A Practical Guide To Handling The Big Case

For Those of You Who Are Absolutely Sure You Want To
Take On Massive Tort Litigation Cases

Be Prepared For:

A.  Mixed support from:
     1.   Other partners
     2.   Associates
     3.   Outside co-counsel
     4.   Paralegals
     5.   Word processing
     6.   Secretaries
     7.   Office management/administration
     8.   Client

B.  Mixed financial impact on the firm:
     1.   Financing expert witness and testimony
     2.   Cost of research
     3.   Off-schedule billing cycle
     4.   Sizable petty cash demands
     5.   Costs of hiring additional:
          a. Permanent attorneys
          b. Part-time/staff attorneys
          c. Paralegals
          d. Support staff
     6.   Recognize collections always follow billings
     7.   Cost of travel
     8.   Cost of equipment
     9.   Costs of cash flow

Make Sure The Client/Case Is:

A.  Accepted by the total firm not just one or a few partners.

B.  Operated on an expense budget - After careful preparation,
    double the anticipated expenses.

C.  Managed on a realistic time schedule that is known to all.

D.  Prevented from taking on a "separate firm" life of it's own.

Assign someone (usually a paralegal) to be the case administrative 
coordinator who will usually be on the premises.  Do not
have this be the partner in charge of the case.

Test Your 24 Hour, Seven Day/Week Systems Capacities:

A.  Telephones:
     1.   Voice mail length
     2.   Portable phones
     3.   Speaker phones

B.  Lexis, Westlaw.

C.  Fax.

D.  Copy machines.

E.  Local/wide area computer network; data communication net-
    work.

F.  Delivery systems.

G.  Compatible notebook, laptop computers.

Have Available The Following Accessories:

A.  Loud bell - To break up fist fights.

B.  Fire extinguisher - To put out daily fires.

C.  Motivational tapes and player -To revitalize those involved
    in minutiae discovery tasks.

D.  Alarm clock - To wake those up who worked all night.

E.  Menus from all "fast food" facilities that deliver, 
     including their fax numbers - Remember there must be variety.

F.  Career counselor - For reminding associates that committing
    5 plus years to this case will not have a negative impact on
    their advancement to partnership.

G.  Marriage counselor - For reminding those married individu-
    als that their spouses are being unreasonable to expect them to
     have one weekend off every quarter.

H.  Open-ended airplane tickets - For out of town client counsel
    or co-counsel when they have second guessed the pre-agreed upon
    approach for the 15th time.

I.  Office and file stretcher.

J.  On premises after hours day care center - For working
    parents who unreasonably think they should get one glimpse of
    their children each day.

K.  Psychiatrist and/or padded wall office - For stress
    elimination or for those who have totally "lost it".


	

P.S.  Under No Circumstances Permit Any Of The Following In The
      "Work/War Rooms":

A.  Spouses or significant others.
B.  Alcohol, tobacco or drugs (No Doze the exception).
C.  CD players.
D.  Portable TV's.
E.  Video games.
F.  Computer games - Dungeons and Dragons.