The young lady on the other end of the phone was trying to be helpful when I returned my client’s call. He was in… no, wait… perhaps he’d gone to a meeting? Oh, wait… perhaps he was around here somewhere… The tenor of the call quickly went downhill from there.

With the hectic pace in offices nowadays, it’s not easy to keep track of people. That’s why LexisNexis, the maker of the award-winning practice management program Time Matters, packed in a real gem of a solution: The In/Out List.

The In/Out List provides a simplified view of Time Matters users who are “In” or “Out” of the office. Users can set up their own status, or it can be assigned to designated staff.

· The In/Out List can be accessed by going to the Viewmenu and selecting “In/Out List” (or by pressing ALT + SHIFT + L)

· To change the status of a staff member, highlight the name in the list and click on the Editbutton on the toolbar. Confirm that you want to change the status for that staff member

· Select the status for the staff member

· If the staff member status is “Out”, you may optionally enter the date, time and explanation for the staff member

· Click OK to save the change to the status

· If you indicate someone is “Out”, be sure to change the status to “In” when they return.

Being able to track staff is a sign of a well-run and organized enterprise. Be sure to look at this small but effective tool to help you manage your practice.

Was this tip helpful? Can you think of other tips to promote a smoothly running office? The staff at Eastern Legal Systems would be pleased to share their experiences in working with offices around the country to help you in managing your practice. Be sure to call us at 1-877-ELS-0555 for help.

Dana Riel

Dana Riel is President and Founder of Business Solutions, Inc., serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1985. Her firm is the authorized training center for the region for Time Matters and PCLaw by PCLaw|Time Matters, PLLC; Timeslips and Sage 50 Accounting by Sage Software; and QuickBooks by Intuit Corporation. She also serves as a consultant for Caret Legal (formerly known as Zola Suite), CosmoLex, Soluno & TimeSolv.  As a trainer, Dana has provided training services to organizations such as the DOD Defense Logistics Agency, Judge Advocate General’s Office (JAG)/Department of the Navy, University of the District of Columbia School of Law, U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as with small‐ to mid‐size law firms in the Baltimore‐Washington D.C. area. In 2009, she participated in the series of day‐long seminars sponsored by the District of Columbia Bar Association Practice Management Section, titled “Basic Training: Learn About Running a Law Office”. Ms. Riel also served as an Adjunct Professor in Georgetown University’s Paralegal Studies Program, having taught the course, “Legal Ethics/Legal Technology” in 2009; and “Legal Technology” for the Spring and Summer Semesters of 2010. She presently serves on the Advisory Board for PCLaw|Time Matters, PLLC.