The Law Offices of Jordan, Madrigal, Nicolotti & Youngberg

1. The Law Offices ofJordan, Madrigal, Nicolotti & Youngberg LI805 Scenario Activity Case 5

2. Scenario 5 In order to save money, a medium-sized law firm has decided to close its law library. Build a scenario in which there are positive and negative consequences of this decision.

3. Internal Environment Workers’ Compensation Law Firm Modernist structured environment/traditional Integrity of firm tied into winning cases and individual performance Employee competitiveness expected Compassion and understanding when dealing with clients

4. Organizational Chart

6. External Environment Competing forces Is the organization adding or duplicating the services of other organizations? The internal law library duplicates the services of the local law library. Is the duplication necessary? No. While it may save some time and leg work the law library offers the same resources as the in-house library. By concentrating the practice in Workers’ Compensation the need for extensive research is diminished.

7. External Stakeholders Courts/legal system Clients other law firms (competitors) Insurance companies (Adversaries) Doctor’s offices Employers Unions Lobbyist Vocational rehabilitation services

8. Social Structure Organizational chart – hierarchical Complexity of organization The firm is somewhat complex due to the many levels reflected in the org. chart. Size This is a medium size law firm. Communication channels Communication moves up and down the chain of command. Administrative structure The partners make all of the administrative decisions.

9. Max Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy This law firm (and most law firms) follow a traditional social structure of bureaucracy as defined by Weber. This includes: Division of labor Hierarchy of authority Formalized rules and procedures

10. Hierarchy of Authority The firms hierarchy can clearly be seen from its organizational chart. The partners make all of the decisions and pass down the information and work through the chain of command. Each employee reports to the person directly above them.

11. Division of Labor The division of labor is set by the partners and is divided according to the title of the position. Each partner is responsible for a certain area of the practice some with administrative duties and some focusing strictly on the practice of law. The work then trickles down from there.

12. Formalized Rules and Procedures The firm’s organizational chart notes the flow of power and responsibility within the firm’s structure. Written policies, employee handbooks, and job descriptions would be other examples of formalized rules and procedures.

13. Physical Structure One location – College Woods Urban setting Close to a prominent university that has a graduate school for law and library/information management. Kansas City Metro A close network of many small to medium sized law firms with law libraries

14. Core Technology Intranet/ in house network Internal form database Internet at every computer with access to libraries databases

15. Organizational Culture Subculture Partners Managers Lawyers Secretaries Professionals vs. Paraprofessionals Corporate Culture Business attire Offices vs. cubicles

16. Organizational Culture Modernist Approaches National Culture Influences • Individualism/Collectivism Cohesive groups ex: Consortium, Type of Client • Masculine/Feminine Strong interpersonal relationships Clients and organizations treated equally • Short/Long term Orientation

17. Organizational Culture Schein’s Theory Old Company Basic Assumptions All that matters is profits Values Leadership, Individualism, Competition, Profits, Marginalizing, Money Artifacts Business Suits, Court house, Settlements, Jargon. New Company Basic Assumptions Success measured by helping clients and profits Values Community, Compassion, Volunteering, Education, Teamwork, Citizenship, Empowering Artifacts Homepage, Email, Newsletter, K.C.W.E.N., Management, Jargon

18. Organization Culture Symbolic-Interpretive Organizational Narrative • Personal- Origins of the law firm, Ex • Generic- Explain business plans • Situational- Used to diffuse conflict or explain procedure

19. Proposal • Eliminate salaried librarian position and have legal interns and paralegals do research. Hire outside services if needed. • Join a law library consortium as well as use KC metro libraries. • Keep physical library with printed materials for reference but discontinue print acquisitions. • Keep all important databases current for in house research. • Obtain a library school student for additional upkeep.

20. New Organizational Chart

21. New Org Chart Continued

22. Pros Save money by eliminating a high salaried librarian position and employing law school interns, and paralegals take up the legal research. Employ a library school intern to assist in essential library upkeep. The use of students from surrounding schools will increase the firm’s reputation as a strong leader in the community. By retaining the current print materials that we own and continuing subscriptions to databases that highlight workers’ compensation, the majority of research will still be done in-house.

23. Pros Research that cannot be conducted in-house can be done at the local law library because of the firm’s urban setting. By specializing in workers’ compensation the firm will be able minimize the need for in-depth research and save money. By maintaining a small in-house library the firm can assist smaller, independent firms with some of their research needs.

24. Pros In extreme cases, an information broker can be used for extensive and specialized research needs. Library collection can be evaluated annually to maximize use and reduce expenses on unused materials. The firm will join a law library consortium to maximize use of it’s existing library materials and take advantage of what other law libraries can provide.

25. Cons Loss of librarian’s research skills. Loss of flexibility in handling a variety of cases. Potential for increased workload for paralegals. Increased supervisory role for lead secretary who would supervise interns

26. In Summary By reducing paid staff, eliminating costly materials, and using the resources of the KC metro community, the law firm of J.M.N.Y will be able to continue high quality legal research that will enable them to fulfill their corporate goals of helping those with worker’s compensation litigation.