how to make a calendar for your boss that is an attorney

How do lawyers manage their Cal-calendars?

Nov 30, 2019 · Create and share your boss’s calendar with others. It’s a simple and effective way to keep everyone on the same page. You could also place a large wall calendar in the office. Or, utilize tools like scheduling and project management software. Late arriver. Leaders should never be late. It’s disrespectful and sets a bad example.

Should I have separate calendars for the attorney and legal assistant?

Create Calendaring forms Client Intake Forms and Calendar Notices are essential to a well-operat-ed calendaring system. Having forms and notices that attorneys and staff can complete and forward to the calendar clerk for entry alleviates the danger of a lost post-it note with a crucial deadline jotted down during a conversation.

How do you train your boss to use the calendar?

Aug 17, 2017 · Your calendar is the core of your busy law practice. A more efficient calendaring system leads to a more efficient law practice. Back at the start of the calendar year, our friends at Attorney at Work sourced expert tips on how lawyers can improve their calendars for a round of Friday 5+ Tech Tips.. Heidi contributed a tip that has helped our own organization’s efficiency …

What should you look for in a legal calendar?

Nov 12, 2020 · If your boss already uses a business calendar software, do a test using that app. Make sure to delete any test events you enter after you’ve sent your invitations and received your replies. Once you feel comfortable that you know the software and your tests have worked, perform a test with your boss so you know she is set up correctly.

How do I organize my boss calendar?

Here's some tried and true calendar management tips:Create a routine. ... Group all meetings and calls together. ... Block time for email. ... Optimize time for different meetings. ... Don't double-book. ... Plan out time for breaks, lunch, exercise, and their family.Feb 4, 2019

How do you manage a manager's calendar?

Here are 11 proven calendar management tips that will save you time, headaches, and will make your boss ecstatic.Ask for assistance with prioritizing. ... Create a routine for your boss. ... Share their calendar. ... Try Calendar. ... Block out time for specific tasks. ... Add some color. ... Give them a breather. ... Don't double book.More items...•Aug 29, 2019

How can I improve my calendar management?

Top 9 Scheduling and Calendar Management Tips to Make the Best Use of Your Time and Boost ProductivityWrite down your goals for the week.Create a priority matrix.Use the Pomodoro technique.Color-code your calendar.Eat the frog.Follow the 4 D's of time management.Identify your productivity peak and start time blocking.More items...•Jun 28, 2021

What is executive level calendar management?

Be the Gatekeeper As their right hand, your client looks to you for executive calendar management which means filtering appointments and meetings they need to take and, more importantly, saying no to the ones they don't need.Apr 22, 2021

How do you manage 3 calendars?

0:593:29How to Manage Multiple Calendars Efficiently - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis so basically I always have my calendar. And my executive calendar up at the same time. By byMoreThis so basically I always have my calendar. And my executive calendar up at the same time. By by side so it makes it much much easier. And everything that I do I actually do in my executives.

How do you coordinate a calendar?

Below is an overview of the 5 best ways to coordinate schedules in a world where everyone is on the go and time is at a premium.Use a scheduling tool to coordinate calendars. ... Share Calendars. ... Create A Schedule Poll. ... Use A Scheduling Extension. ... Use a Meeting Bot. ... 7 best schedule maker tools 2021.More items...•Feb 23, 2021

Is calendar management a skill?

Calendar management is a cognitive skill very few have mastered. It is the process of applying priority management and time management to optimize your calendar. It is based on understanding where your time is best spent, and then planning your calendar accordingly.Aug 7, 2020

How can I be a good gatekeeper for my boss?

How to be a great gatekeeper:Know the goals and priorities of your executive. ... Ask the right questions. ... Understand your executive's schedule and preferences. ... Learn to say no.Nov 4, 2019

What is the most important responsibility you have when managing your calendar?

Making sure that your boss stays on schedule is probably the most important responsibility you have when managing their calendar. Of course, that’s an uphill battle when facing last-minute changes or working with someone who has unhealthy habits.

How to get to know your boss?

Take the initiative to get to know your boss better. You can get to know your boss by reviewing their past calendars to see what their daily routine is like. Check the calendars used both inside and outside of the office. Shadow them for a couple of days. Walking with your boss around the workplace converse with them.

Why is it frustrating to have a malpractice claim?

These cases can be frustrating because there is very rarely a defense for the error. The error could have easily been avoided by the proper use of a calendaring system. The goal is to create a calendaring system that is reliable, efficient and user-friendly. An effective system includes all of the work in the office and all of the time out of the office, such as holidays and vacations.

What is an effective system?

An effective system includes all of the work in the office and all of the time out of the office, such as holidays and vacations. The best system will be the one that you and your staff can efficiently use together. A complicated system that is difficult to operate will not benefit your practice.

Do attorneys have to participate in calendaring?

All attorneys and staff in the firm must participate in the calendaring system. There can be no exceptions. The only way the system can be effective is if all members of the firm participate. All partners, department heads, or even the solo lawyer should routinely monitor their system to verify that it is used universally and data is properly entered.

Why are court dates rescheduled?

Rescheduling also applies to cases that include voluntary dismissals as the calendar system will not alert you to a refiling dead-line, resulting in a missed statute of limitation. Anyone rescheduling an event or deadline should immediately complete a calendar notice and forward it to the calen-dar clerk to ensure the system is updated timely.

What is client intake form?

Client Intake Forms and Calendar Notices are essential to a well-operat-ed calendaring system. Having forms and notices that attorneys and staff can complete and forward to the calendar clerk for entry alleviates the danger of a lost post-it note with a crucial deadline jotted down during a conversation. Client Intake Forms will be completed by the attorney during the initial interview with a client and should include all possible events to be calendared including but not limited to: statutes of limitation, statutory/administrative notice deadlines, notices of appeal, required appearances,

Can I store my calendar in one place?

The calendar must not be stored in one place only. Backups are helpful in the case of a system malfunc-tion, but other options are available to provide instant access to information. Personal data assistants (PDAs) and smart phones, such as the iPhone or Blackberry, provide a portable secondary version of your calendar. Desktop calendars are also useful as a redundant sys-tem, readily accessible in the event of a system failure.

Why is follow up important?

Any calendared action should include a follow-up notice to ensure that the intent of the action has been accomplished , such as receipt of a response from a client or opposing party or service of process on a filed complaint. Using follow-up notices will help maintain a timely course of action for your file.

Meet With Your Boss

The first step in maintaining your boss’s calendar is to meet with her to find out what system she wants to use. She may have a calendar software program she’s been using for years and wants to continue using it. She may simply give you dates and times verbally and expect you to create and maintain her calendar.

Choose The Software

You’ll probably want to use a calendar software to keep your boss’s schedule. These programs not only allow you to enter dates, times, locations and tasks into them, but they also provide communications tools.

Learn the Software

Whether you’re using a new calendar app or just maintaining your boss’s current program, learn all of its features and calendar management tools.

Create the First Calendar

If you are setting up a new calendar, do a test run, inviting a few friends or co-workers to a test event. If your boss already uses a business calendar software, do a test using that app. Make sure to delete any test events you enter after you’ve sent your invitations and received your replies.

Train All Stakeholders

Send an email or text to any staff members you know will be regularly using the calendar, especially if more people than just you have permissions. Do a test event and invite everyone, alerting them beforehand that your test is coming.

The Three-Year Old Post-It Note: A Constant Reminder

There are a myriad of tools for paralegals to use to ensure there are no scheduling conflicts or missed deadlines in their calendaring duties, including virtual apps that create a master calendar for both the attorney and paralegal to view, and calendars that sync with smart phones.

Continue to Learn

What’s Gabrielle’s best advice for the new paralegal? Continue to learn.

Why is it important to have a shared calendar?

Having a shared calendar keeps everyone in the loop and prevents conflicts from occurring. You know where and what your boss is doing throughout the week. Your shared Calendar can also help with your boss’s’ days off. Just remember to make sure you have complete control of the calendar.

What is the job of an executive assistant?

As an executive assistant, one of the critical responsibilities of your job is managing your boss’s schedule. However, when working with a busy and well-connected individual, this can become an overwhelming and time-consuming task. As a result, you may make some mistakes along the way until you find the most efficient way to manage your boss’s ...

How does a calendar help an executive?

Tools like Calendar can make your life as an executive a whole lot easier. Instead of exchanging phone calls or emails with individuals wanting to schedule a meeting with your boss, you share her Calendar with them. Your boss’s calendar will be open with a link or email. The other party sees when your boss is available and schedules a date ...

Is your boss' schedule a work in progress?

Finally, keep in mind that your boss’s schedule — along with your own schedule — is a work in progress. You’ll want to assess their schedule so that it can be adapted frequently. For example, maybe they need more time for extracurricular activities or the recurring team meetings are no longer necessary.

Why do you color code your boss's calendar?

Color coding your boss’s calendar will make it easier for them to view and understand. For example, you could color-code meetings blue, personal appointments, yellow, and travel dates red. Once you train your boss, they can glance at their calendar and see what their day, week, or month holds.

What to do if your boss is off site?

If your boss has an off-site meeting, then keep an eye out for the traffic and weather. If you monitor these “vitals” your boss can plan if there is a traffic delay or weather change. The last thing you want is for your boss to show up to a meeting 20-minutes late and soaking wet.

How long should a meeting be?

Most meetings should only be around 20-30 minutes. Keeping the meeting to a manageable timeframe ensures your boss isn’t wasting valuable time stuck in a meeting. Strict timelines save you and your boss from time-sucks that shoot productivity.

Why is scheduling your boss important?

When you’re a personal assistant, scheduling your boss’ day to run as smoothly as possible is an integral part of your job. A great assistant ensures that the flow of appointments and meetings make sense and leaves enough time to accomplish quality work on all projects.

What happens if you double book a meeting?

Double booking obligations just leads to unnecessary stress and occasional embarrassment for both your boss and you. Don’t do it. If you accidentally say yes to a meeting and find out there’s something else slotted for the time, reschedule right away with apologies.

How to avoid delays in a meeting?

Be the weather/traffic person. If your boss has off-site meetings, make sure to map out routes to unfamiliar places. Keep an eye on traffic reports to avoid any unseen delays or catastrophes. Keep an eye on the weather report too, since storms will affect both what your boss wears and how fast she’s able to get where she needs to go.

Can a meeting go over time?

You may have scheduled a meeting to fit within a specific time window, but meetings can easily go over time when people don’t stick to an agenda.Be mindful of the clock to ensure that a meeting never runs late or bleeds into the next scheduled task. Don’t let your boss get sidetracked by an overly chatty appointment.

What are priority tasks?

As you’re managing your tasks, consider sorting them into four categories so you can visually see what is a priority: 1 Important and urgent 2 Important but not urgent 3 Urgent but not important 4 Not urgent and not important

What are the two categories of tasks and projects?

All tasks and projects that come across an attorney’s desk, or anyone’s desk really, can be sorted into two broad categories: Importance and Urgency. As Dwight Eisenhower once said: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” This is true whether you’re running a nation or running a law firm, and it’s critical that you understand the difference between tasks that are urgent (and unimportant) and tasks that are important (and not at all urgent).

When sorting your tasks into their proper importance versus urgency category, you will find that even within the same project,

When sorting your tasks into their proper importance versus urgency category, you will find that even within the same project, different tasks may take on different levels of urgency and importance. You might also find that you have time conflicts where you are forced to decide between tasks that seem on the surface to be equally important or urgent.

What is urgent task?

Urgent Tasks = tasks that require immediate attention. They are presented as something that needs to get done right away—the need to return an email, answer the phone, or attend a meeting/court hearing/deposition. Important Tasks = tasks that aren’t necessarily time sensitive but that help you reach your long-term goals.