mistakes, missed instruction, and unbalanced responsibility). By creating our JGoldLawTeam workspace, we seek to create a legitimate workflow that enforces fluid communication patterns and transparency. This includes the following areas: team-wide communication, client contact, administrative responsibility, USCIS appointments, new hires, inquiries, and office policy.
Slack is a platform designated to help create a workspace that increases productivity, communication, and shared understanding amongst a team. Our team is small, but efficient workflow is essential. We have created this workspace to scale our work and meet the demand while maintaining transparent communication. Our office leverages data storage from ‘Insightly’ in order to build our client’s virtual footprint and tracking inquiries and leads. Currently we have no consistent method of communication amongst our team. Each Workspace has been created with the intention to streamline every branch of communication.
Given the nature of a small office, the Human Resources and Administrative responsibilities fall under everyone’s to-do lists. Our workspace is built to provide visible accountability for all tasks.
Most importantly, our workspace is just the beginning and should not be intended as a final product. Channels, integrations, users, etc. will all grow. The purpose of this Slack Implementation Document is to allow for quality transition and shared knowledge of our workspace.
By monitoring the Team feed, we will become more aware of what other members are working on, who the responsibility belongs to, and what still needs to be assigned.
To-Do Bot is a critical tool in this regard; it allows for a stream of tasks within various channels. To-Dot Bot should be used throughout JGoldLawTeam and within #tasks (a channel for attorney task assignments).
Reactions have been assigned to each paralegal as a way to claim a task, assign a new hire, and provide a sense of ownership. See #newclients channel for further description.
#clientcontact feed will provide a shared knowledge of current client calls and case updates.
Create a space where others are open and willing to collaborate, learn from each other, and suggest on-going improvements.
#todayilearned and #letmecheck have been created with the direct intention of providing the team with a space to share knowledge and be transparent. It’s ok if you don’t know something and you need to check in with others. Once you’ve found the answer, share what you’ve learned!
Always keep the Client in mind. Maintain Client-Attorney relationship. And build transparency.
Immigration policy is constantly changing and evolving. In the past year USCIS has made significant updates to five of the ten most commonly used forms in our office. #jgoldlaw is a channel that can be used for team-wide announcements and communication. This channel can be used to respond to these changes and provide our team with #policyupdates.
These updates provide the paralegals with clear instruction on any reoccurring mistakes, federal law changes, or new office policies. As changes are made, the question, “how does this affect our Clients?” Should always be addressed. Reactions are used as confirmation that the post has been read by each paralegal.
It is integral to any team to maintain and simplify levels of communication. There are five tunnels of communication on our team (Attorney-Attorney, Attorney-Client, Attorney- Paralegal, Paralegal-Paralegal, Paralegal-Client). These relationships should always be kept at the forefront of any decision both on and off Slack. All channels were created to create a working synthesis between each branch of communication.
To increase the clarity of our feed, we should always maintain a consistent post- convention — highlighting the important information that each team member will need to take from the post. See each Channel Overview for specific convention instruction per JGoldLawTeam channel.